Hindus Show The Highest Concern For Climate Change And Environment: A UK Research Report Reveals

From the soaring towers that with their transcendental aesthetics pierce ancient skylines to the quiet rituals practised in the sacred groves and running streams, religion has been an undeniable architect of human civilisation.

As a bio-cultural phenomenon it shapes our values, guides our interactions, and defines our very sense of self. But beyond its profound influence on individual lives and social structures, religion also plays a crucial, often overlooked, role in shaping our relationship with the natural world.

How we understand our place within the physical realm in which we exist, how we utilise the resources around us, and what ethical obligations we perceive towards the Earth – all these are deeply intertwined with the tenets of every religion.

As we grapple with the escalating environmental challenges of our time, it becomes imperative to examine this connection, to understand how religious beliefs, both ancient and contemporary, are shaping our planet's future.

The Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL), a UK-based research organisation dedicated to understanding how faith and religious belief influence individual interactions and social participation, from family dynamics to community engagement, has embarked on a timely and critical new study. This investigation delves into the ways diverse faiths cultivate environmental values and inspire ecological awareness, seeking to uncover the connection between spiritual conviction and our species relation to the planet.

This study has two phases.

—The first phase launched in 2024 studied quantitatively the relation between faith and sustainability through a national representative survey of 2,396 UK adults across religious groups, regions, and ages. The final report titled ‘Stewardship: Exploring Faith and Sustainability,’ was published in June 2024.

—Building upon the quantitative data gleaned from the initial questionnaire phase, the second phase report, 'Conserving the World in Faith: An in-depth study of how faith inspires environmentalism,' published in March 2025, delves into the qualitative richness of interview narratives.

The 2024 report's findings revealed ‘distinct trends among different religious groups concerning beliefs and actions related to climate change.’ It said in its conclusion this:

In the beginning of the report itself there is the following finding:

It is crucial to address the designation 'exclusivist Hindu' within this context.

The study defines 'exclusivist' as an individual who affirms, 'I believe my faith to be the only one true religion.' This definition, however, presents an axiomatic challenge even within traditional Hindu systems.

While a Hindu might regard their path as a particularly direct or even more sublime and hence perhaps even superior route to spiritual liberation, the notion of their path alone as the sole arbiter of truth is fundamentally incompatible with the very core nature of Hindu Dharma.

The second part of the study, published in March 2025, is more comprehensive and unveils deeper and more holistic perspectives on the degree to which various religions foster sustainability values and, more importantly, the potency with which they steer the adherents towards tangible environmental action.

This report makes a distinction between ‘Dharmic traditions’ and ‘monotheism’. It also takes into account through interviews ‘Jewish, Sikh and Buddhist perspectives, which were under-represented in the survey’ because of the statistically insignificant nature of small populations.

The second report now looks into the reason for the higher participation of Hindus and their heightened environmental awareness which has already been shown in the previous document:

These findings reveal the inherent limitations of Western-centric approaches to religious categorisation.

A critical examination of the 43-page report reveals a potential dissonance between its findings and its concluding assertions regarding Hindus. While the report states that Hindus were 'the least likely to feel obligated by their faith to care for the environment,' this authoritative proclamation raises significant questions about the precise usage of terms like 'feel,' 'obligated,' and 'faith' within the study's framework.

The interviewed Hindus themselves, in articulating their environmental consciousness, underscored a worldview deeply rooted in the values of Hindu Dharma. This connection, however, defies conventional Western notions of religion as a system of rigid doctrines and commandments.

Dharma, instead, functions as a dynamic interplay between individual agency and a flexible ethical framework, fostering an organic environmental sensibility. Consequently, the impetus for environmental action among Hindus arises not from a sense of religious obligation, but from an intrinsic, Dharma-infused ethical compass, highlighting the need for more nuanced and culturally sensitive methodologies in cross-cultural religious studies.

