Environmental damage cannot be solely blamed on external forces. Gada (2014) explains in his article on Environmental Ethics in Islam that there are scholars who blame the environmental problems in Muslim countries to the Muslims themselves.

Clear rift

Some say that there is a “clear rift” between the theory of Islamic environment and the actually practices that exist in the Muslim world. Policy makers in Muslim countries are separated from their religious and cultural roots, causing them to neglect the environment.

Exploitable resource

Others say that the earth is simply seen today, by Muslims and non-Muslims, as an exploitable resources, and that the modern world has become anti-environment. Since the whole world is focusing on economic growth and material gain, Islamic countries follow along.

What can be done?

Manzoor, a noted critic believes that environmental ethics in Islam and the commands in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet need to take manifest themselves through legislations in pollution, conservation, and urbanisation. Another thinker, Nasr, says that the Muslim world needs to be educated on what Islam says about the environment first, and then apply them whenever necessary to promote the ethical treatment of the natural environment.

Conclusion:

All religions talk about protecting the environment. But for a lot of the followers of these religions, they are not aware of this. The consumerist lifestyle is deeply embedded in all our lives that it’s hard to shift our mindsets. Hard, but not impossible. As everyone around the world begins waking up to the problem of climate change, they start to look for answers and solutions, and they will find them in their religions and their personal spiritual philosophies, what every they may be. Hopefully, the shift towards more proenvironmental mindsets will happen sooner rather than later, and people will start to want to connect with nature again and be appreciative of all it has done for the survival of humankind.