I recently attended an event with two guest speakers, Nina Callaghan from Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Sustainability Transitions and Dion Chang from Flux Trends. They spoke of the rise of ecological grief in the world around us, and their words struck a chord.

The rise of ecological grief reflects the growing distress people experience as they witness the accelerating destruction of the natural world. This grief is rooted in observed losses—such as species extinction, deforestation, and ecosystem collapse—and anticipated impacts, including extreme weather events and rising sea levels. Ecological grief is no longer a marginal phenomenon but a widespread experience affecting individuals, communities, and entire cultures. This emotional response has drawn attention from mental health experts, environmental advocates, and religious communities, who recognise that the distress caused by climate change touches deep existential and spiritual concerns (Cunsolo & Ellis, 2018).

Christianity and other major religions have increasingly recognised ecological grief as a serious spiritual issue. In recent years, many Christians have begun to interpret the ecological crisis as a call to honour their role as stewards of God’s creation, as outlined in the book of Genesis. This belief in stewardship holds that humanity is entrusted with the care of Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity and, therefore, has a moral obligation to protect and preserve them. Consequently, witnessing the degradation of creation brings feelings of sorrow, guilt, and responsibility, which align closely with the dimensions of ecological grief (Francis, 2015). Many Christians are beginning to see this grief not only as a legitimate emotional response but as a form of sacred lamentation—a form of mourning for the Earth and humanity’s failure to uphold its divinely assigned role.

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, is a landmark document that addresses ecological grief and calls for a “conversion” toward ecological responsibility. In the encyclical, Pope Francis describes how the environmental crisis reflects a crisis of values, emphasising that Earth’s degradation should be felt as a deep sorrow and motivate believers to repent, repair, and renew their commitment to care for the planet. Many Christian environmental groups now reference Laudato Si’ as a guiding text, affirming that grief can serve as a pathway to ecological action rather than hopelessness (Francis, 2015).

The concept of “creation care” is another facet through which Christian communities address ecological grief. Many Christian denominations, particularly in the evangelical movement, have established environmental ministries to raise awareness of the moral and spiritual imperative to care for the Earth. They frame ecological grief as a collective feeling that can unify believers to act as custodians of the planet, emphasising that love for God’s creation must be at the core of faith (Djupe & Hunt, 2009). In this sense, ecological grief transforms from an individual emotional burden into a collective, spiritually driven motivation for action.

As ecological grief rises, Christianity and other faiths offer ways to process this sorrow through repentance, responsibility, and compassion frameworks. Christian thinkers suggest that ecological grief, rather than being a source of despair, can be embraced as a reminder of the sacred relationship between humanity and nature, calling believers to act from a place of love and respect for creation. By channelling this grief into spiritual and environmental action, Christianity offers a path from lament to healing and honouring the planet as a gift from God that must be protected for future generations.