Climate change poses dire threat: Muslim scholars

Human beings could cause the end of life on the planet, a group of Islamic scholars say adding countries round the world, particularly the rich ones, must take their responsibilities, reports UNB.
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.”
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 yet expressed 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.
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.
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 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.
“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,” the declaration says.
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”.

 

Climate change poses dire threat: Muslim scholars

Human beings could cause the end of life on the planet, a group of Islamic scholars say adding countries round the world, particularly the rich ones, must take their responsibilities, reports UNB. Climate change, they say, is induced by human beings: As were 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. Islamic declaration adds to growing pressure religious leaders are exerting on richer nations to reduce the burden they are putting on the Earths climate, according to Climate News Network. The views of the scholars - some of the strongest yet expressed 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. 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. 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 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 worlds richer and more powerful countries, which, it says, have delayed through their selfishness the implementation of a comprehensive climate change agreement. 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, the declaration says. 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.