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A version of this talk was delivered on July 14, 2024, to the Döbling Ward in Vienna, Austria.

As a Latter-day Saint who studies sustainability, I have pondered the spiritual practices and beliefs that sustain our faith community over the long term. Prayer, scripture study, worship, and sacred ordinances are core practices that sustain the faith of members and, in turn, the Church itself. All of this happens within the framework of the restored gospel, which provides access to priesthood keys, a living prophet, and continuing revelation. Together, these have enabled remarkable growth since the Church was restored in 1830.

Today, my purpose is to focus on another principle that, although less frequently discussed, is equally vital to the sustainability of our faith, and that is the health of our planet Earth. Specifically, I wish to discuss biodiversity, which is intimately connected to our spiritual well-being, as evidenced by scripture, architecture, and personal spiritual experiences.

What Is Biodiversity?

Wikipedia’s definition of biodiversity is simple and elegant: “The variety and variability of life on Earth.”[1] If you look closely, you can see biodiversity everywhere. From the main entrance of this building here in Vienna, you can see at least twenty unique species of plants—all with different forms and functions. Some highlights are a holly with pointy leaves, a spruce with needles, a horse chestnut with spiky seedpods, a Japanese pagoda tree with white blossoms, and three varieties of roses. From the main entrance of my home church building in Arizona, you will see a different sight—a hardy community of desert cactuses and shrubs. Together, the unique plants, animals, and ecosystems across the world contribute to the variety and variability of life on Earth.

Biodiversity Is an Inherently Spiritual Concept

To me, biodiversity is an inherently spiritual concept. To demonstrate how let’s work through a thought exercise that admittedly requires a little imagination. Suppose you are in Heavenly Father’s shoes immediately after developing the plan of salvation. You have the theory for the premortal existence, life on Earth, the spirit world, and the three degrees of glory, and the only thing left to do is create the Earth. You might begin by drafting the oxygen levels in the atmosphere. But it gets tricky. If oxygen levels are too low, we all suffocate. If they are too high, all living things could spontaneously erupt in flames. Remember, this is just one of many elements that needs to be right!

One solution to this challenge is biodiversity. Today, the diverse plants and animals around the globe help to regulate the levels of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in ecosystems from the Sahara Desert to the Amazon rainforest. The plants and animals we never see—either because they are too small or endangered—play especially important roles in the Earth’s life-supporting cycles. Because biodiversity is essential for a healthy planet, a decline in biodiversity can severely impact our ability to gain a body, experience joy, and exercise our agency—all core tenets of the plan of salvation. Perhaps this is why the creation story repeatedly highlights the importance of “everything that creepeth upon the Earth” (Genesis 1:26; Moses 2:26). Without all of God’s creations, the Earth cannot fulfill its divine purpose.

The connection between biodiversity and the plan of salvation is highlighted in the ordinances and architecture of our temples. Stained glass, carvings, paintings, and murals depicting natural landscapes are commonly seen in buildings where our most sacred ordinances take place. One striking example is the Mesa temple, which has a large mural depicting a landscape you might see near Saltzburg, with mountains, a freshwater lake, pine trees, meadows, deer, and birds. This vivid imagery symbolizes the profound connection between the environment and our spiritual progression.

In addition to theological connections in scripture and temples, I have my own spiritual connection to biodiversity. Over the past few years, I have been on quite the spiritual journey. Some years ago, I began to feel that my sense of right and wrong was not shared by many, if not most, of the people and institutions around me. During this period, I was enveloped by conflict, disillusionment, and spiritual turmoil. For the first time in my life, it was unclear how I fit in with the Church, or even if I fit in at all.

One Saturday morning, my wife and I decided to go on a hike in the Superstition Mountains, which are located about one hour east of Phoenix. For centuries, the Superstitions have attracted treasure hunters looking for the Lost Dutchman’s gold, which, according to legend, is buried somewhere out there in a long-lost mine.[2] After some light four-wheeling in our Toyota Prius, we arrived at the trailhead and started our journey. Following a steep uphill climb, we came to a rough and rugged canyon surrounded by towering rocks that looked like giant fingers rising out of the ground. After a few moments, I decided it was the most intensely biodiverse patch of desert I had ever seen. We passed by scrub oak, bunchgrasses, yucca, cholla cactuses, barrel cactuses, saguaro cactuses, wild succulents, pine trees, and wildflowers—all growing together. To this day, my wife and I refer to that place as “The Garden of Eden.” It was almost like the movie Holes—when Stanley Yelnatz and Zero find refuge at the top of God’s thumb after running away from Mr. Sir. The only difference being that we did not find the Lost Dutchman’s treasure!

