UDTR Global Rights of Nature Radar

Heaven and earth: a systematic review of theories on the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour

Identification

Public canonical key

radar:r-cae70a5c99e6f1901cbdba7e464c2ddb

Authors

Ghezal Sabir · Lina M. Tennhardt · Robert A. Home

Reported year

2025

Reported language

en

Source type

review

First detected

2026-11-13T12:41:01.890020+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-13T12:41:01.890020+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

University of Bern · Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau

Reported affiliation countries

CH

Documentary abstract — original language

Background Accelerating anthropogenic environmental degradation calls for diverse strategies to promote pro-environmental behaviors. Religion, with its potential to motivate such behaviors, has gained attention, exemplified by the rise of eco-theology. However, the theoretical frameworks connecting religion to environmental behavior remain unclear. This systematic review aims to address this gap. Objective The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the use of theories employed in studying the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour. Methods Four databases were systematically searched to retrieve articles linking religion to any type of environmental behaviour using a theory. Results In forty-six articles that met the eligibility criteria, the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour was depicted using 23 theories. These theories could be categorized based on factors that drive action into six metatheories namely Psychological Need, Independent-Self, Independent-Structure, Communal Need, Top-Down, and Interdependent. Environmental behaviours measured various personal behaviours such as green and organic food consumption, use of green products, and recycling and firm-related behaviour measured mainly via corporate social responsibility. Discussion Since multiple factors, such as situational context, culture, level of religiosity, gender, and family status, moderate the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour, applying an all-encompassing theory to study this relationship is challenging. Furthermore, inconsistencies in measuring religiosity’s aspects and religious orientation limited the ability to compare different studies. Conclusion This review offers a metatheoretical classification of theories linking religion and environmental behavior. It provides a foundation for refining theories to enable leveraging religious values in fostering pro-environmental behavior.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

https://openalex.org/W4408522524

DOI

10.1007/s43621-025-01005-2

Documentary context

Documentary family

unknown

Source-reported types

review

Publishers

Springer Nature

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1

• Document · https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01005-2

Documentary status

Relevance pending

Library

This identity is not yet included in the Legal Library.