For instance, one of the interviewed Hindus, ‘Shilpi’, stated that her environmental values were ‘drawn from her faith and deeply rooted in principles of non-violence’ and ‘also strongly influenced by her scientific background.’ Another Hindu respondent, 35-years-old British-Hindu Bansari Ruparel has this to say:

The sub-section that contains this interview-quote starts this way:

The picture that emerges, then, is that Hindu Dharma cultivates a non-doctrinal, deeply experiential space within its adherents. It is a space where the Earth is perceived not as a resource, but as a Mother, a living Goddess woven into the very fabric of existence.

This perception, though present in the Bhoomi Sukta from the Atharva Veda, does not necessitate a scriptural knowledge by an ordinary Hindu. Nor is it mandated by a celestial deity, a bronze-age text, or a prophetic revelation. While such external mandates in other faiths may also foster significant ecological awareness, Hindu Dharma operates on a fundamentally different plane.

It instils an intrinsic, Dharma-infused sense of responsibility, a profound understanding of the non-translatable Punya, Runa (a deep and reverential indebtedness), and Rta – the cosmic order – that naturally orients the individual towards a life of minimal ecological footprint.

It is not a matter of imposed obligation, but of an organic, spiritual resonance with the Earth, a recognition of our inherent interconnectedness with the very source of our being. This is not a religion of commandments, but a lived experience of cosmic harmony.

Yet, should one insist on seeking explicit obligation, we find it embodied in Bhuta Yajna—the sacrifice performed for the welfare of all life. Yajna, a central sacred archetype of Hindu Dharma, lends itself to interpretations where all actions dedicated to the well-being of every living being become a form of this sacrifice.

This inherent sense of duty, deeply felt by Hindus, naturally propels both individual and collective ecological action. It presents, indeed, a model that other faiths could readily integrate, enriching their own traditions without compromising their core doctrinal claims.

This observation, drawn from reports focused on Hindus in the United Kingdom, resonates with a broader pattern. National Geographic, in its scientifically derived sustainable consumption index, which meticulously analysed actual consumer behaviours and material lifestyles across 18 nations, consistently placed India at the forefront.

From 2008 to 2014, India demonstrated a remarkable ability to maintain ecologically beneficial consumer behaviour, measured across vital aspects such as food consumption, housing, transportation preferences, and the reuse of goods.

When considering the National Geographic Society's 2014 Greendex report, it's crucial to contextualise India's performance. While China, a tightly controlled society, can implement and enforce rapid changes, and South Korea, a relatively small nation, possesses a degree of homogeneity, India presents a vastly different scenario. Yet, despite its complexities, India consistently achieved high rankings in ecologically conscious consumer behaviour.

When the findings of the IIFL report, highlighting the non-dogmatic yet organically rooted ecological consciousness of Hindus, are juxtaposed with India's consistent performance in sustainable consumption patterns, a compelling narrative emerges.

It suggests that Hindu Dharma, in its essence, embodies a potential model for a future universal Religion—a Religion of lived experience, rather than rigid doctrine. Science can dissect beliefs, and time can render dogma obsolete. Yet, the fundamental human yearning for union with a larger reality, a connection that is both deeply personal and profoundly collective, remains. This is the Dharmic pulse, the very heartbeat of our species, resonating with the rhythms of our planet and, perhaps, the Universe itself.

Hindu Dharma has apprehended this fundamental truth, not as a codified doctrine, but as a lived reality. Through millennia, it has navigated countless challenges, evolving a vibrant theo-cultural diversity, all anchored to the enduring eternal Sanatana Dharmic principles of Punya, Runa, and Rta.

It is not a religion in the conventional sense of dogmatic, scriptural, and singular faith. Rather, it is a religion of realisation and liberation, a pathway to living in harmony with the interconnected web of existence.

The following reports were referred to for writing this piece:

--'Conserving the World in Faith: An in-depth study of how faith inspires environmentalism' by Amanda Murjan et al. IIFL. March 2025.

--'Stewardship: Exploring Faith and Sustainability' by Charlotte Littlewood et al. IIFL. June 2024.

--'Greendex 2014: Consumer Choice and the Environment – A Worldwide Tracking Survey: Highlights Report'. National Geographic Society. 2014.