Islamic Relief once more calls on world leaders to ensure bold and urgent action following a pivotal UN climate conference, writes Jamie Williams, senior policy advisor for Islamic Relief.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has this week spoken out about the outcome of COP 25, commenting, “The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis. We must not give up and I will not give up.”
And we at Islamic Relief cannot and will not give up, either. Because millions of the people that we work with worldwide face the dire consequences of the climate crisis.
We will renew our efforts and commit to helping local communities to adapt to change and build their resilience to what is to come. We will support them meet their immediate needs for food security, water, sanitation and health. We will empower them to build resilient livelihoods and take up new opportunities to earn a living – focusing on long-term solutions which relieve poverty and marginalisation as well as the effects of global heating.
While we strengthen our efforts, we call upon all countries to commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, and to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
The next 12 months are crucial.
More ambitious national commitments, particularly from the main emitters, are essential to pave the way for immediate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions at a pace consistent with reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
Scientific evidence has shown that new models of cooperation are emerging. There is a growing momentum for change.
We are inspired by Islamic teachings on justice and stewardship, in which the moral imperative for Muslims is clear.
We have no right to abuse creation or impair it. Our faith commands us to treat all things with care, compassion (rahmah) and utmost good (ihsan). We should look to the notion of harmony and ‘natural state’ (fitra) in respecting balance (mizan) and proportion (mikdar) in the systems of the universe. These notions provide an ethical dimension and a mandate for all humans to respect nature and all forms of life.
In the words of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): ‘The world is sweet and verdant, and verily Allah has made you stewards in it, and He sees how you acquit yourselves’ (Hadith related by Muslim from Abū Sa‘īd Al-Khudri)
Islamic Relief is committed to protecting the environment and advocating on environmental concerns including climate change.