By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — In the 1967 Hollywood box office hit “The Graduate”—a romantic comedy directed by Mike Nichols and based on a novel by Charles Webb—the newly-graduated Dustin Hoffman gets an unsolicited piece of advice: “The future is plastics”.
The widely disseminated one-liner was hailed as a boost for the world’s plastic industry. But 55 years later, the industry is under fire because of the environmental hazards it generates. (P33) FRENCH | ITALIAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | TURKISH
![Faith, Nature & the Climate Crisis: An Evaluation Viewpoint by Fazlun Khalid Fazlun Khalid is Founder of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the author of “Signs on the Earth - Islam Modernity and the Climate Crisis” published in 2019. BIRMINGHAM, UK (IDN) — As the post-colonial world emerged in the middle of the last century it left in its wake a host of dismembered traditional societies which for millennia had faith as their anchor and embraced the natural world as the source of life. The transition to the new world order was in a sense seamless as the ruling powers offloaded their territories creating secular nation-states in their own image. The emerging states were left with institutions defined by the departing powers the most important of which was the central bank whose ability to create money out of thin air sustained the model with debt. Thus, was created the umbilical cord that tethered each new state to the departing power and ultimately to the evolving global system. The mid-20th century world was unrecognisable from the world Iberian sailors opened up in the closing years of the 15th century. This period witnessed the unfolding of one of the major episodic events in human history resulting in the emergence of a new paradigm in which faith communities no longer held sway. It had taken a mere 500 years, a minuscule amount of time measured against the evolution of the human story, to destroy what faith communities and traditional societies had nurtured for millennia. This left them all adrift and as one thinker pronounced, caused a psychological shift in allegiance in this period from the divine to the human. This process objectified nature to the extent that the sources of life were turned into resources for plunder. We worry about the decline of biological diversity but it is easy to see now that the root of this was the destruction of the cultural diversity that protected the sources of life, flora and fauna, in their own spaces and in their own time. This is not to say that past societies were always benevolent towards nature and the fact does remain that when they inevitably collapsed the sands covered their traces and the forests grew over them: they were biodegradable. But not so the civilisation we live in today. It is conceivable that archaeologists of the future may not only have to contend with ubiquitous plastic and poisonous chemicals but may need to wear radiation suits in order to explore the debris we have left behind. As we struggle to make sense of the numerous enormities we have foisted on mother Earth, it is becoming evident that they are in fact direct consequences of processes emerging from the evolution of modernity. As we chase after progress and development, not only are we destroying Earth’s systems but in the process harming ourselves by ingesting toxic chemicals into our bodily systems that did not exist at the time of our grandparents. This adds up to a new reality - that we now live in a global village viewing existence as a linear continuum of economic progress going right against the grain of the natural world. Geologists have proposed that we now live in the Anthropocene - the age of the human reflecting the fact that we are now a force of nature. It is suggested by some that this epoch began in the mid- 20th century with the emergence of nuclear energy, disposable plastics and the human population boom. Others point their fingers at the industrial revolution. In my view however, it began with the creation of the Bank of England in 1694. It institutionalized the processes of creating money out of thin air and lending it for a fee (usury/interest) a practice that is strictly forbidden in Islamic teachings. This provides the convenient illusion that there is more wealth to be had than actually exists in the natural world, a proposition reducing the money we use today to the nature of a virus. This is called “Capitalism” projecting the idea of abundance for all seen by many as a serious diversion from reality. The Global footprint network informs us that “Earth Overshoot Day” 2021 fell on July 29. We are thus living in borrowed time and for the rest of 2021 will be helping ourselves to the depleting stocks of Earth’s resources, the lions share being sucked up by the richest countries of the world. This reminds us quite clearly what the Club of Rome demonstrated to us in limits to growth way back in 1972. Looked at from this perspective sustainable development needs to be rethought because in order for the less well-off to meet their needs without a consequent negative impact on Earth systems, those who already have more than enough should accept considerably less. There is some balancing to be done here which is to remind the well-off of their obligations so