6
P. D. Nunn and J. M. Luetz
This book will also be published during, possibly in the aftermath of, the worst
global pandemic for a century. And while to date (November 2020), Pacific Island
countries have not had to bear the direct effects of COVID-19 to the degree that most
continental countries have, the economic impact has been severe, and its outfall will
endure many years (Leal Filho et al. 2020). Such global events give us pause to
reflect on what is important in our lives; for many people, it has been an opportunity
to be re-acquainted with a spiritual self they lost touch with some time ago. For such
people, this book may be revelatory. They will discover that Pacific Island peoples are
not merely religious but also commonly more spiritually engaged to the extent that
routine decisions are guided by faith rather than (western) science. Has this affected
the quality of their lives? Will it diminish the quality of their lives a hundred years
from now? Probably neither.
Pacific Islanders who read this book will inevitably be less surprised by the
degree and the diversity of spiritual-religious beliefs that exist in their region and the
extent to which these beliefs influence decision-making, especially for issues like
those of climate change. But there are nevertheless points of relevance, not least (a)
the need for the co-production of knowledge (the need to combine traditional and
spiritual-religious understandings) to allow optimal decision-making, (b) the need
for appropriate action, and (c) the benefits of leveraging religion and spirituality for
adaptation.
Several chapters in this book note the role of spiritually-informed conviction
as a motivational force for environmentally sustainable decision-making that is
unparalleled by either rational scientific explanations or economic pursuits. Fair
(2018) makes the point that spiritually-shaped local worldviews should be proactively engaged as “a motivational force not mirrored by economics or science” (p. 4).
Building on the premise that “men and women at their deepest level are motivated
by metaphysical beliefs” (Knight 2006, p. 19), we argue that, rather than constituting a barrier, religion and spirituality should be leveraged as a “cultural resource”
(Hulme 2017, p. 15) that is grounded in the understanding that the most influential
messages in such contexts are those that engage with people’s spiritual beliefs. This
holds particular relevance in the ‘liquid continent’ given the widespread prevalence
of Christianity across this region (Ernst 2012; Rubow and Bird 2016; Ernst and
Anisi 2016). There is therefore an argument that climate-change adaptation efforts
should seek to tap into religious worldviews as an auspicious ‘thick’ cultural resource
that has so far remained essentially eclipsed, misunderstood, misrepresented and/or
grossly under-appreciated (Hulme 2017; Luetz et al. 2018; Luetz and Nunn 2020).
Book Focus and Contribution
Exploring the science-spirituality nexus through a multidisciplinary lens enables
unique and timely perspectives to emerge on effective and sustainable climatechange adaptation in the Pacific Islands region and beyond. This volume features
P. D. Nunn and J. M. Luetz
This book will also be published during, possibly in the aftermath of, the worst
global pandemic for a century. And while to date (November 2020), Pacific Island
countries have not had to bear the direct effects of COVID-19 to the degree that most
continental countries have, the economic impact has been severe, and its outfall will
endure many years (Leal Filho et al. 2020). Such global events give us pause to
reflect on what is important in our lives; for many people, it has been an opportunity
to be re-acquainted with a spiritual self they lost touch with some time ago. For such
people, this book may be revelatory. They will discover that Pacific Island peoples are
not merely religious but also commonly more spiritually engaged to the extent that
routine decisions are guided by faith rather than (western) science. Has this affected
the quality of their lives? Will it diminish the quality of their lives a hundred years
from now? Probably neither.
Pacific Islanders who read this book will inevitably be less surprised by the
degree and the diversity of spiritual-religious beliefs that exist in their region and the
extent to which these beliefs influence decision-making, especially for issues like
those of climate change. But there are nevertheless points of relevance, not least (a)
the need for the co-production of knowledge (the need to combine traditional and
spiritual-religious understandings) to allow optimal decision-making, (b) the need
for appropriate action, and (c) the benefits of leveraging religion and spirituality for
adaptation.
Several chapters in this book note the role of spiritually-informed conviction
as a motivational force for environmentally sustainable decision-making that is
unparalleled by either rational scientific explanations or economic pursuits. Fair
(2018) makes the point that spiritually-shaped local worldviews should be proactively engaged as “a motivational force not mirrored by economics or science” (p. 4).
Building on the premise that “men and women at their deepest level are motivated
by metaphysical beliefs” (Knight 2006, p. 19), we argue that, rather than constituting a barrier, religion and spirituality should be leveraged as a “cultural resource”
(Hulme 2017, p. 15) that is grounded in the understanding that the most influential
messages in such contexts are those that engage with people’s spiritual beliefs. This
holds particular relevance in the ‘liquid continent’ given the widespread prevalence
of Christianity across this region (Ernst 2012; Rubow and Bird 2016; Ernst and
Anisi 2016). There is therefore an argument that climate-change adaptation efforts
should seek to tap into religious worldviews as an auspicious ‘thick’ cultural resource
that has so far remained essentially eclipsed, misunderstood, misrepresented and/or
grossly under-appreciated (Hulme 2017; Luetz et al. 2018; Luetz and Nunn 2020).
Book Focus and Contribution
Exploring the science-spirituality nexus through a multidisciplinary lens enables
unique and timely perspectives to emerge on effective and sustainable climatechange adaptation in the Pacific Islands region and beyond. This volume features