Biblical and Qur’anic Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship in the Context of Global Poverty

Joseph O. Ige PhD

doi:10.56201/ijrcp.vol.11.no3.2026.pg1.10

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Biblical and Qur’anic Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship in the Context of Global Poverty

Joseph O. Ige PhD

Abstract

This paper is an analysis of the Biblical and the Quranic views on environmental stewardship in the larger realms of global poverty, the ethical, theological and the practical implications of religious teachings on sustainable development. The paper subsequently uses a scriptural interpretation and interdisciplinary research to examine how the Bible and the Quran define the role of humanity accountable to the environment as an entitlement to just, fair and take care of the poor which is directly related to justice and equity. The study is qualitative and comparative, examining some of the important thematic aspects of theology including stewardship, trusteeship (khalifah), compassion, and moral accountability. It also analyzes the manner in which environmental degradation not only impacts the vulnerable groups unfairly, but also drives global poverty, further supporting the moral urgency highlighted in the two religious’ traditions. The results reveal that there is a lot of overlap between the Biblical and Quranic teachings in their promotion of responsible management of resources, Sustainable living and social justice. The two traditions promote moral consumption, biodiversity conservation and social action in response to environmental and socio-economic issues. Another gap in the practical implementation of these teachings as realized in policy, community engagement and global cooperation is also identified in the study. It concludes that sustainable development can be reinforced through the incorporation of religious values in environmental governance and strategies in poverty alleviation in faith-based communities and developing regions. Finally, the article makes its contribution to existing debates about religion, ecology, and development, which suggests a faith-based model of environmental stewardship as a way of fostering ecological sustainability and human welfare.

Keywords

Biblical and Qur’anic perspectives on environmental stewardshipglobal povertysustainable developmentreligious ethicsecological responsibilitysocial justice.

References

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Biblical and Qur’anic Perspectives on Environmental Stewardship in the Context of Global Poverty

Abstract

Keywords

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