When Climate Action Meets Christian Faith

The document examines the role of faith, particularly Christianity, in driving climate action. It notes that while a vast majority of Christian leaders believe in human-caused climate change, few discuss it with their congregations. It also highlights the systemic influence of faith-based organizations through land ownership, financial investments, and initiatives like the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and the World Council of Churches' efforts to hold fossil fuel financiers accountable.

• There is a significant gap between the personal beliefs of Christian religious leaders and their public communication; while nearly 90% of 1,600 surveyed leaders believe in human-caused climate change, half "never discussed it in their sermons or teachings," and 25% mentioned it only once or twice.
• Informing churchgoers that a high percentage of their leaders believe in human-caused climate change increases their likelihood of viewing climate action as consistent with church values and makes them more likely to view voting for candidates who oppose climate action as inconsistent with those values.
• Faith-related institutions possess substantial global material and financial influence, owning nearly 8% of the total habitable land surface and representing the world's third largest group of financial investors.
• The Catholic Church and other Christian bodies are engaging in systemic climate action, including the Laudato Si’ Action Platform with 4.9K enrolled institutions and the World Council of Churches' efforts to provide legal strategies for holding fossil fuel financiers accountable.

APA

CCNow (2025). When Climate Action Meets Christian Faith. Covering Climate Now. https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/when-climate-action-meets-christian-faith/

Chicago

CCNow. When Climate Action Meets Christian Faith. Covering Climate Now, 2025. https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/when-climate-action-meets-christian-faith/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CCNow |title=When Climate Action Meets Christian Faith |publisher=Covering Climate Now |date=20 May 2025 |url=https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/when-climate-action-meets-christian-faith/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ccnow2025when, author = {CCNow}, title = {{When Climate Action Meets Christian Faith}}, institution = {Covering Climate Now}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/when-climate-action-meets-christian-faith/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }