Religious communities and ecological sustainability in Southern Africa and beyond

Abstract

Climate change and environmental degradation are threatening livelihoods in many parts of the world. To develop pathways into a sustainable future and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, fundamental socioecological transformations are needed. This process requires not only appropriate policies as well as scientific knowledge, but necessitates radical paradigm shifts and changed mindsets and behaviour. Religious communities are crucial stakeholders for achieving these paradigm shifts: religion shapes social imaginaries and people’s values, and religious communities have the ability to act as agents of socio-ecological transformation. This volume seeks to elucidate the role of religious communities for ecological sustainability with a focus on Southern Africa. The book provides resources for scholars and students of religion and ecological sustainability, religious communities and faith-based organizations as well as policymakers, practitioners and NGOs in the field of sustainable development. It thereby seeks to facilitate knowledge exchange and to spark further engagement on religion and ecological sustainability in Southern Africa and beyond.