Islam and Sustainable Development

New Worldviews

Odeh Rashed Al-Jayyousi

• Publisher: Gower
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781317112501
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

In Islam and Sustainable Development, Odeh Al-Jayyousi addresses the social, human and economic dimensions of sustainability from an Islamic perspective. Islam is sometimes viewed as a challenge, threat and risk to the West, but here we are reminded that the celebration of cultural diversity is a key component in Islamic values. Promoting common understanding between East and West, this American-educated, Middle Eastern-based author offers something broader and deeper than conventional Western ways of thinking about sustainability and presents new insights inspired by Islamic worldviews. Drawing on his roles as both academic researcher and senior development practitioner, Professor Al-Jayyousi applies his deep understanding of Islamic values to contemporary environmental, financial and social conflicts and crises and defines a framework for sustainability embracing local, regional and global perspectives. He also addresses how education might produce innovation, knowledge creation and development to support a new paradigm for sustainability that re-defines what constitutes good life, beyond consumerism and the production of waste. This book will interest policy makers, development and donor communities, funding agencies and banks in the Islamic World and beyond, as well as those with a professional interest in planning and in environmental and conservation issues. Scholars of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies and more broadly, those with an academic interest in cultural and religious studies, will find that this book in Gower's Transformation and Innovation Series is perhaps the most substantial work yet on sustainable development from an Islamic perspective.

1
Sustainable Development Revisited

The carbon cycle and Islam are both vital for life, however, both carbon and Islam are perceived as global threats to humanity and sustainability in the twenty-first century. Both concepts need to be de-constructed and re-constructed.

(The Author)

Overview

This chapter is intended to present some basic definitions and approaches of sustainability. Also, it aims to critique the current economic model which failed people, nature and economy. The argument is that the current market economy is not telling us the ecological truth and that GNP is not the right metrics to measure the heath and wealth of nations. The chapter describes the pitfalls and shortcomings of the prevailing economic model that is based on growth and overconsumption and that is characterised by huge gap between the rich and the poor, overconsumption, pollution and climate risks.

The chapter sets the scene for the need for a new model that promotes prosperity without overconsumption and pollution. It is about living lightly on earth (zuhd). This chapter also introduces key Islamic concepts to set the scene for Chapter 2 which outlines the framework of a new model for sustainable development informed by Islamic local knowledge, spirituality and culture.

Objectives

The main objectives of this chapter are outlined below:

1. Review the evolutions and terminology of sustainable development.

2. Critique the current market-based economic model.

3. Discuss the foundations of sustainable development.

4. Assess the adequacy and reasonableness of the conventional model of sustainable development.

5. Introduce the basic concepts of sustainability from an Islamic perspective.

Sustainable Development – Revisited

I started this chapter on 25 September 2010 in Bahrain where I was listening to the UN General Assembly on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the level of meeting the targets. Watching BBC and Al-Jazeera International revealed interesting facts. One BBC commentator was stating that the UN building was so majestic but the actions and results of 192 nations did not meet expectations. Questionable fund effectiveness, lack of incentives for private sector and a limited role for civil society and poor governance are key issues that limit the effective attainment of MDGs targets. There is a lot of concern and scepticism that 2015 will come and still the world will be lagging behind meeting many targets for the MDGs.

The Evolution of the Concept of Sustainable Development

The concept and challenges of sustainability were addressed in many studies like the World Conservation Strategy published by IUCN, WWF and UNEP in 1980, and its successor Caring for the Earth in 1991, and in the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987. It was discussed at United Nations conferences in Stockholm in 1972, Rio in 1992 and Johannesburg in 2002 (Adams, 2009).

The key question is ‘Are we moving towards a sustainable future considering the poverty trap, human dignity deficit, HIV and ecological degradation?’ Are we having the right balance between all capitals (natural, social, human, manufactured and financial)? The current global trade suggests that we are outsourcing China to feed and provide goods to billions of people worldwide. The global governance is dysfunctional as was evident in Copenhagen climate talks in 2009. We are using the natural capital of China through the use of virtual energy, water and food, and the question is how much time does it take to maintain the status quo?

Detailed analysis of the ecological, economic and social vital statistics reveals that the current economic development model is failing people, nature and the economy. There are ecological and land-use amnesia and blind spots in the current economic model, a reason it fails to tell us ecological truth.