policy makers please note. Or is Wall Street too hot to handle? Predictably there were serious divisions in the COP 26 process which recently concluded in Glasgow. The term "game changer" on the one hand was used by a politician to proclaim success and on the other by a scientist to pronounce failure. Whilst numerous NGOs and FBOs (Faith Based Organisations) were demonstrating palpable enthusiasm for change the oil lobby and big business kept quietly working away at the delegates to keep things as they are. The picture this conjures up in my mind is that of an ever enlarging hole being dug out by huge bulldozers driven by the banks and big business whilst a host of people try to fill it up with little buckets. Traditional and indigenous communities lived in a manner that was integral to nature and in the absence of scripture the natural world itself was the text. Eastern traditions also had a close affinity with nature, and it was looked upon as a gift from the Creator by all three Abrahamic faiths. All spiritual traditions teach us mindfulness, caring and sharing. However, in today's world greed has been institutionalised and it is now known as consumerism. Our rituals are incomplete without going shopping. We are now seamlessly becoming green consumers, hooked into social media and trapped by the mobile phone heralding the consolidation of techno civilisation much to the delight of big business. This is where we hit the buffers of biodiversity. Where will we continue to find the rare earth, the cobalt and the lithium that are going to give us high efficiency batteries that will drive our civilisation? And where are we going to dump these batteries by the ton when they are exhausted? It is time now to elevate our level of consciousness to another level of reality. There is a space between optimism and pessimism which we need to populate. This is called “realism” and in a sense it reflects the thoughts of Prophet Muhammed when he told his followers to plant the seeds in their hands even if they thought the world was coming to an end the next day. What and where are the seeds of hope we must plant today? How can we create a green civilisation and avoid falling into the trap of green consumerism? How can faith communities trigger changes in a system which is dominant and all perversive and not of their own making? Their belated re-entry into the affairs of the world was heralded by the Assisi Declaration - Messages on Humanity and Nature from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, which came out in 1986. This was the brainchild of the late Prince Philip when he was president of WWF international. It triggered many faith-based initiatives while the next major event in this area of concern was Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si which emerged in 2015. Currently Muslims scholars are putting together Al Mizan - A Covenant for the Earth which is an encapsulation of Islamic perspectives on the environment which is projected to be published in 2022. There are Hindu and Buddhist Versions to follow thanks to the initiatives taken by the Faith for Earth division at UNEP. Whilst science figured prominently in the COP 26 negotiations the underlying agenda in the give and take process was economics. All the participating nations had their own individual economic agendas which invariably involved growth and which they were hardly likely to give up. And growth actually means taxing Earth resources which goes contrary to any collective agreement COP 26 ultimately conjures. There are lessons to learn for all of us from this and what we need is a strong lobby that would inject the idea of degrowth into future COP processes. It is still not too late to take this fork in the road so will faith-based organisations lead the way before our present trajectory brings planet Earth to its knees? [IDN-InDepthNews – 09 December 2021] Photo: Solar powered water pump in Nepal. Credit: UNDP](/images/cloimate-smart.jpg)
![COP26: Protect Peace and Justice at the Climate Change Summit Viewpoint by Arunabha Ghosh and Isabel Studer Noguez While Dr Arunabha Ghosh is CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, Dr Isabel Studer-Noguez is Director of Alianza University of California-Mexico. Both sit on the international expert panel for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) initiative Environment of Peace. STOCKHOLM (IDN) — When world leaders meet in Glasgow for the climate change summit (COP26) (October 31-November 12), they should be aware that their decisions will cast a long shadow over the future both of climate and security. Climate change is transforming the foundations of security, challenging peace in some of the world’s conflict-prone regions. The evidence is stronger than ever. Global warming is here, not in the distant future. The need for urgent action is clear, but leaders must demonstrate that furthering peace, justice and equity for all is integral to their climate ambitions. Why climate action matters for peace The impacts of climate change are aggravating an array of other problems—such as rapid biodiversity loss, pollution, inequality, weak state services, corruption and political instability—in dangerous ways. They affect the availability of food, water and other essential resources, robbing people—often the poorest farmers and