Climate Skepticism, Politics, and the Bible

Abstract This chapter examines the use of Christian scripture by some who doubt the reality, anthropogenesis, or seriousness of climate change. It offers an overview of public opinion surveys and social scientific research on the relationship between religion and climate attitudes in the United States, with a focus on evangelical Christianity as the largest and generally most skeptical religious group. Surveying uses of the Bible by evangelical climate skeptics, the chapter demonstrates various ways in which skeptics—including pastors, policymakers, scholars, and others—draw from scripture to cast doubt on climate science and to advocate against climate action. It outlines the logic behind those uses, explores the limits and contradictions of such logic, and highlights political affinities that may motivate skeptics to interpret and deploy scripture in these ways.