Specifically, the term ‘sustainable development’ was used in 1987 by the Brundtland Commission and has become a widely used notion in many disciplines like, transport, water, housing and tourism. The term meant the ability to ‘meet the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

In the 1970s, the term sustainability was used to describe an economy in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems. The three key components of sustainable development include environmental, economic and social dimensions as depicted in Figure 1.1. However, other models viewed the environment (natural capital) as the overall foundation of life-support systems that underpin our social capital and financial capital as shown in Figure 1.2.

The following is a review of the basic definitions of sustainable development. Sustainability means different things to different people yet it appears to unite them under a shared target. The purpose of this review is to help identify gaps in these definitions so as to help formulate a new model for sustainability. The concept of sustainable development will be explored below after which key elements of the definitions will be discussed based on the work of Rijsberman (2000):

1. The Brundtland Commission defines sustainable development as ‘a development that fulfills the needs of the present generation, without compromising the ability of the future generations to fulfill their need’ (WCED, 1987, p. 43). An important element in this definition is the fulfilment of the needs of the present generation on the one hand and of the needs of future generations on the other.

Figure 1.1 Scheme of sustainable development (IUCN, 2006)

Figure 1.2 A representation of sustainability showing how both economy and society are constrained by environmental limits

2. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines the term as: ‘Sustainable development means improving the quality of life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems’ (World Conservation Union et al., 1991). This definition is broader than the one of the Brundtland Commission. It is evident that this definition includes important elements like the improvement of the quality of life and the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. The ‘improvement of the quality of life’ in this definition seems more ambitious than the ‘fulfillment of needs’ in the Brundtland definition. Improving of the quality of life’ can be interpreted as equal to fulfilling needs to a higher degree: the quality of life can be thought of as the amount in which people’s needs are fulfilled.

3. According to Mostert (1998), sustainability implies that the supply of ‘natural capital’ is maintained’. He stated that the sustainable development should meet the following conditions:

• the use of renewable sources – such as water – should not exceed the rate of renewal;

• the use of non-renewable resources – such as fossil fuels – should be such that they will not be exhausted before alternative sources are available;

• fundamental ecological processes and structures should be maintained.

This definition addresses the carrying capacity of supporting systems and the maintenance of the integrity of the system which is referred to as the prevention of system degradation.

Based on the above definitions, we can frame and construct four approaches to sustainable development based on people, environment, norms and values as depicted in Figure 1.3. The combinations and relationships between the four components (people/environment/norms/values) form four approaches for understanding sustainable development. These are as follows:

a) Carrying capacity approach which is based on being aware of the carrying capacity of environment which is referred to in Islam as balance (Mizan).

b) Ratio approach which is based on an evaluation of a present situation under certain criteria and objectives including physical and human factors which is referred to from an Islamic perspective as beauty (Ihsan).

c) Socio-approach which takes into account people’s interests and opinions in policy formulation and decision-making which is referred to as Arham which refers to the human social capital and connectivity.

d) Eco-approach which focuses on the intrinsic value of nature and the ecosystem services which is referred to as Tasbeeh since all species are in a state of prayers (Tasbeeh).

Figure 1.3 outlines key sustainability concepts and the corresponding Islamic concepts associated in the four approaches to sustainable development.

Figure 1.3 Terms associated to the various aspects and approaches of sustainability: Rijsberman (2000) and Al Jayyousi (2008)

It should be mentioned that we need to look at sustainability as a process, not as a project or a product since in the real world we deal with complex problems that need multiple solutions and perspectives and that is why the various approaches and notions of sustainability (Tayyebah) may offer multiples views and solutions to the same problem.

The key concepts associated with sustainable development from an Islamic perspective as depicted in Figure 1.4 include:

1. Wisdom (hikma): this represents the purposeful pursuit of acquiring and embodying wisdom from all nations. This cross-fertilisation of knowledge is a critical element in transforming societies to value-based eco-communities that embrace sustainability as a way of life.

2. Justice (adl): this implies the good governance in its broad sense which is the core of a sustainable rule that is based on rights.

3. Public interest (maslaha): this notion refers to a consensus reached by a community on what constitutes ‘good’ for all. This represents a ruling and a principle for defining collective goods.

4. Innovation (ijtihad): this refers to applying diligence and intellectual capital to solve current and emerging problems. It is also about reinventing new tools and methods to make a transition to sustainable development.

Figure 1.4 Key Islamic terms related to sustainability

Moreover, the combination of each pair of the above concepts yields a set of notions that inform sustainability. Specifically, beauty (ihsan) is the trade-off between innovation (ijtihad) and wisdom (hikma). The other concepts Tasbeeh, Mizan and Arham, are the trade-offs resulting from (wisdom-justice), (justice-public interest) and (public interest-innovation) respectively as illustrated in Figure 1.4. These concepts will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.

