Those who believe in God may believe He created the Earth and therefore owns it and has entrusted humans with the practical task of taking care of it. This is the principle of ‘stewardship’.

However, Buddhism does not involve belief in a creator God so stewardship is not a Buddhist concept. Still, Buddhists have other important teachings that give Buddhist communities good reasons to take care of the Earth.

In particular, this refers to the teachings on conditionality or dependent arising, on ahimsa or not harming any forms of life, on the value of compassion and kindness, on the laws of karma, and on the ethical guidelines of the Noble Eightfold Path.