Eco Doxology: An Interfaith Response to the Ecological Crisis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/desarrollo.v3.i2.45Keywords:
eco-short-termism, eco-doxology, environmental ethics, interfaith environmentalism, Indigenous ecological knowledge.Abstract
Objective: To critically examine eco-short-termism as an ethical dimension of the ecological crisis and to develop eco-doxology as an interfaith framework oriented toward long-term environmental responsibility. Methodology: A qualitative, documentary, and theoretical-interpretive study was conducted using philosophical and conceptual analysis. The core corpus consisted of 40 academic articles indexed in Scopus, complemented by foundational works and the primary source required for the development of the concept of eco-doxology. The search prioritized studies on environmental short-termism, intergenerational ethics, religion and climate change, interfaith environmentalism, Indigenous ecological knowledge, environmental pragmatism, and ecological degradation. Results: The analysis identified six themes: ecological limits, short-term decision-making, intergenerational responsibility, religious environmental ethics, Indigenous ecological knowledge, and eco-doxology. The literature indicates that environmental costs generated by decisions focused on immediate benefits may persist far longer than those benefits. It also shows that different religious and Indigenous traditions contain principles of responsibility, restraint, interdependence, and care for nature that can support environmental cooperation. Conclusion: Eco-doxology is proposed as a complementary ethical framework, rather than a substitute for environmental science or policy, capable of connecting reverence, intergenerational justice, Indigenous knowledge, and interfaith environmental action.References
Rockström J, Gupta J, Qin D, et al. Safe and just Earth system boundaries. Nature. 2023;619:102-111. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06083-8
Richardson K, Steffen W, Lucht W, et al. Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries. Sci Adv. 2023;9(37):eadh2458. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458
Steffen W, Richardson K, Rockström J, et al. Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science. 2015;347(6223):1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855
Díaz S, Settele J, Brondízio ES, et al. Pervasive human-driven decline of life on Earth points to the need for transformative change. Science. 2019;366(6471):eaax3100. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax3100
Caney S. Global climate governance, short-termism, and the vulnerability of future generations. Ethics Int Aff. 2022;36(2):137-155. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0892679422000181
Hovi J, Sprinz DF, Underdal A. Implementing long-term climate policy: Time inconsistency, domestic politics, international anarchy. Glob Environ Polit. 2009;9(3):20-39. https://doi.org/10.1162/glep.2009.9.3.20
Onyena AP, Sam K. A review of the threat of oil exploitation to mangrove ecosystem: Insights from Niger Delta, Nigeria. Glob Ecol Conserv. 2020;22:e00961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00961
Ukhurebor KE, Athar H, Adetunji CO, Aigbe UO, Onyancha RB, Abifarin O. Environmental implications of petroleum spillages in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria: A review. J Environ Manage. 2021;293:112872. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112872
Geyer R, Jambeck JR, Law KL. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Sci Adv. 2017;3(7):e1700782. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782
Niinimäki K, Peters G, Dahlbo H, Perry P, Rissanen T, Gwilt A. The environmental price of fast fashion. Nat Rev Earth Environ. 2020;1:189-200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0039-9
White L Jr. The historical roots of our ecologic crisis. Science. 1967;155(3767):1203-1207. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.155.3767.1203
Jenkins W, Berry E, Kreider LB. Religion and climate change. Annu Rev Environ Resour. 2018;43:85-108. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102017-025855
Haluza-DeLay R. Religion and climate change: Varieties in viewpoints and practices. WIREs Clim Change. 2014;5(2):261-279. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.268
Zagonari F. Comparing religious environmental ethics to support efforts to achieve local and global sustainability: Empirical insights based on a theoretical framework. Sustainability. 2020;12(7):2590. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072590
Osebor IM. Eco-Doxology: A liturgical awareness to restraining biodiversity loss. NAJOP: Nasara Journal of Philosophy. 2024;9(1).
