Caring for Nature as a Spiritual Duty

In Recife, Brazil, Rayana Burgos dos Santos is mobilizing Afro-Brazilian terreiro communities to defend nature as sacred and to claim their place in climate justice. Through the Rede de Terreiros pelo Meio Ambiente, created in 2023, she strengthens climate education, advocacy, and a living network of Black women, youth, and faith leaders. Sixteen women across northern and northeastern Brazil are documenting environmental memories as testimony and strategy, while the network’s COP30 communications reached over one million views. Rayana calls faith a “powerful social technology,” shaping values and collective imagination. Her work shows that ancestral spirituality, storytelling, and policy influence can move together; quietly, firmly, and far, for community climate futures.