herders—of their livelihoods and driving them away from their homes, in search of safety or a better life. The unfolding climate crisis can create new tensions and exacerbate old ones. Climate impacts can send energy, water or food price shocks around the world through the global trade system, undermining states’ capacity to respond and potentially bringing localized conflict and economic and social instability. To be sure, climate change does not by itself cause physical conflict. In any particular location, climate risk depends on the likelihood that extreme events (droughts, floods, cyclones etc.) will occur, the economic and social vulnerability of the affected population, and the local government’s capacity to respond. At the heart of human security lies resilience—and the climate crisis exacerbates instability and insecurity if resilience is not reinforced. Keeping 1.5 alive The Glasgow summit is hoping to extract emissions-reduction pledges that are in line with the target of limiting global heating to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. So far states’ commitments, particularly those of the largest emitters, have fallen far short of this goal. Their past actions have been even more wanting. Already at 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, global heating is bringing serious challenges for security. For example, in Somalia, a combination of intense climate change impacts and the depredations of long-running conflict have given some people little choice but to align themselves with the insurgent group Al-Shabab, which promises an economic and political alternative. The ravages of climate change are also among the factors driving migration, including in Central America. Migrants often fall victim to exploitation and violence. Migration can also feed into deep political and cultural divisions in the host countries. The issue comes full circle when migrant workers are put at risk by labouring outdoors in lethal heat without adequate water or shade. But how emissions reductions are achieved matters for security too. For example, the growth of biofuel plantations in Brazil has seen indigenous people being driven off their ancestral lands. Attempts to resist, or to recover their land, have led to violent clashes and even to activists being murdered. And as decarbonization of the global economy accelerates, communities that have relied on extraction, processing or burning of fossil fuels as a primary source of income stand to lose out, creating new pockets of inequality and even instability from the local up to the international level. Decarbonization must happen, but it needs to consider those who stand to lose from the transition. Adapting to climate realities To promote a just transition and avoid human insecurity, the international community must commit to a decade of climate resilience. The UK COP26 presidency has promised significant progress on climate adaptation. Five pillars should drive such an agenda. First, agree to metrics that measure countries’ progress towards climate adaptation and their impact on peace and security. Second, ensure the legitimacy of adaptation by benefitting the many, and not the few. For example, regulating water levels in a dam can protect upstream communities from water scarcity or flooding, but have devastating impacts on communities and fisheries downstream. Moreover, in the process of building dams, people living in and around the dam site are too often turfed off their land without much compensation or care, while natural habitats are destroyed. This can create conditions that contribute to insecurity and even conflict. Third, leverage equality and justice to build peace and security. For example, a successful response to droughts in the Great Karamoja Cluster region of East Africa has been to help different groups of migratory herders, who have been in tense competition for the remaining water and good pasture, to broker deals over access and use. Fourth, anticipate climate risks and monitor sources of new grievances and social disquiet. Localized climate risk assessments can help local authorities to prepare for extreme events and sidestep the fallouts. In India, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water is developing a first-of-its-kind granular Climate Risk Atlas to inform such decision-making. Fifth, create an insurance cushion for the vulnerable. As the pandemic demonstrates, a perfect storm of shocks can overwhelm fiscal reserves and household savings, locking in poverty and vulnerability. The climate crisis needs a Global Resilience Reserve Fund to prevent vulnerable communities falling deeper into poverty and providing the resources to build local capacity to buttress against climate shocks. Too often, the biggest victims of climate change are those least responsible for it. Building resilience is a moral, social and political imperative. COP26 should ensure global ambition to achieve the 1.5°C goal. But climate justice demands that world leaders also demonstrate the political will and guarantee the financial resources to build resilient and peaceful communities that can chart their own paths to sustainable development. [IDN-InDepthNews – 22 October 2021] Photo: There are more than 833 million hectares of salt-affected soils around the globe. © FAO](/images/fao_cropped.jpg)
