Muslim scholars on climate change

An Islamic declaration adds to growing pressure religious leaders are exerting on richer nations to reduce the burden they are putting on the Earth's climate, according to Climate News Network. The views of the scholars - some of the strongest expressed as yet on climate from within the Muslim community - are contained in a draft declaration on climate change to be launched officially at a major Islamic symposium in Istanbul in mid-August 2015.

The draft declaration has been compiled by the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES), a UK-based charity focused on environmental protection and the management of natural resources. The declaration quotes extensively from Al Qur'an, the Muslim holy book, as the basis of its arguments. Besides IFEES, Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Climate Action Network International and Green Faith have also been involved in formulating the declaration.  

Human beings could cause the end of life on the planet, say a group of Islamic scholars adding that countries round the world, particularly the rich ones, must take their responsibilities. Climate change, they say, is induced by human beings: "As we're woven into the fabric of the natural world, its gifts are for us to savour - but we have abused these gifts to the extent that climate change is upon us."

Allah, says the declaration, created the world in mizan (balance), but through fasad (corruption), human beings have caused climate change, together with a range of negative effects on the environment that include deforestation, the destruction of biodiversity, and pollution of the oceans and of water systems and natural resources. The declaration mirrors many of the themes contained in a recent encyclical issued by Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.

The Islamic declaration makes particularly strong criticism of the world's richer and more powerful countries, which, it says, have delayed through their selfishness the implementation of a comprehensive climate change agreement. The declaration says "Their reluctance to share in the burden they have imposed on the rest of the human community by their own profligacy is noted with great concern".

Interestingly, the draft declaration - which is still being worked on by various Muslim academics around the world - says that, in particular, wealthy oil-producing countries must "refocus their concerns from profit to the environment and to the poor of the world". Saudi Arabia, where Mecca is located, is one of the world's leading oil-producing countries.

The declaration says a new economic growth model should be found that recognizes that the planet's resources are finite. It also calls on big businesses to face up to its social responsibilities and not exploit scarce resources in poor countries, and says that businesses should also take a more active role in reducing their carbon footprint.

The declaration says, Muslims everywhere in their particular spheres of influence, should seek to play a role in tackling climate change - and that other faith and religious groups should also join in realizing the aims of the Islamic scholars "to compete with us in this endeavour so we can all be winners in this race".

In this connection, we may mention the impact of climate change on Bangladesh. Bangladesh is vulnerable to these changes. Indeed, it has internationally been established that Bangladesh, as a country, may suffer the most severe impacts from climate change.  The country is one of the most densely populated nations on earth having more people than geographically massive Russia. It faces most of the impacts of climate change due to its geophysical location, hydrological influence from monsoon rains and regional water flow patterns.

It is being observed that Bangladesh is already experiencing the adverse impacts of global warming and climate change. Summers are becoming hotter, monsoon irregular, rainfall untimely, heavy rainfall over short period causing water logging and landslides, very little rainfall in dry period, increased river flow and inundation during monsoon, increased frequency, intensity and recurrence of floods, crop damage due to flash floods and monsoon floods, crop failure due to drought, prolonged cold spell, salinity intrusion along the coast leading to scarcity of potable water and redundancy of prevailing crop practices, coastal erosion, riverbank erosion, deaths due to extreme heat and extreme cold, increasing mortality, morbidity, prevalence and outbreak of dengue, malaria, cholera and diarrhea, etc.

Climate change and its associated events will negatively affect both natural and common property resources, such as fisheries, mangroves and forest, which provide livelihood support to common people and the poor. Furthermore, Bangladesh's major crop rice is vulnerable to increased temperature. At the high ranges of temperatures, yield of rice crops drops. In some areas, particularly in the northwest, crop yields are likely to be reduced up to 30 per cent. Replacement of rice by wheat or maze will require a change in farmer's perceptions and practices, which is a long term phenomenon. These effects will contribute to increased poverty. The impact of higher temperatures, more variable precipitation, more extreme weather events, and sea rise are already felt in Bangladesh and will continue to intensify.

Bangladesh's agricultural growth is especially effective in reducing poverty. Agriculture is a key economic driver in Bangladesh, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the GDP and 65 percent of the labour force. Estimates show that overall GDP growth originating in agriculture is, on average, at least twice as effective in benefiting the poorest half of a country's population as growth generated in nonagricultural sectors. Moreover, much of the rural population, especially the poor, is reliant on the agriculture as a critical source of livelihoods and employment.

Adding up the damages to property and other losses, Bangladesh is faced with a total loss of about 3-4 per cent of GDP. Without these losses, Bangladesh could have easily secured much higher growth. These changes are threatening the significant achievements Bangladesh has made over the last 25 years in increasing incomes, reducing poverty and in achieving self sufficiency in the production of rice, the country's staple food crop. The progress towards achieving the MDG, such as eradicating poverty, combating communicable diseases and ensuring environmental sustainability could be in jeopardy because of adverse climate change.

By 2030, the best estimate projection is for monsoon rainfall to increase by 10 to 15 percent and winter rainfall by 5 to 10 percent. Bangladesh is one of the top 10 nations most vulnerable to climate change. In several geographical areas multiple impacts will reinforce the overlapping impacts and the consequences will be compounded.

The writer is a retired Professor of Economics, BCS General Education Cadre. He can be reached at [email protected]