Judaism and the Environment: Does Jewish Law Forbid Polluting the Earth?

“In light of global warming and the increasing pollution of the air, does the Torah also command us not to pollute the air from the perspective of protecting the planet, and not only in regard to interpersonal relations? I understand that the Torah mainly addresses environmental quality in the context of how it affects one’s neighbor, and not necessarily with regard to preserving the world itself. I have seen prohibitions that touch on the issue, but they seem to be about not harming people living nearby, and if there were no people, it would seem to be permitted even if it damaged the earth itself.”

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Shalom and blessings,

The answer is absolutely yes. We have a duty to preserve the earth that God has entrusted to us.

This is addressed in both Jewish law and in the teachings of our sages. As it says: “Consider the work of God, for who can straighten what He has twisted?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13). The Midrash explains that when God created Adam, He took him around the Garden of Eden and said to him: “See how beautiful and excellent are My works. Everything I created, I created for you. Take care not to ruin and destroy My world, for if you corrupt it, there will be no one after you to repair it.” (Kohelet Rabbah 7:28).

However, we cannot completely separate the idea of “the earth” from the mitzvot between man and his fellow. The earth itself is, after all, a mass of soil with a fiery core, not essentially different from other planets. On its own, the earth has no feelings. Even if, God forbid, a nuclear catastrophe were to wipe out all life on its surface, the earth as a planet would remain.

The difference is that the world was created for human beings, to serve them. Even the animals were placed under human stewardship. God sustains the universe for the sake of human beings who fulfill His divine purpose: “If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have set the laws of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25).

Thus, our obligation to care for the environment is first and foremost for the sake of our fellow human beings. By preserving nature and protecting the creatures within it, we are safeguarding the divine palace given to us in trust, to be used responsibly.

Just like the earth, our own body is also a deposit entrusted to us, and we are commanded to guard our health: “Take very good care of your souls (lives).” (Deuteronomy 4:15).

The righteous understood this well, treating their bodies as a temporary trust placed in their care. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 34) tells of Hillel the Elder: “‘He who is kind to his soul is a man of kindness’ (Proverbs 11:17) – this refers to Hillel the Elder. When he would leave his disciples, they would ask: ‘Rabbi, where are you going?’ He would reply: ‘To perform a mitzvah.’ They asked: ‘What mitzvah?’ He answered: ‘To bathe in the bathhouse.’ They said: ‘Is that really a mitzvah?’ He explained: ‘If the images of kings are set up in theaters and circuses, and those appointed over them clean and polish them, and are rewarded with honor and livelihood, then I, who was created in the image and likeness of God, as it is written (Genesis 1:27), “For in the image of God He made man,” surely it is all the more a mitzvah to care for my body!’”

The tzaddikim viewed their bodies as a loan, to be cared for with responsibility and respect. So too, the world is a divine trust placed in our hands, and we are obligated to preserve it, for the sake of the higher purpose it was created to fulfill.