We must move beyond painfully slow negotiations on climate change and use faith as an inspiration to make immediate changes
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The release of the landmark encyclical by Pope Francis last month highlighted an issue that until now many faith leaders have largely been silent about – that of climate change. This year in particular has seen a specific movement around climate issues, as <a href="http://www.the-platform.org.uk/2015/04/12/the-climate-crisis-a-civilisational-wake-up-call/">world leaders are expected to meet in Paris</a> in December to commit to a deal to address dangerously rising temperatures.
Negotiations have already started taking place, including in the recent UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany, which I had the good fortune of attending on behalf of MADE, along with the UK Youth Climate Coalition. What struck me the most in my visit, however, was the sheer slowness of the negotiations. Meanwhile, speaking to experts and activists, they commented on how delighted they were that, “these are the fastest negotiations I’ve seen in 26 years!” This, of course, raises questions about the bureaucracy of such conferences and whether political discourse can keep up with the rate of damage to the planet.
What’s more, it was striking to see the lack of diversity and representation of UK delegates attending the Bonn conference, particularly Muslim representation – in fact there was just myself and one other. This, in turn, made me question: Why are Muslims and people of other faiths not more involved in these crucial discussions?
In his speech, Pope Francis quoted one of his predecessors, Pope Benedict, who stated: “….creation is harmed ‘where we ourselves have the final word, where everything is simply our property and we use it for ourselves alone. The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognise any higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves.’”
This statement should undoubtedly resonate with the Muslim community well, as God (glory and praise be to Him) has told us numerous times about our responsibility as stewards of the earth – to maintain and look after it, not to exploit it. God reveals in the Qur’an (30:41): “Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].”
Islam puts forward a clear moral and religious obligation towards the natural environment demonstrating that it is part and parcel of who we are. Yet the majority of Muslims, as with other communities, have readily bought into the consumerist, capitalist culture which is so heavily contributing to climate change. The constant need to have the latest item, the overconsumption of resources, and the wastage of food and energy has led to a whole host of environmental problems.
Consider how the main sources of our energy – coal, oil and gas – are extracted.  A site needs to be located for extraction, most likely a natural site on land or sea that has not been touched before. The extractions not only cause problems for local residents and habitats, but massive trucks and heavy machinery cause severe land stress. If drilling occurs at sea, there is likely to be an oil disaster. Oil spills have occurred on many occasions leading to huge environmental damage, killing thousands of land and water animals, and affecting communities for decades to come.
Large amounts of CO2 are being churned out as fossil fuels are burnt, adding to the greenhouse gases warming up our atmosphere. We have already seen a temperature rise of 0.80C which has caused more frequent and intense natural disasters than at <a href="http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/cliihis100.html">any other time before</a>, such as droughts in Africa, landslides in China, flooding in Bangladesh, and just last month, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/world/asia/karachi-pakistan-heat-wave-deaths.html?_r=0">heatwaves in Pakistan</a> killing over 1,000 and leaving approximately 14,000 people hospitalised and treated. Imagine, then, what a devastating impact an increase of 80, 40 (as most are predicting), or even just 20, will have on our people and our planet?
A recently published, groundbreaking <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/commissions/climate-change-2015">Lancet Report</a> stressed the severity of climate change on human health and how it will lead to countless deaths. This is particularly the case in countries of the Global South, where the poorest will be the most hard hit, despite contributing the least to climate change in the first place.
All faith traditions emphasise, in some way, our duty towards the environment. While politicians and economists debate political and economic standpoints, we simply do not have time to wait. As Pope Francis’s encyclical explained, it is up to us as people of faith, to make the moral argument that, regardless of politics or economics, we have a responsibility and a duty towards each other, towards our Creator and towards future generations to take action on climate change now.
Last month, <a href="http://www.madeineurope.org.uk">MADE</a>, along with its partners at the newly formed <a href="http://www.muslimclimateaction.org.uk/">Muslim Climate Action</a>, attended the Speak Up Lobby, where <a href="http://www.muslimclimateaction.org.uk/muslims-speak-up-take-action-on-climate-change-now/">thousands of people</a> lobbied their MPs around climate change in the first Prime Minister’s Question Time since the election in May.
We are at a crucial point now where the effects of climate change can still be recoverable – but only if we all become active and engaged. If all individuals make a conscious decision to change their daily life, the shift could be huge. Regardless of the consequences, as people of faith, we must believe that God will hold us each to account for what we have personally done and we must battle, if only for the sake of our souls.
<pre>Photo Credits: Taskima Ferdous</pre>

