Muslim community must have a seat for global climate change discourse (commentary)
Earlier this year, the IPCC report released its catastrophic global warming report. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres succinctly put it after the release, "Our world needs climate action on all fronts – everything, everywhere, all at once." This begins by having bold, honest, critical conversations and results in unique, creative, and hopeful solutions that are deeply connected to the histories and worldviews of communities towards meaningful climate action.
As we approach COP28, there are some key issues and perspectives that need to be brought to the forefront of the climate change discourse. Two of these areas of focus need to be how Islamic worldviews can bring solution-based perspectives and how Muslims globally are being impacted by climate change.
Islam, as an intellectual framework, is deep and offers solutions to the complex intersectional nature of climate justice issues both at the systemic and individual levels. The Islamic legal framework inherently protects the environment through concepts of protection of the common good, an economic system that requires every stakeholder to partake in the financial risk, and agricultural and water distribution laws that require the protection and well-being of all of creation.
Looking at gross overconsumption habits, historical data depicts the world's wealthiest countries being the most significant carbon contributors since 1750, and 10% of the world's most affluent population currently produces greenhouse gases equivalent to the combined emissions of 90% of the rest of the world. Such consumptive habits have far-reaching destructive impacts on the global south.
by Memona Hussain on 3 November 2023
https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/muslim-community-deserves-seats-at-global-climate-change-discourses-commentary/