A new qualitative study of some of the UK’s leading faiths has concluded that Hindus are more likely to engage in environmentalism as a result of the Dharmic concept of the whole world representing one “ecosystem”.
‘Conserving the World in Faith: An in-depth study of how faith inspires environmentalism’ by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) highlights how Hindus believe that all objects in the world are open to being viewed as “spaces to worship God”, with not the object itself being worshipped but God within the object. Report author Amanda Murjan discovered that Hindu respondents showed the highest levels of concern for the impacts of climate change, leading them to be the most active in various personal environmental actions.
The report finds that 64 per cent of Hindu respondents participated in rewilding, compared to 31 per cent of Muslim respondents and 22 per cent of Christian respondents. They also led in changing consumer habits (78 per cent), donating to charities (63 per cent), and joining environmental groups (44 per cent).
The report states: “Hindus are more likely to view, in very tangible ways, the whole world as an ‘ecosystem’ in which all existence is intrinsically connected and thereby all things in the world are viewed as co-existing in essential interdependency. This means every human action has a consequence somewhere within the world.
“The simple act of picking a flower sends ripples of effects occurring within the world, time and space. This leads to a tangible sense of cause and effect and of existing in profound relation with the world.
MORE LIKE THIS…
“Hindus were more likely to emphasise the role of experience, conscience and interior over exterior motivations than respondents of other faiths. This means that Hindus are more likely to engage in environmentalism because they feel and know its value, rather than doing so through religious obligation.”
This marked the second phase of IIFL’s project exploring the relationship between faith and sustainability, shaped by key findings from last year’s first phase that Hindus led in personal environmental concerns and actions but were the least likely to be motivated by scriptural observances.
While Hindus were the least likely to cite faith obligations to care for the planet as primary motivations, they showed the highest levels of concern for the impacts of climate change leading them to be the most active in personal environmental actions. Interviews for phase two allowed IIFL to ask what motivates Hindu concern for the environment in the absence of a primary emphasis on adhering to scriptural instruction.
MORE LIKE THIS…
Sikhs, Hindus, and Buddhists emphasised tradition, interconnection, interdependence, and interior motivation as stronger drives for conservation. The survey data revealed that Hindus were the least likely to feel obligated by their faith to care for the environment (80 per cent), compared to Christians (82 per cent) and Muslims (92 per cent).
