Don De Silva

Former UN Environment Programme official and Buddhist chaplain Don De Silva examines the relationship between faith, environmental justice and conflict. Beginning with the history of modern environmentalism and sustainable development, he argues that climate change, COVID-19 and ecological degradation cannot be separated from poverty, inequality, public health and human rights. Drawing on Buddhism, Christian environmental teaching and his experience with UNEP, he presents interdependence and care for the natural world as resources already present within religious traditions.

De Silva surveys environmental conflicts over water, fisheries, forests and shared natural resources; climate litigation; climate migration and “climate apartheid”; unequal resource consumption; biodiversity loss; vaccine inequality and environmental links to emerging disease. He also recalls the creation of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme as an example of environmental cooperation across political divides. His central challenge is practical: faith communities should move beyond isolated religious concerns, work with science, use their international networks and financial assets ethically, and help build sustainable responses to environmental crisis, social conflict and human well-being.