However, on that day, I made an important personal discovery. I was reminded that there is beauty in the world. Up there on the mesa, I felt peace. Today, the desert continues to be my preferred place for pondering all things spiritual. In fact, much of this talk was organized in my head as I hiked across sandy washes in the remote desert to the south of my house in Arizona. For me, the idea that the diverse beauty of the Superstition Mountains or the Lower Austrian Alps is solely the result of natural causes—and that there is no higher purpose behind them—is not satisfactory. For me, these places testify of a higher spiritual power.

Church teachings have given me greater appreciation for these principles. In 2022, Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse gave a conference talk titled “Our Earthly Stewardship.” In the talk Bishop Causse said, “As God’s children, we have received the charge to be stewards, caretakers, and guardians of His divine creations.” He goes on to say: “Our Heavenly Father allows us to use Earthly resources according to our own free will. Yet our agency should not be interpreted as license to use or consume the riches of this world without wisdom or restraint.”[3]

Our role as environmental stewards has been confirmed by President Nelson. In the spring general conference of the year 2000, then Elder Nelson admonished us to “care for the Earth, be wise stewards over it, and preserve it for future generations.”[4] This counsel by President Nelson parallels a landmark report in 1987 by the Brundtland United Nations Commission, which defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”[5] Because biodiversity is central to the plan of salvation, we have a spiritual responsibility to be good stewards of the environment.

Biodiversity Is Declining Across the Earth Due to Human Activities

How well are we fulfilling our spiritual responsibility to preserve biodiversity? One of the symbols of the American Southwest is the iconic saguaro cactus. Often shown in cowboy western movies, these cactuses are recognizable by their characteristic silhouette, with a tall trunk and two arms pointing skyward. One of the most majestic saguaros I ever saw was on our neighbor’s property in Phoenix. This hundreds-of-years-old cactus had everything you want to see in a saguaro: It had the imposing height—easily ten meters high; it had the broad arms—eight or ten extended in a gradual upward curve; it also had the rich color—deep green with no blemishes. It even had a woodpecker nest in the trunk that really tied the whole look together. We thought of it as the talisman of our neighborhood—watching over and protecting our comings and goings.

Then one day it fell over. I came home to see a cleanup crew hacking it to pieces with a chainsaw and loading it onto a trailer to haul it away. A week later, another mature saguaro in our neighborhood fell over. Then others around town collapsed. Saguaros take over one hundred years to reach adulthood, and normally they are a model for stability in the scorching desert. What was causing seemingly healthy saguaros to fall over and die?

This happened at the end of last summer, after a series of record-setting heat waves. For every day in July—thirty-one straight days—the daily high temperature was 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher. During July, the nighttime low temperature did not dip below 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) for sixteen straight days.[6] The constant heat stress—day and night—caused the saguaros to collapse.[7]

The heat wave can be attributed to a few factors, one of which is climate change. Human activities are changing the chemistry of the atmosphere, which is leading to altered precipitation patterns and increased temperatures in most areas of the world. Another factor is land use change. In Phoenix, we have transformed the natural desert into a vast expanse of asphalt and concrete, which traps heat during the day and releases it at night. Together, these factors were too much for the desert saguaros in the city.

This is a story that is playing out all over the world. From the Great Barrier Reef to the Amazon rainforest, climate change and land use change are surpassing the natural limits of plants, animals, and ecosystems. Today, most indicators show that biodiversity is declining across all continents. A recent report estimates that 1 million species—spanning all types of life: terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species, are now threatened with extinction.[8] Of particular concern are insects, which are estimated to have already lost between 250,000 and 500,000 species over the last 150 years. Another imperiled group is the amphibians, of which 40 percent are threatened with extinction today.

