Climate Change Didactics in Religious Education

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges of our time, affecting both global systems and local communities due to the fact that it is not only an environmental challenge but also a profound educational and ethical one. On a global scale, schools and communities are grappling with how to best prepare the next generation to understand, respond to, and take responsibility for the climate crisis.

Religious education has a distinctive role in this conversation, as it brings together values, worldviews, and practices that shape how people relate to the natural world and to one another. Religious traditions have long spoken about care for creation, human responsibility, and justice. These ideas align closely with the challenges of climate change. At the same time, teachers face significant challenges. How can they connect faith-based perspectives with scientific knowledge? How can they make space for students from diverse backgrounds and beliefs while also engaging seriously with the urgent realities of climate change?

This Special Issue will explore how climate change can be taught in religious education in ways that are meaningful, responsible, and empowering for learners. We encourage submissions of papers that offer interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to analyzing the relationship between climate change and religious education. Important topics to consider include the following:

• Interfaith Perspectives on Climate Change;
• Religious Texts and Climate Change;
• Theological Accounts on Climate Change;
• The Role of Faith and Natural World in Religious Education;
• Faith-based Values and Environmental Advocacy;
• Climate Science into Religious Education;
• Religious Environmental Ethics;
• Platforms for Religious Education on Environmental Issues;
• Intergenerational Dialogue on Climate Change;
• Religious Education and Sustainable Communities;
• Religious Education and Ecological Spirituality.

We hope to bring together scholars from diverse faiths and religious traditions, united by a shared commitment to addressing climate change within the context of religious education. We seek to foster interfaith dialogue, encourage collaborative research, and inspire innovative educational approaches that can equip us to engage thoughtfully and responsibly with the climate crisis.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–400 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send these to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring their proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Viktor Aldrin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• climate
• religious education
• climate change
• faith
• eco-theology
• natural world
• climate science
• sustainable communities
• ecological spirituality