DOI: 10.48420/30234424.v1
title: Interview Transcripts - Religion, Theology and Climate Change Project

description: Dataset from the Religion, Theology and Climate Change project, October 2022 – September 2025.This part of the dataset contains the 62 transcripts from the interviews.The project partnered with six organisations to uncover areas of ecotheological creativity. These partners were the Church of England Dioceses of Manchester and Oxford; the Catholic Church of England and Wales Diocese of Salford; the international development agency CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development); and the activist and advocacy groups Operation Noah and Christian Climate Action.The project had three primary research questions:(1) What evidence is there of theological creativity, and of ideology and belief going beyond dominant traditions?(2) What are the obstacles to the reception of these developments in church practice, development activity, and advocacy and activism?(3) How can creative insights be contextualized and made operative in Christian settings?The project carried out a survey with n=319 responses aimed at capturing ecotheological views from the six groups, administered primarily between May and August 2023. Our primary aim with the survey was to uncover theological creativity by exploring the theological ideas held by our participants. The survey set out a range of ecotheological ideas in the form of short statements that the respondents could agree or disagree with. Dis/agreement was registered on a scale of 0-10. We then produced an average score across the total sample, and across each partner, to record overall strength of agreement on each concept. For the full results, see the project report. We also captured feelings towards climate change, views on which actions are justified in the effort to tackle climate change, and a range of demographics.We then conducted 62 in-depth interviews between July and December 2023 with approximately 10 members from each group. Interviews asked biographical questions relating to faith, climate change concern, emotions, and influences, as well as enabling participants to talk in-depth about the nature of their participation in Christian environmentalism and their reflections on the work of the group to which they primarily belonged. The interviews also probed the participants’ survey responses in depth and engaged in lengthy discussions about their theological beliefs and motivations. Our general method was to ask the interviewees to elaborate on a particular score they had on a certain statement from the survey, or to read a brief theological quote relating to one of the themes and invite them to respond. Such prompts were effective tools during interviews for generating in depth theological discussion.Key publications from the project include:<b>Monograph</b><i>Changing Climate, Changing Religion</i>. London: Routledge. Forthcoming Scott, P. M., Malcolm, F., Deane-Drummond, C. & Edwards, G.<b>Articles</b>‘The Ecotheological Values of Christian Climate Change Activists.’ 2025. <i>Environmental Values</i>, 34: 2, 167-189. Malcolm, F. & Scott, P. M.‘Understanding Nature as Place in Dialogue with Christian Environmentalists.’ 2025. <i>Environmental Philosophy</i>, 22: 1, 123-143. Deane-Drummond, C. & Malcolm, F.‘Relational Experiences of Ecological Grief Amongst Environmental Activists.’ 2025. <i>Environmental Values</i>. Malcolm, F.‘Prophets with Enchantment: Framing Christian Climate Activism.’ Under Review. Edwards, G. & Malcolm, F.‘Is It Hard to be Green? Christians and Radical Environmental Activism.’ In-Preparation. Edwards, G. & Malcolm, F.<b>Book Chapters</b>‘Net Zero and Religion: Climate Politics Across Christian Organisations.’ In-Preparation. <i>The Politics of Net-Zero</i>, ed. H. Alberro, P. Eckersley and I. Bailey. Edwood Elgar Press. Malcolm, F.‘Faith in Environmental Action: The Moral Exemplarist Ideology of Christian Climate Activism.’ In-Preparation. <i>Thinking Green: Ideologies and Environmental Politics</i>, ed. Devin K. Joshi. Routledge. Malcolm, F.