Climate Change(s): New Approaches to Environmental and Agricultural Ethics

What is the current climate of climate change in a variety of religious communities? Why is food such an important part of discussing climate and religion? In this episode, the RSP’s Candace Mixon talks to Dr. Gretel Van Wieren to get the current climate of climate change responses from religious communities. An expert in environmental, agricultural, and food ethics, Dr. Van Wieren shares her research on small farms run by religious communities. Such farms, whether in Upstate New York or Michigan, have changed their traditional practices in order to directly address ethical and environmental concerns. Dr. Van Wieran shows the way climate activism has often been a concern for religiously-connected farms, but current events make this a more pressing concern today than ever before. Can large scale agricultural productions learn from the adaptations of their smaller, religious competitors? Those teaching undergraduate courses on Christian, Jewish, or Muslim groups will also find this conversation a source of practical advice for integrating the current climate crisis into our religious studies curriculums.