The Green Religion
Looking through the options for ‘religion’ in the 2021 Australian Census form, I was surprised that ‘Environmentalism’ was not listed as one. Based on the current rhetoric surrounding issues like climate change, food waste, and ecological destruction, doesn’t the fervour for environmental justice sound like that of spiritual revivals fifty years ago? Environmentalism as a New Religion Environmentalism, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as ‘an effort to preserve, restore, or improve the natural environment,’ has all the elements of popular religion. Its deity is Mother Nature. It is she who blesses us with awesome landscapes, intricate beauty, and the silent,...