Nawar Fakhry Ezzi

As pollution reaches dangerous levels affecting the air, oceans and people’s health, many countries are taking measures to prevent it or at least to reduce it. The United Nations established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an entity that includes scientists, economists and other experts, to study the effect of pollution on our planet and how to reduce it. On April 13, they met in Berlin to discuss climate change and how it can be reversed. They found that in order to start reversing the damage of pollution, governments as well as individuals must work together in order to reduce greenhouse emissions which cause global warming and lead to the occurrence of natural disasters.



According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as a report by the United Nations, Riyadh is one of the most polluted cities in the world. According to the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) in Saudi Arabia, industrial areas and fuel combustion as a result of heavy car traffic in big cities are the major causes of air pollution. This problem is increased by the lack of effective and efficient public transportation systems and the virtual absence of carpooling in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is not doing much better than Riyadh because pollution has deprived the Red Sea of as much as 70 percent of its fish population. Illegal fishing has also contributed to the near extinction of the beautiful coral reefs which made our sea red in the first place.



As most of the world collaborates to find methods to reduce pollution, some still presume that the imbalance in the environment and climate change occur as a result of God’s punishment for people’s sins and that the solution, therefore, would be to return to the "right path". As insensitive and offensive as this idea may be, especially when it is applied to "other" people, the proposed solution is just as problematic. One of the many problems with this reasoning is that it is difficult to define the "right path" within the same religion, not to mention attempting to do so across different religious traditions throughout the world. Another obvious problem is that "God helps those who help themselves" and without a global strategy to save the planet, unfortunately, prayer is not going to be enough.



Every action has a consequence and humans were given free will to choose their actions after God created good and evil. God says in the Holy Qur'an: “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” (42:30). Thus, one could say that suffering from natural disasters could be the result of the sins of consumerism and greed committed against the environment by eliminating rainforests and dumping toxic waste in the ocean. Although it is true that nurturing our spirituality and leading a moral life would contribute to a better world, God has asked us to use reason and give regard to worldly causes while trusting Him and accepting our fate.



Consequently, a different meaning could emerge from the following verse: “And when We decree that a habitation should be destroyed, We give Commands to its well-to-do people and they show disobedience; then that habitation incurs just torment and We totally exterminate it” (17:16). God has created everything in this world and He has mercy on us more than a mother has for her own child as the Prophet (peace be upon him) told us, but God made us accountable for our own actions. Here, free will is evident, as God’s decree would follow rather than precede people’s choice of transgression. If we assume that it precedes it, as some people do, then there is no meaning in giving them a choice and the world would have been driven by a haphazard force while God is impeccable and much greater than that. Also, "well-to-do" people have always been associated with rulers, but it could also apply to large industries that debilitate the environment by depleting its resources and slaughtering animals senselessly for financial gain.



On the other hand, religious teachings can be an important factor in protecting the environment when they are used appropriately. For example, one of the goals of King Abdullah’s initiative of interfaith dialogue in 2008  in Makkah was to protect the environment and reduce pollution by following our different religious teachings, which command us to preserve the environment and not to be wasteful. An analogous effort was made in 2009 when religious leaders from different religious traditions met in Canterbury at Lambeth Palace to discuss methods to protect the environment by following our different religious teachings.



Despite the Saudi government’s efforts to decrease pollution and increase public awareness regarding the environment, this is going to be a very difficult and long journey. This is the case because we have to start from the very basics, which means keeping our cities clean and getting people to throw their rubbish in the  bins available on every street corner. It seems like an impossible mission to get those people who suffer from complete apathy and lack of concern about our homeland, to care about the whole planet. Nonetheless, there is still hope and we find environmentalists, organizations, and individuals who are trying to make a difference in Saudi Arabia, including Naqa’a Enterprise, Al-Nabta, Mawakeb Al-Ajr and Faseelah. Some of their efforts include arranging for volunteers to clean beaches, distributing recycling bins to schools and hospitals, and giving lectures about the importance of protecting the environment.



This is not a call for living without energy or power, but rather a call for moderation and making efforts to reduce pollution. Even a few caring people could make a difference and could hopefully protect the land and seas of our beloved country and the whole world, which God has blessed us with.



— The writer can be reached at [email protected]