Religion, climate change, and sustainable development : towards a holistic normative model

Letnar Černič, Jernej (author)

Climate change has been causing adverse impacts on the socio-economic livelihoods of individuals. Various approaches have been developed in the past to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. This article analyses the relationships between religion, climate change and sustainable development. It argues that religious values provide a backbone for developing holistic and effective public policies and adaptation and mitigation measures to tackle actual and potential adverse impacts of climate change preventively. It employs traditional social science methods to link seemingly unrelated fields, concluding that they are, in fact, intrinsically connected. Religious values provide a foundation for developing a holistic, normative model that effectively responds to climate change and promotes sustainable development, enabling proper human self-fulfilment.

• Language: English
• Keywords: religion, climate change, sustainable development, holistic approach
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 15.07.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 165-180
• Numbering: Letn. 86, [št.] 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185485
• UDC: 2:502.131.1:551.583.7
• ISSN on article: 0006-5722
• DOI: 10.34291/BV2026/01/Letnar
• COBISS.SI-ID: 285809411
• Publication date in RUL: 06.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bogoslovni vestnik
• Shortened title: Bogosl. vestn.
• Publisher: Bogoslovna akademija, Bogoslovna akademija, Teološka fakulteta v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 0006-5722
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8745472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vera, podnebne spremembe in trajnostni razvoj : na poti k celostnemu normativnemu modelu

Abstract

Podnebne spremembe imajo za družbeno-ekonomsko življenje posameznikov škodljive posledice. V preteklosti so bili za ublažitev škodljivih učinkov podnebnih sprememb razviti različni pristopi. Prispevek analizira odnose med religijo, podnebnimi spremembami in trajnostnim razvojem. Trdi, da verske vrednote predstavljajo temelj za oblikovanje celovitih in učinkovitih javnih politik ter ukrepov prilagajanja in blaženja, s katerimi je mogoče preventivno obravnavati dejanske in potencialno škodljive vplive podnebnih sprememb. Avtor uporablja tradicionalne družboslovne metode za povezovanje na videz nepovezanih področij in ugotavlja, da so ta v resnici notranje povezana. Verske vrednote zagotavljajo osnovo za razvoj celostnega normativnega modela, ki se na podnebne spremembe odziva učinkovito, spodbuja trajnostni razvoj in človeku omogoča ustrezno samouresničenje.

• Keywords: religija, podnebne spremembe, trajnostni razvoj, celostni pristop

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J5-50171-2023
• Name: Odgovornost gospodarskih družb, človekove pravice in podnebne spremembe: K skladnemu in pravičnemu domačemu in mednarodnemu pravnem redu