Stewardship and Environmental Responsibility

Sikhs believe that God created the universe and is present throughout creation. The world therefore has spiritual value, rather than being valuable only because humans can use it. Respecting creation does not mean worshipping trees, rivers or other natural objects: Sikhs worship the one God.

The Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture and eternal Guru, provides authority for these beliefs. Guru Granth Sahib 21 teaches: “Wherever I look, I see the Lord pervading there”. This means that God's presence is not confined to a place of worship. Sikhs can apply this teaching to environmental responsibility: nature deserves respect because God's presence extends throughout creation.

The same page warns against greed and teaches: “O mind, renounce your egotistical pride.” These are spiritual teachings, but they also challenge attitudes that can cause environmental damage. Putting personal gain above everything else can encourage wasteful consumption or exploitation of resources.

Guru Granth Sahib 1037 teaches: “By His Command, the world was formed” and “By His Hukam, we draw our breath and receive our food”. Hukam means God's will or divine order. The passage presents the world and the conditions that sustain life as dependent on God. Sikhs can therefore understand caring for air, water and land as respecting God's creation and living in harmony with hukam.

Humans are part of creation, not separate from it. Damaging the environment can harm other living beings and eventually harm people too. Recognising this connection challenges selfishness and the idea that personal convenience is all that matters.

Guru Nanak's words also describe this relationship through familiar images: “Air is Guru, Water is father, and the great Earth our mother” (Guru Granth Sahib 8). Air, water and earth are presented with the respect associated with a teacher and parents. This can inspire gratitude and care for the natural conditions that sustain life.

Turning Sikh beliefs into environmental action

Seva, or selfless service, provides a way to put these beliefs into practice. Service can include protecting the environment because people's welfare depends on clean water, healthy land and a safe place to live. The ideal of sarbat da bhalaa, the welfare of all, connects environmental care with concern for others.

A concrete example is Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal's community river-cleaning project, begun in 2000 on the Kali Bein in Punjab. The river had been affected by water hyacinth, industrial pollution and agricultural run-off. Seechewal began by entering the river and removing the water hyacinth, helping to mobilise community action. Environmental protection here was active service, not simply an expression of respect for nature.

Sikh environmental work also includes tree planting and reducing waste. EcoSikh provides guidance for environmentally friendly religious processions and promotes biodegradable plates for food distribution. These examples show how religious commitments can influence community practices as well as individual choices.

Contentment and sharing resources also support sustainable living. Being satisfied with enough can discourage unnecessary consumption, while sharing challenges the assumption that wellbeing depends on accumulating more possessions. Guru Granth Sahib 1037 praises truth, contentment and self-control: these values can guide responsible use of resources.

A non-religious case for environmental responsibility

Environmental responsibility does not require belief in a creator God. A non-religious argument can begin with the consequences of human actions: pollution damages health, and exhausting resources leaves other people with fewer opportunities. Concern for human wellbeing therefore gives a reason to prevent avoidable environmental harm.

This argument can extend to people who are not yet born. Future generations cannot influence today's decisions, but they will live with their consequences. It is reasonable to argue that their needs deserve consideration alongside present needs.

An atheist does not believe in God, but this alone does not determine their environmental attitudes. A person can reject a religious explanation of the world while still taking responsibility for protecting it. Humanism offers a non-religious ethical approach based on reason, evidence and empathy.

Humanist Climate Action: evidence, empathy and action

Humanist Climate Action is a network within Humanists UK. It encourages Humanists to speak out about the climate crisis and change their lifestyles to reduce their carbon footprint, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their activities. It brings people together for both individual and collective environmental action.

Its approach connects scientific understanding with ethical responsibility. Humanist Climate Action argues that human and animal wellbeing depends on a flourishing natural environment. Rising temperatures can contribute to extreme weather, flooding, soil degradation and desertification, threatening homes and food production. Protecting green spaces and clean rivers and seas also supports physical and mental wellbeing.

Humanists look to scientific enquiry because it tests explanations against evidence, rather than simply accepting claims on authority. Humanist Climate Action supports the scientific consensus that human activity causes climate change. This evidence helps people understand the harm that needs to be addressed; reason and empathy help them decide how to respond.

Its concern is not limited to humans. Humanist ethics also considers other sentient animals—animals capable of experiences such as pleasure and suffering. Protecting habitats and tackling biodiversity loss can therefore matter for animal welfare as well as human interests.

Humanist Climate Action argues that people cannot rely on a higher power to solve environmental problems. Believing this is the one life we have strengthens the responsibility to act now and leave a positive legacy for future generations. It raises awareness and cooperates with other organisations, including through membership of the Climate Coalition. Its aims therefore extend beyond private lifestyle choices to shared campaigning.

Global citizenship and shared responsibility

Global citizenship means recognising responsibilities beyond one's own country. The Sikh emphasis on the welfare of all supports concern for people outside a person's immediate community. A non-religious argument can reach a similar position through fairness: distance or nationality does not make another person's wellbeing unimportant. Humanist Climate Action's emphasis on interdependence and cooperation supports treating environmental protection as a shared human responsibility.

Sikhs and non-religious environmentalists can therefore support similar actions for different reasons. Sikh reasons can include reverence for God's creation, living in harmony with hukam and religious service; Humanist reasons include scientific evidence, empathy and concern for present and future wellbeing. Belief in God is not necessary for environmental commitment, but it can provide a powerful motivation for believers.

There can still be disagreement about priorities. Environmental measures may require money or changes to livelihoods, so present human needs must also be considered. However, delaying action can increase environmental harm and threaten those same livelihoods in the future. A justified approach weighs these difficulties against the harm of doing nothing. Sustainability aims to connect environmental protection with people's long-term welfare rather than treating them as opposing goals.

• Guru Granth Sahib 21: “Wherever I look, I see the Lord pervading there” → respect creation; reject greed and egotism.
• Guru Granth Sahib 1037: the world is formed through God's command; breath and food depend on hukam → respect the conditions sustaining life.
• Seva and sarbat da bhalaa: environmental care serves the welfare of all.
• Examples: Seechewal's Kali Bein clean-up, begun in 2000; EcoSikh's environmentally friendly community practices.

Humanist Climate Action

• Network within Humanists UK promoting lifestyle changes and collective action.
• Scientific evidence: human-caused climate change threatens environments, homes and food supplies.
• Reason and empathy: protect human wellbeing and other sentient animals.
• One life, human responsibility: act now and consider future generations rather than relying on a higher power.
• Raises awareness, encourages smaller carbon footprints and cooperates with the Climate Coalition.

Comparison and judgement

• Shared aims, different foundations: God's creation and service compared with evidence and empathy.
• Atheism alone does not prescribe an environmental attitude.
• Weigh present costs and livelihoods against long-term harm and responsibilities to others.