The book has been criticised for its reliance on family resemblance but its concept of dark green religion has impacted several academic fields and been described as a useful tool for analysis.

[1] It covers the idea of an emerging green global religion, which attributes intrinsic value to nature and treats environmentalist ideals as religious obligations.

Elements of it can exist in political activism, with examples such as the primitivism of John Zerzan, the radical environmentalism of Derrick Jensen and among the contributors to the magazine Orion.

[3] Arthur Versluis wrote that Taylor does not focus much on the connections between popular expressions and political radicalism, but contributes to the effort to describe and give a name to an international phenomenon that seems to be growing.

[4] Analyzing the influence of Dark Green Religion in 2022, Kocku von Stuckrad wrote that the book has made an impact in multiple disciplines, many scholars have found its thesis compelling and it stands out as Taylor's most influential work.