Review of "Muslim Green Guide to Reducing Climate Change"

“Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their actions so that they may turn back.”
(Qur’an 30:41)

A Muslim Environmental group has joined forces with anther two charities to publish a green guide which gives Muslims practical advice on how to reduce climate change.
The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES), founded in the mid-80s, states that since Muslims comprise one fifth of the world’s population, any positive change in attitudes towards the environment could have dramatic results.

The Green Guide is a basic introduction which explains what causes climate change and utilizes Islamic references to explain why Muslims need to do their bit for the environment. For example it states that ‘Islam teaches Muslims to respect Allah’s creation and maintain the balance He created’ and so they must reduce their consumption of fossil fuels. The booklet is split into four sections which tackle issues of waste, transport, household consumption and the final section which gives some useful information and a ‘How green is my family?’ checklist.

Each topic such as air travel or electricity use is explained clearly and an action list is suggested as ways to tackle the issue. Nothing ground-breaking just simple and practical advice which everyone can do. The guide works really well as an introductory booklet for Muslim families who may have not really understood the issues behind climate change and want practical advice on what they can do. It’s a good balance between Islamic references which support the need for change and facts/figures (e.g. the majority of car journeys in the UK average only 2 miles).

However, for Muslims who are quite aware of environmental issues, it may be too basic and not really offer anything substantively new. It would also be good to have the booklet available in a couple of languages so that it could be an effective resource to a wider community.

http://www.ifees.org.uk