Religion, philosophy and ethics · GCSE Religious Studies
Stewardship and the environment
GCSE Religious Studies environmental ethics: Genesis stewardship and dominion, Islamic khalifah, climate change, animal welfare, and whether religion helps or hinders ecological action.
Stewardship means care, not waste. Dominion read as licence fails the exam — pair Genesis 2:15 with 1:28 and land a practical deed.
The important bits
What you need to know
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Environmental issues: climate change, pollution, deforestation, species loss, plastic oceans, unequal impact on the global poor.
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Christian stewardship: Genesis 2:15 “work it and take care of it” — humans manage creation for God. Dominion (Genesis 1:28) must not mean reckless exploitation in modern readings.
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Islamic khalifah: humans as vicegerents (stewards) of Allah’s creation. Qur’an warns against waste (7:31) and corruption (fasad) on Earth. The ummah is accountable on the Last Day.
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Sanctity of creation: the world is God’s; damaging it is a moral and sometimes spiritual failure. Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ (2015) links ecology to poverty — useful named example.
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Animal welfare overlaps: factory farming, extinction, hunting. Humans are unique (imago Dei / khalifah) but cruelty is condemned — CAFOD, Islamic Relief, Green Christian as application.
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Humanist/environmentalist ethics: interdependence, future generations, science-led policy without divine command — may agree on action, differ on motivation.
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Evaluation: religion motivates volunteers and charity; history also shows dominion misused to justify harm. Strong answers admit both and judge with a criterion (justice for poor nations, species extinction).
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Link to UK policy: net zero targets, COP conferences — law is not theology, but believers may support or critique policies for religious reasons.
Quotations worth analysing
Short evidence. Real method.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Primary stewardship text. Pair with dominion in 1:28 — care versus rule is the essay tension examiners want resolved.
“And do not commit abuse on the earth after it has been set in order.”
Fasad (corruption) on Earth — climate and pollution as theological wrongs, not only political preferences.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
Creation belongs to God, not humans to wreck. Use when evaluating consumerism or deforestation.
Go deeper
Dominion versus stewardship — resolve it, do not pick one verse
Weak answers quote 1:28 and stop (“God said rule, so we can drill”). Strong answers quote 2:15 and say rule means responsible management — like a trustee, not an owner who burns the house. Islamic khalifah is the parallel: vicegerent, not owner. Laudato Si’ argues integral ecology — poor and planet together. Evaluation: if dominion is read as licence, religion fails the environment; if stewardship is central, religion demands climate action. Your judgement should pick a reading, not pretend all believers agree.
Go deeper
Climate justice and the global poor
Bangladeshi flooding and African drought appear in mark schemes as application. Rich nations emitted more; poor nations suffer more — justice, not only carbon maths. Christian aid agencies cite Matthew 25 (“least of these”). Muslims cite zakah and sadaqah for disaster relief. Humanists cite human rights and intergenerational fairness. A 12-marker links belief to deed: divestment, less meat, tree planting, political pressure. “Pollution is bad” without teaching or agency scores zero.
Go deeper
Is religion necessary for green ethics?
Humanists say science and empathy suffice. Believers say stewardship adds duty to God and hope beyond despair. You can argue religion mobilises mosques and churches for COP campaigns, or that eschatology (“the world will end anyway”) demotivates some — name both. Finish with criterion: will future generations inherit a liveable world? That criterion lets humanists and believers converge or diverge with precision.
See the idea in action
Question: “Religious believers should lead action on climate change.” Evaluate. For: stewardship, khalifah, Psalm 24, Laudato Si’, charity agencies. Against: some dominion misread, short-term economic sin, humanist claim that science not scripture should lead. Judgement: believers ought to lead if stewardship is authentic, but leadership must be universal — law and technology matter too; religion is a motivator, not a substitute for policy.
Exam technique
Turn knowledge into marks
Every environmental answer needs one scripture or khalifah reference plus one practical action (charity, lifestyle, advocacy).
Common mistakes
Do not give these marks away
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Quoting dominion alone as a licence to exploit.
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Writing about pollution with no religious teaching at all.
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Treating all religions as identical on ecology — name Christian and Muslim lines separately.
What does khalifah mean in Islamic environmental teaching?
AHumans own the Earth outright
BHumans are vicegerents — stewards of Allah’s creation, accountable for how they treat it
CThe pilgrimage to Makkah
DA type of halal food law only
Show the answer
Humans are vicegerents — stewards of Allah’s creation, accountable for how they treat it. Khalifah parallels Christian stewardship. Humans manage creation for God, not for unlimited consumption.
Quick questions
If this is the bit you searched
What is stewardship?
Caring for the Earth on God’s behalf. Genesis 2:15 — work and protect — is the Christian anchor.
Do humanists care about the environment?
Yes — often from interdependence, harm to future generations, and science. Motivation differs from religious duty to God.
What is fasad?
Corruption or disorder on Earth in Qur’anic usage — applied to environmental damage and social injustice.
What is Laudato Si’?
Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical on ecology, linking climate change, poverty, and care for creation. Named example for Catholic answers.