Playing God: Why religion belongs in the climate engineering debate

AbstractReligion will play an important role in public perceptions of geoengineering—the intentional manipulation of the planet's environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change. Religious leaders and scholars can therefore be valuable contributors to the geoengineering debate that has already begun among scientists, engineers, and policy makers. The authors offer four reasons why religion should be part of this debate: Religion is fundamental to how most human beings and societies understand themselves and their place in the world; religion can both challenge and justify scientific authority; religious narratives and symbols can provide frames for understanding geoengineering; and religion offers vocabulary for moral debate. Scholars of theology, ethics, and religious studies can act as mediators between the scientific and faith communities, providing a critical voice in understanding how religion affects the climate conversation, and in engaging a wider public.Keywordsclimate changeclimate engineeringethicsframinggeoengineeringreligionsciencetheology FundingThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.NoteNotes1 In response to the increased interest in geoengineering, several useful overviews have been published, including CitationHamilton, 2013a; CitationKeith, 2000; CitationMorgan and Ricke, 2010; and CitationVaughan and Lenton, 2011. For an overview of the ethical debate surrounding geoengineering, see CitationPreston (2013).Additional informationAuthor biographiesForrest Clingerman is an associate professor of religion at Ohio Northern University, USA. A large portion of his research centers on the importance of place in environmental thought. Recently, he has been exploring theological responses to climate engineering—the large-scale manipulation of the climate as an attempt to mitigate anthropogenic climate change. He is co-editor of Placing Nature on the Borders of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics (Ashgate, 2011) and Interpreting Nature: The Emerging Field of Environmental Hermeneutics (Fordham University Press, 2013).Kevin J. O'Brien is an associate professor of Christian ethics at Pacific Lutheran University, USA, where he also teaches in the International Honors and Environmental Studies programs. His current research focuses on the intersection between the Christian peace tradition and contemporary environmentalism. He is author of the book An Ethics of Biodiversity: Christianity, Ecology, and the Variety of Life (Georgetown University Press, 2010) and co-editor of the textbook Grounding Religion: A Field Guide to the Study of Religion and Ecology (Routledge, 2010).