Each year, on the 5th of June, the Earth has been celebrating World Environment Day since 1972. It represents a yearly opportunity to reflect on the world, on how we interact with everything around us and the impact of our activities on the planet, and most importantly to act. This day is the biggest environmental day and event hosted by a different country each year.
For years, human activities, industries, and technologies have been developing and have been used in a way that caused substantial damage to the environment. In fact, the air pollution, the loss of biodiversity, the extinction of many species, and above all the climate emergency we are facing today are the result of human greed and an unsustainable lifestyle. Our Earth provides us with amazing resources that we have been uncontrollably and simultaneously consuming and wasting. Islamic values call to adopt responsible consumption and development practices to make a just transition to a sustainable society. What if these resources are being properly managed towards sustainable and eco-friendly solutions?
The damage is grave but not irreversible!
Our only hope is to start changing our way of life, our economies, and our policies. Let us adopt a holistic spiritual approach to the world. We deserve better, and the Earth certainly deserves better. If we, as humanity, keep walking on the road we are currently taking we will end up losing our common home. Let us put a stop to the atrocities we are committing on a daily basis toward this beautiful world embracing us, we are running out of time. Change needs to start now!
On this World Environment Day 2022, let’s celebrate by committing to take individual and collective actions that protect the #OnlyOneEarth we have. Let’s celebrate by joining the millions of people and entities around the world who are working to preserve the Earth and find greener approaches. Hand in hand, we can push towards adopting better policies. Today we celebrate nature, harmony, responsibility, sustainability, prosperity, and life. Let us keep these words in our minds when we are thinking about ways to make a change, they will guide us.
Our Ummah, with all its capacities and creativity, can be an instrumental actor in implementing environmental initiatives. We are the change-makers, we are part of this world and together we can work in solidarity with our fellow humans to celebrate the environment not just today but each and every day!