Human behaviour, consumption and business activities have been identified as the main cause of the climate crisis the earth is facing at present, having seriously detrimental effects on the earth’s bio capacity to sustain life. These effects, referred to as anthropogenic impacts, are causing degradation of the globally shared public resource known as natural capital.
In this paper, the author explains that the origin of current environmental crisis can be traced back to industrial revolution. While industrialization provided many benefits, the greed and avarice in human beings need conditioning through morality and values.
Fasting in the full-month of Ramadan every year teaches restraint by experiencing it. It brings humility, discipline, restraint, self-control and social consciousness about issues of hunger and deprivation. It is more powerful to share a state of being for the whole month in restraint than an hour of lighting out. It encourages solidarity and pro-social behaviour.
Money supply can be increased out of thin air, but the non-renewable resources once exhausted cannot be brought back. Remarkably, the importance of ecology is not learnt even after repeated unsuccessful expeditions in space to search life supporting environment. An illuminating, enlightening and informative book cannot be valued just by measuring the cost of pages, printing and binding.
In the Islamic framework, there is an emphasis on conservation, preservation and responsible use of resources. There is a discouragement for excessiveness, extravagance, lavishness and wastefulness in the use of resources. These norms are especially needed in the present times to foster a healthy, livable and sustainable ecosystem. In 2019 alone, humans have used up resources for the whole year within 7 months according to World Economic Forum.
Islamic Economics Project 