Looking back to move forward (Part 2)

This is the second part of my conversation with Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim.

Both are Senior Lecturers and Research Scholars at Yale University, with appointments at the School of the Environment, the Divinity School, and the Department of Religious Studies.

Mary Evelyn specializes in Asian religions — including Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism — and co-directs the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale, the largest international multi-religious project of its kind.

John’s research focuses on Indigenous traditions and their ecological wisdom. Like Mary Evelyn, he brings deep insight into how religious and spiritual traditions shape our relationship with the natural world.

Motivated by their deep concern for the planet’s future, they’ve spent decades teaching, writing, and building bridges between ecology and ethics.

Last month, they wrapped up a month-long journey across China. Their travels took them to Liangzhu, an archaeological site in Zhejiang that reveals a Late Neolithic culture built on rice cultivation and a unified belief system.

They also visited Chengdu and spent time at an eco-village near the town of Xilai, where they enjoyed locally grown tea and mandarin oranges — and were inspired by a vibrant inter-generational community working together toward sustainable living.

You can hear more about their trip in the previous episode:

In this part of our conversation, we explore the evolving relationship between humans and nature — and how ancient wisdom traditions like Confucianism can offer fresh insight into today’s climate challenges.

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This is the second episode of Climate Watch’s collaboration with Beyond Climate Dialogue at Peking University.

Previous episode: