“Greening” of Religion: This involves growing consciousness among religious groups and individuals of the importance of environment concerns. Such consciousness frequently has been a part of the mainstream in many Asian religions but even though individuals like St. Francis of Assisi in the Christian tradition held perspectives that emphasised the relations between humans and nature, it is only recently that Christianity as a whole has become more sensitised to the religious dimension of the relationship between people and the wider environment.

A wide variety of religious groups have become more sensitive to the ways in which environmental issues used to become elements in theological reflection,as well as social action. Individuals like the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as groups organised for ecological purposes, have moved this agenda forward.

Pope John Paul II, (1990): “When the ecological crisis is set within the broader context of the search for peace within the society, we can understand better the importance of giving attention to what the earth and its atmosphere are telling us: namely, that there is an order in the universe which must be respected, and that the human person, endowed with the capability of choosing freely, has a grave responsibility to preserve this order for the well-being of future generations.”

Growing environmental concern is also seen in the creation of broadly based religious organizations to deal with ecological issues. A good example is the National Religious Partnership for the Environment founded in the United States in 1992 with mainline Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Jewish membership.

The “greening” of religion has also been assisted by the growing member of religious groups, both neo-pagan and New Age, rooted in ancient paganism, traditional tribal spirituality and nature religion. For such communities, ties between human beings and the wider environment are integral elements of their beliefs.