Religious Organizations Bringing Sustainability Closer to Reality: Academic Contributions to Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience that Can Help Faith Leaders Build Communities that Are Environmentally, Socially and Economically Sustainable: Part 1—A Literature Review

Abstract

Sustainability is a three-dimensional concept and religious leaders have underscored their urgent responsibilities for helping to ensure that truly equitable, sustainable societies are nurtured as they also work responsibly in caring for the health of the eco-systems upon which all of us are totally interdependent. Presently, there is a significant gap in empirical and scientific literature to help foster sustainability, climate resiliency (climate change), and people of religious organizations to co-work to help to transition from unsustainable lifestyles to truly sustainable ones. Scientific and empirical knowledge are important factors in decision-making for religious leaders. The authors of this paper considered the theoretical perspective of the Cambridge University sustainability leadership model grounded in leadership theories and the practice of sustainability by leaders as key means to assess the roles of knowledge in becoming more responsible social leaders in sustainability transformations. The finding of this review is that there are academic fields of study and research that contribute to advancing environmental sustainability and climate resiliency as practiced by religious organizations. These fields include: environmental science, engineering, health, and other scientific disciplines. Religious organizations and the interfaith community must learn to use and build upon emerging interdisciplinary insights to advance their sustainability actions, in caring for the health of the eco-systems. The review identified the academic programs for sustainability through which students and leaders can learn more about environmental sustainability and climate resiliency. Although, members of religious organizations engage mainly on the social discourses of sustainability for example taking care of the poor and sick, the results of this review captured emerging academic approaches that could foster social sustainability more holistically for members of religious organizations by more holistically engaging in environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability.