EPJ Web of Conferences 328, 01063 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202532801063

Ritual Ecologies: Analyzing the Environmental Impact and Cultural Sustainability of Death Practices Across Civilizations through Selected Case Studies

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India

^* Corresponding author: richa.mishra@nirmauni.ac.in

Published online: 18 June 2025

Abstract

Death is universal but experienced and ritualized in different ways across cultures. In the era of accelerating climate change, we need to look again at our mortuary practices. It becomes imperative to ask, how sustainable are our death rituals? With a focus on Hindu cremation, Christian burials, and Indigenous rites this study explores the ecological impact of death rituals across cultures. Drawing from environmental data, literary narratives, and cross-cultural case studies, it examines how traditional rituals intersect with environmental concerns like carbon emissions, deforestation, land use, and water contamination. It introduces the concept of ritual ecology, which critiques and reimagines sacred practices through a sustainability lens. From wood-fired Hindu pyres to the chemically treated burials, the study traces the material consequences of mourning and memory. It highlights technology-based innovations such as electric crematoriums, aquamation, and biodegradable burial options. Reimagining and reframing death rituals for a sustainable future does not mean erasing traditions but having a meaningful dialogue between heritage and innovation. It calls for ecologically sustainable practices that align with the emotional and spiritual dimensions of death. The research hopes to contribute to a growing conversation about how we might mourn, remember, and honor the dead without endangering the planet.