We Have a Spiritual Imperative to Preserve Biodiversity

Other Christian denominations have spoken in detail about how we should respond to biodiversity loss and climate change. In 2015, Pope Francis wrote a 184-page encyclical titled, “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.”[9] The Pope outlines how biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change are rooted in humanity’s prioritization of technological development over the health of the Earth. He views the current ecological crisis as a spiritual one, calling for us to undergo an “ecological conversion,” which is his term for a spiritual and ethical transformation where we focus less on consumerism and more on humility, gratitude, and love toward God’s creations. One of the most compelling arguments in the encyclical is that the world’s poor are most vulnerable to the negative impacts of environmental degradation. Throughout the document, Pope Francis frames the need to act in the mandate to love thy neighbor, a cornerstone commandment of Christianity.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Christian Reformed Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and various Evangelical denominations have all provided similar statements about biodiversity loss and climate change.[10] Although the perspectives and language differ, the key points remain the same: (1) Human activities are causing major negative impacts on people and the environment, which are God’s creations; and (2) We have a spiritual responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment.

Not surprisingly, these key points are at the heart of Bishop Causse’s 2022 talk “Our Earthly Stewardship.” In the talk, Bishop Causse stresses that we must respect and care for others with whom we share the Earth by citing Jesus’ admonition to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Bishop Causse defines neighbor not by geographic proximity, but by proximity of the heart. This expansive definition includes all people across the Earth who may be negatively impacted by environmental degradation.

Given the spiritual nature of biodiversity and rapid declines due to human activities, it is my belief that we have an urgent spiritual imperative to address global declines in biodiversity. When I say “we,” I mean all of God’s children on the Earth. I also mean the smaller subgroup of Christians. But I especially mean those who are members of our faith. We share a knowledge of the plan of salvation, which provides the spiritual context necessary for understanding our relationship with nature.

Closing Remarks

I will close with a short excerpt of a prayer from “Care for Our Common Home,” by Pope Francis.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

I believe that Heavenly Father created “everything that creepeth on the Earth,” just like it says in the creation story, and I believe that our spiritual and physical well-being is intimately connected with our environment. It is my prayer that we can embrace the spirit of the creation by doing all we can to preserve all of God’s creatures. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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^[1] Wikipedia, s.v. “Biodiversity,” last modified June 13, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity.

^[2] Robert Joseph Allen, The Story of Superstition Mountain and the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine (Pocket Books, 1971).

^[3] Gérald Caussé, “Our Earthly Stewardship,” Oct. 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/31causse?lang=eng.

^[4] Russell M. Nelson, “The Creation,” Apr. 2000, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/04/the-creation?lang=eng.

^[5] World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (Oxford University Press, 1987).

^[6] Jorge Torres, “July 2023 Sets Multiple New Heat Records Across Arizona,” ABC15 Arizona, July 31, 2023, https://www.abc15.com/weather/impact-earth/july-2023-sets-multiple-new-heat-records-across-arizona.

^[7] Terry Tang, “The Extreme Heat in Phoenix Is Withering Some of Its Famed Saguaro Cactuses, with No End in Sight,” Associated Press, Aug. 2, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/heat-wave-phoenix-cactus-plants-974dfd0a5b19f804837d90a96b567ede.

^[8] Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Summary for Policymakers of the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, edited by S. Díaz, J. Settele, E. S. Brondízio, et al. (IPBES Secretariat, 2019), https://www.ipbes.net/global-assessment.

^[9] Pope Francis, “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” Encyclical, Vatican, May 24, 2015, Vatican (website), accessed July 18, 2024, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.

^[10] Seventh-day Adventist Church, “The Dangers of Climate Change,” Official Statement, General Conference, Dec. 19, 1995, Seventh-day Adventist Church General Conference (website), https://gc.adventist.org/official-statements/the-dangers-of-climate-change/; Christian Reformed Church, “Creation Care,” accessed July 18, 2024, https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/position-statements/creation-care; Theodota Nantsou and Nikolaos Asproulis, eds., The Orthodox Church Addresses the Climate Crises (WWF Greece and Volos Academy Publications, 2021), https://acadimia.org/images/pdf_doc_more/2021/02/orthodoxy__climate_crisis_complete.pdf; Dorothy Boorse, Loving the Least of These (National Association of Evangelicals, 2022), https://www.nae.org/loving-the-least-of-these/.