Global warming is the new global menace where the world must come together in order to avert a global catastrophe. Issues such as terrorism, pollution, piracy, aids, poverty and climate change are considered to not respect borders and are in fact global problems that require a global response. Due to this the last 10 years has seen numerous NGO’s, pressure groups as well as intense lobbying emerging, protests by many global citizen groups have also taken place urging the worlds powers to take action. The calls to recycle, increase use of energy efficient appliances and reduce consumption have all been a result of climate change taking centre stage as the world’s key challenge.
So what is Global warming?
Global warming and climate change refer to an increase in average global temperatures. Natural events and human activities are believed to be contributing to the increase in average global temperatures. This is caused primarily by increases in the greenhouse which is the rise in temperature on Earth as certain gases in the atmosphere trap energy gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2). There are other views on the causes of temperature increases and intense research still continues.
The largest body dealing with climate change is the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) where its climate scientists have released a number of reports detailing the progress in understanding climate change.
From the outset they have recommended that there be emission reductions. This body is comprised of hundreds of climate scientists from around the world. The last major report by them in January 2007 summarised that they were even more certain than before of human-induced climate change because of better scientific understanding, they believed there was a 90% chance of them being correct with their conclusions.
Based upon this understanding the emission from the worlds industry into the atmosphere has led to global temperatures to increase, hence global emission reductions is seen as the solution to global warming, how much the worlds industrialised nations should reduce their emissions is where intense debate continues at G8 summits, Kyoto protocol meetings and on future treaties.
Global Polluters (2004)
By Carbon dioxide emissions through human activities as a percentage of total emissions
1. USA 22%
2. China 18%
3. Russia 5%
4. India 4.9%
5. Japan 4.6%
6. Germany 3.1%
7. Canada 2.3%
8. UK 2.2%
9. South Korea 1.7%
10. Italy 1.6%
US Energy Information Administration
How did we get into such a position?
In terms of historical emissions, industrialised countries account for around 80% of the carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere to date. Since 1950, the US has emitted a cumulative total of roughly 50.7 billion tons of carbon, while China (4.6 times more populous) and India (3.5 times more populous) have emitted only 15.7 and 4.2 billion tons respectively. Annually, more than 60% of global industrial carbon dioxide emissions originate in industrialised countries, where only about 20% of the world’s population resides.
US has obstructed International deal
Much of the growth in emissions in the developed world stem from rapid industrialisation from the industrial revolution era. The US with its $14 trillion economy is the world’s largest polluter and has acted as an obstacle to any agreement on emission reduction targets. This is because the US is unable to decouple economic growth from its huge energy use. In other words, economic growth needs to be protected and any agreement on emission reduction would effect economic growth as industry would be restricted on the amount it can pollute the air. Hence the largest polluter of all the US has announced its own conference in tackling climate change which will protect US industry and it was the US’s insistence on not agreeing reduction targets that led to the collapse of the Kyoto Protocol – an international treaty. The US is not prepared to enter any deal which requires it to cut its consumption levels. This is why instead of calling for a radical cutback in automobile use the US accepts that the number of motor vehicles will double. It proposes to expand production and accelerate development of non-fossil fuel alternatives for future cars such as synthetic bio fuels and carbon dioxide-free hydrogen.
Capitalism at the centre of the problem
Reducing emissions would mean industry in the West would need to produce less – this would lead to the economies of the West to shrink rather then grow. To reduce consumption is considered Shirk in Capitalism. By the same token, the rate of consumption of fossil fuels in developed countries is also extremely high relative to the rest of the world. The depletion of non-renewable resources and environmental destruction is primarily caused by the consumption patterns of such nations.
Global warming is the result of rapid industrialisation from the West with the sole concern of profit making. Although there exists technologies that allow the development of clean low-emission industries, their costs are high and as a result have been unable to break into the mainstream market. China and India have only in the last 20 years seen rapid development, global warming was already high prior to that. However, the US continues to blame China and India for developing too quickly, in other words the US is shifting the blame away from itself.
The worlds developed nations are trying hard to avoid radical controls on growth, consumption and profits. They have attempted to stave off a looming climate catastrophe by voluntary cuts, techno fixes and carbon trading; all these are desperate efforts to prevent the inevitable.
An Islamic Approach
The planetary system, the earth and its ecosystems, all work within their own limits and Islam sets limits to human behaviour as a control against excess. In essence, Islam describes an integrated code of behaviour which deals with personal hygiene, at one end of the spectrum, to our relationship with the natural order at the other. Regarding the environment Islam contains regulations concerning the conservation and allocation of scarce water resources; it has rules for the conservation of land with special zones of graded use; it has special rules for the establishment of rangelands, wetlands, green belts and also wildlife protection and conservation. Allah سبحانه وتعالى exhorts mankind to be moderate:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَّعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ كُلُواْ مِن ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُواْ حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ وَلاَ تُسْرِفُواْ إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
“It is He who produces gardens, both cultivated and wild, and palm trees and crops of diverse kinds and olives and pomegranates both similar and dissimilar. Eat of their fruits when they bear fruits and pay their dues on the days of their harvest, and do not be profligate. He does not love the profligate.” [Al-An’aam, 6:142]
Conclusions
Present consumption patterns are leading to the depletion of key minerals such as water wells, fossil fuels and agricultural land. At the same time the consumption of such minerals is leading to pollution to enter the atmosphere and the effect of this is now being felt across the world. Although most if not all of the models used to track the temperature in the atmosphere or the cooling effect is debateable and open to speculation, one thing that is for certain is Capitalism has no intention of reducing its consumption of the world’s limited minerals.