Gardiner SM. A perfect moral storm: Climate change, intergenerational ethics and the problem of moral corruption. Environ Values. 2006;15(3):397-413. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327106778226293
Page EA. Fairness on the day after tomorrow: Justice, reciprocity and global climate change. Polit Stud. 2007;55(1):225-242. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00649.x
Arbuckle MB, Konisky DM. The role of religion in environmental attitudes. Soc Sci Q. 2015;96(5):1244-1263. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12213
Sherkat DE, Ellison CG. Structuring the religion-environment connection: Identifying religious influences on environmental concern and activism. J Sci Study Relig. 2007;46(1):71-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2007.00341.x
Clements JM, Xiao C, McCright AM. An examination of the 'greening of Christianity' thesis among Americans, 1993-2010. J Sci Study Relig. 2014;53(2):373-391. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12116
Djupe PA, Hunt PK. Beyond the Lynn White thesis: Congregational effects on environmental concern. J Sci Study Relig. 2009;48(4):670-686. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2009.01472.x
Koehrsen J. Does religion promote environmental sustainability? Exploring the role of religion in local energy transitions. Soc Compass. 2015;62(3):296-310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768615587808
Pasaribu D, Takwin B, Martens P. The role of religious narratives and religious orientation towards concerns for the natural environment and animal welfare. PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0271515. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271515
Cox M, Villamayor-Tomas S, Hartberg Y. The role of religion in community-based natural resource management. World Dev. 2014;54:46-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.07.010
Brondízio ES, Aumeeruddy-Thomas Y, Bates P, et al. Locally based, regionally manifested, and globally relevant: Indigenous and local knowledge, values, and practices for nature. Annu Rev Environ Resour. 2021;46:481-509. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-012127
Garnett ST, Burgess ND, Fa JE, et al. A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation. Nat Sustain. 2018;1:369-374. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0100-6
Petzold J, Andrews N, Ford JD, Hedemann C, Postigo JC. Indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation: A global evidence map of academic literature. Environ Res Lett. 2020;15(11):113007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb330
Sinthumule NI. Traditional ecological knowledge and its role in biodiversity conservation: A systematic review. Front Environ Sci. 2023;11:1164900. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1164900
Zannini P, Frascaroli F, Nascimbene J, et al. Sacred natural sites and biodiversity conservation: A systematic review. Biodivers Conserv. 2021;30:3747-3762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02296-3
Hill R, Adem Ç, Alangui WV, et al. Working with Indigenous, local and scientific knowledge in assessments of nature and nature's linkages with people. Curr Opin Environ Sustain. 2020;43:8-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.12.006
Russell-Smith J, Cook GD, Cooke PM, Edwards AC, Lendrum M, Meyer CP, Whitehead PJ. Managing fire regimes in north Australian savannas: Applying Aboriginal approaches to contemporary global problems. Front Ecol Environ. 2013;11(S1):e55-e63. https://doi.org/10.1890/120251
Ikhumetse AA, Abioye OP, Ijah UJJ, Bankole MT. A critical review of oil spills in the Niger Delta aquatic environment: Causes, impacts, and bioremediation assessment. Environ Monit Assess. 2022;194:816. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10424-x
Ansah CE, Abu I-O, Kleemann J, Mahmoud MI, Thiel M. Environmental contamination of a biodiversity hotspot - Action needed for nature conservation in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Sustainability. 2022;14(21):14256. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114256
Bamidele S, Erameh NI. Environmental degradation and sustainable peace dialogue in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Resour Policy. 2023;80:103274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.103274
Wiedmann T, Lenzen M, Keyßer LT, Steinberger JK. Scientists' warning on affluence. Nat Commun. 2020;11:3107. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16941-y
Lau WWY, Shiran Y, Bailey RM, et al. Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution. Science. 2020;369(6510):1455-1461. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba9475
Hayhoe D, Bloom MA, Webb BS. Changing evangelical minds on climate change. Environ Res Lett. 2019;14(2):024016. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaf0ce
Ens EJ, Pert P, Clarke PA, et al. Indigenous biocultural knowledge in ecosystem science and management: Review and insight from Australia. Biol Conserv. 2015;181:133-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.11.008
Bowman DMJS, Balch J, Artaxo P, et al. The human dimension of fire regimes on Earth. J Biogeogr. 2011;38(12):2223-2236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02595.x
Altieri MA, Toledo VM. The agroecological revolution in Latin America: Rescuing nature, ensuring food sovereignty and empowering peasants. J Peasant Stud. 2011;38(3):587-612. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2011.582947
Ormerod R. The history and ideas of pragmatism. J Oper Res Soc. 2006;57(8):892-909. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602065
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ikechukwu Monday Osebor (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.