Sustainability Principles: Lessons from Ecology and Thermodynamics

In the 1960s and 1970s, the planet was viewed as ‘Spaceship Earth’, as articulated by Kenneth Boulding and Barbara Ward (Ward, 1966). The challenge we had is that population growth follows geometric series while natural resources follow a mathematical series.

The imagined clash between development and conservation of nature was reconciled by the term ‘sustainable development’ but this concept meant many things and the concept lacks quantified indicators and metrics. However, the key notion of taking attention of both intra-generational equity (between rich and poor now) and intergenerational equity (between present and future generations) is the cornerstone for a sustainable future.

As argued by Adams (2008), faith in ‘business as usual’ to deliver the changes needed owes more to the hopes of those with wealth and power than to a coherent analysis of the state of the environment or the needs of the global poor. We face the risks of tipping points and irreversible changes in the environment and in its capacity to support and sustain human life in all its dimensions. This state of imbalance and pollution is referred to as ‘fasad’ in Islam which is attributed to human-made actions.

Mainstream sustainable development, according to Adams (2008), encompasses a series of ideas such as ecological modernisation and market environmentalism that promise to steer the world towards sustainability in ways that do not demand too many dramatic changes, and that do not upset the comfortable, the rich or the powerful.

Transforming society and the world’s economy to a sustainable basis presents the most significant challenge to the twenty-first century. This challenge is unprecedented in scope. Its context is the planet as a whole. It requires a fundamental shift in consciousness as well as in action. It calls for a fresh vision, a new approach for shaping a new reality. The following principles are based on the work of Ben-Eli (2005).

THE FIRST PRINCIPLE: NATURAL STATE (FITRA) PRINCIPLE

Contain entropy and ensure that the flow of resources, through and within the economy, is as nearly non-declining (mizan) as is permitted by physical laws.

This principle implies a number of policy and operational implications which include (a) striving for highest resource productivity, (b) amplifying performance with each cycle of use, (c) employing ‘income’ rather than ‘capital’ sources where applicable and continuously recycling non-regenerative resources, (d) affecting an unbroken, closed-loop flow of matter and energy in a planetary productive infrastructure, (e) controlling leakages and avoiding stagnation, misplaced concentrations or random diffusion of chemical elements during cycles of use, and (f) establishing a service, ‘performance leasing’ orientation for managing durable goods.

THE SECOND PRINCIPLE: ACCOUNT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (MIZAN) PRINCIPLE

Adopt an appropriate accounting system, fully aligned with the planet’s ecological processes and reflecting true, comprehensive biospheric pricing to guide the economy.

This principle implies a set of policy options such as (a) employing a comprehensive concept of wealth related to the simultaneous enhancement of five key forms of capital (natural, human, social, manufactured and financial), (b) aligning the world’s economy with nature’s regeneration capacity and incorporate critical ‘externalities’ in all cost and benefit accounts, (c) embodying a measure of well-being and human development in economic calculations, (d) designing regulation and taxation policies to accentuate desirable and eliminating adverse outcomes, optimising the whole.

THE THIRD PRINCIPLE: RESPECT ALL COMMUNITIES OF LIFE (UMAM) PRINCIPLE

Ensure that the essential diversity of all forms of life in the Biosphere is maintained.

A set of policy and operational implications can be devised which (a) harvest species only to regeneration capacity, (b) assume a responsible stewardship for our planet’s web of biological diversity, (c) shape land-use patterns to reduce human encroachment on other forms of life and enhance biological diversity in areas of human habitat, and (4) conserve the variety of existing gene pool.

THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE: PROMOTE THE ROLE OF A TRUSTEE (UMMAH WASSAT) GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Maximise degrees of freedom and potential self-realisation of all humans without any individual or group, adversely affecting others.

Based on the above principle a set of policy and operational implications can be identified. These include (a) fostering tolerance as a cornerstone of social interactions, (b) enshr...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword by His Royal Highness El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan
• Introduction Reflections and Personal Journey: In Search of Insight
• 1 Sustainable Development Revisited
• 2 A Framework for Sustainable Development: Islamic Worldviews
• 3 Good Governance and Justice (Adl)
• 4 Beauty (Ihsan) and Sustainable Development
• 5 Social Capital in Islam (Arham)
• 6 Pollution, Corruption (Fasad) and Climate Change: Islamic Perspectives
• 7 Education for Sustainable Development
• Epilogue
• Index