Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Environmental Stewardship
Care for the natural world is increasingly recognized as a sacred obligation rooted in ancient teachings. From Genesis's mandate to tend the garden to Islam's concept of khalifa (stewardship) to Buddhist interdependence, religious traditions provide powerful frameworks for environmental ethics.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- Practice
- Stewardship of creation — dominion as care, not exploitation
- Key Text
- Genesis 2:15; Psalm 24:1; Romans 8:19-22
Islam
- Practice
- Khalifa (steward of the earth) — planting trees is charity
- Key Text
- Quran 6:165, 2:30; Hadith (Muslim 1553)
Judaism
- Practice
- Bal tashchit (do not destroy) — prohibition of wastefulness
- Key Text
- Deuteronomy 20:19-20; Genesis 2:15
Hinduism
- Practice
- Prithvi Sukta — Earth as sacred mother; ahimsa toward nature
- Key Text
- Atharva Veda 12.1; Bhagavad Gita 10:6
Buddhism
- Practice
- Interdependence — all beings share one ecosystem
- Key Text
- SN 12.2; Jataka 31 (protecting trees)