How Faith Must Battle Climate Change

A ‘Date With Ed’ proves to be an inspiring lesson in political participation for a young British Muslim woman 
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Two weeks ago a female Labour councillor came down to speak to local Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women in Oldham. She came to discuss the importance of participation at all levels, whether by going out to vote or becoming a candidate. She even gave me an earful as I still hadn’t joined the <a href="http://www.labour.org.uk/">Labour Party</a> and yet was content to complain that politics was dominated by males and not representative of females at all. By the end of the session I had grudgingly promised her and the other ladies who attended that the first thing I would do the next day is join the party (which kept them happy!) and become more actively involved to get women and young people’s voices heard. 
Soon after, I received a text message inviting me to an exclusive invitation-only event in London, entitled ‘A Date With Ed’, to meet and partake in a question and answer session with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/edmiliband">Ed Miliband</a> and <a href="http://www.sadiqkhan.co.uk/">Sadiq Khan</a> on January 17th. I immediately pounced on the offer, thankful to God for this fantastic opportunity; it seemed my promise to the ladies would be fulfilled! 
On the day I met a crowd of Mancunians and a lady from Bradford also joining for the trip. Piling into the minibus, it was an exciting feeling to be representing northerners at the event. A four hour journey later, with a pit stop in Birmingham (where I prayed behind a KFC sign and best guessed the direction of the Qiblah1, only to be told by a Muslim employee that the door behind me led to a multi-purpose prayer room with ablution facilities), we finally arrived at the venue. Registration went smoothly and as I entered the hall I realised I should have entered the hall a lot earlier rather than milling around; the event had started and was jam packed with people. 
I was astounded and overwhelmed. As someone who had been thinking about getting involved with the Labour Party since the age of 16, this was (not that I’ve ever been) like being in Disney Land! There were over 20 Labour MP’s and hundreds of people who were in important community and leadership positions with the ability to shape and influence crucial decisions yet to be made. I didn’t know where to begin networking but thankfully I had the good sense the night before to quickly print off my details on paper and laminate them as business cards – far from a professional quality, but it did the job! 
The night started off with a speech by Usman Ali, the first ever Muslim Vice President of the National Union of Students (and a northerner, may I add), who kicked off the night. It was heart warming to hear about his own personal journey, how he got involved and the support he received from his local community, inspiring a new generation to become active. 
The evening progressed brilliantly with young people, men, women and elders from the Muslim community all given the opportunity to ask questions to the Labour Leader. The audience experienced first-hand the leader of the opposition party answering some tough, challenging questions but giving some fantastic answers, even showing his sense of humour by joking that Jeremy Paxman would be out of a job soon. Addressing the audience was significant as it indicated that Ed Miliband was serious about engaging with Muslims for the long term, stating he “didn’t want to wait another 43 years to come back to the Islamic Cultural Centre”. 
I had also heard a great deal about Sadiq Khan from colleagues and friends in Manchester, and needless to say I was not disappointed when he gave his speech. Hearing the many good opinions Labour supporters and majority of the Muslims had of him was also great. As one aunty quite rightly said, “it’s people like Sadiq Khan who truly represent the Muslim community and make us very proud.” No doubt we need more young Muslim men and women like him, and this can only be done through wider engagement. 
Following the question and answer session, a private meeting was held while dinner was being served. This too I was fortunate enough to attend (although I missed out on the fragrant food). As luck would have it, I ended up sitting opposite the representative of the Muslim Women’s Association and CEO of Islam Channel, Muhammad Ali. With the latter I enjoyed a good banter over his refusal to believe I was of Bengali origin, while we waited for the guests of honour to arrive. 
Although I was enjoying myself, I did also feel out of place and significantly inexperienced compared to those around me. Ending up only a seat away from Ed Miliband didn’t help either; all I could think of was to take a picture with him to show off to my family, friends and the ladies from the BAME session. However despite my insecurities, I was comforted by the words of Keith Vaz and Margaret Beckett from earlier on who both advised me to keep going and to be involved no matter what the barriers faced. These words further reinforced what the councillor had said to me the week before. 
It was also truly inspiring to see the number of women councillors, MPs and leaders sitting on equal terms with their male counterparts at the meeting, being respected for their talents and contributions and not hampered by anything else. 
The event truly motivated me to keep continuing on in the world of politics in order to help benefit the women and young people from BAME backgrounds. It inspired me to encourage them to aspire to become campaigners, councillors, MPs and MEPs without losing their roots and being proud of their faith and culture. Perhaps by striving to do so and encouraging others, we may in the not too distant future witness the first ever Muslim Labour Woman MP to wear the Islamic headscarf (hijab) in Parliament, standing as a true role model for all women across all communities in the UK. 
1Qiblah – the directions which Muslims pray towards 
Image from: www.guardian.co.uk

Ruji Surjan