Evangelical Environmental Network: Mobilizing Religious Groups for Climate Action

Communicating climate through values that resonate with different populations is key to building a diverse coalition. Churches and other religious institutions have the power to gather a wide range of people and are often cornerstones in local cultures and communities. Spreading climate information and encouraging engagement in these settings are powerful tools for accelerating climate action.

Traditional climate messaging is rarely successful with more conservative audiences and, as a result, evangelical Americans are less likely to express concern over climate change than the overall American population.iThe Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), led by Reverend Mitchell Hescox, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to rewrite this relationship by educating and mobilizing evangelical Christians to advocate for climate action.iiThe EEN emphasizes Christian responsibility for “creation care,” or the act of caring for all of God’s creations by preventing harmful activities, including those that contribute to climate change.

The EEN provides a variety of resources to help churches and individuals take climate action, including webinars, workbooks, and written materials. Additionally, they have led a campaign focused on how air and water pollution harm unborn children, a key concern for many members. The EEN also runs education initiatives about other key issues, including methane pollution and the protection of public lands. The EEN’s efforts have successfully mobilized conservatives to support federal policies including Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as other actions to ensure clean energy, pristine air, and pure water.

Endnotes

• iMichael Lipka, Becka A. Alper, and Justin Nortey, "Younger Evangelicals in the U.S. Are More Concerned than Their Elders about Climate Change," Pew Research Center, December 7, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/12/07/younger-evangelicals-in-the-u-s-are-more-concerned-than-their-elders-about-climate-change.
• iiMitch Hescox is a member of the Commission on Accelerating Climate Action. See Evangelical Environmental Network, https://creationcare.org/.