How Science, Religion, and Politics Influence Indigenous Attitudes on Climate Change in Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract To assess the influence of science and religion on climate change, in this chapter we analyze our national survey focused on climate change in Ecuador and find that with regard to climate change specifically, religiosity and indigenous cosmovision impact respondents’ belief in climate change. Contrary to the US-centered literature on religious beliefs and climate change in the West, religiosity and cosmovision have positive effects on climate change beliefs. Recognizing that possession of an indigenous cosmovision and a Catholic or Protestant religious identity are not incompatible, we also consider how these traits interact. In addition to being influenced by both science and religion, respondents adjust their beliefs in climate change depending on whether they were located on the nation’s extractive frontier. We also show with case studies that science, religion, and a history of extractivism all impact citizen beliefs in climate change.