The global citizen and religious position statements on climate change

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss opportunities to analyze religious position statements calling climate change action a moral imperative.

Design/methodology/approach

In a lesson suited for the secondary history classroom, students will analyze how religious leaders, theologians and ecological and religious academics use passages from sacred texts to establish a moral urgency to mitigate climate change.

Findings

After analyzing these interpretations of sacred writings from five global faiths (Hinduism, Judaism, Catholicism, Islam and Anglicanism), the lesson centers on a dialogical question, “How might climate change action be influenced by religious texts?”

Originality/value

Implications emphasize why social studies teachers should not teach climate change as a controversial issue.

Citation

Shuttleworth, J.M. and Wylie, S. (2019), "The global citizen and religious position statements on climate change", Social Studies Research and Practice, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 212-224. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSRP-05-2019-0028