Pictorial Guide to Ecological Imbalance

A sustainable and viable ecological balance is the key to the continuance of human society. Many of our planetary life support systems and ecosystem services are under attack and will cause increased ill health and poverty for billions of people with greater scope for conflict between communities and nations. Let us glance through ecology’s most…

Written by

ARSHAD SHAIKH

Published on

June 23, 2022

A sustainable and viable ecological balance is the key to the continuance of human society. Many of our planetary life support systems and ecosystem services are under attack and will cause increased ill health and poverty for billions of people with greater scope for conflict between communities and nations. Let us glance through ecology’s most challenged areas, scan the reasons and look at their possible solutions.

FOOD: An estimated 1 in 6 people suffer from hunger and malnutrition while attempts to grow food are damaging swathes of productive land. The corporate monopolization of the world’s food systems through unfair trade agreements, concentrated ownership of major food production, dominance through control and influence via the World Bank, IMF and the World Trade Organization has meant that poor countries are strongly encouraged to concentrate more on exporting cash crops to earn foreign exchange in order to pay of debts. This resulting reduction in biodiversity of crops and related ecosystems meant worsening environments and clearing more land with increasing fertilizer usage.

WATER: By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s people are likely to be living in areas of acute water stress. The UN recommends that people need a minimum of 50 litres of water a day for drinking, washing, cooking and sanitation. 1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 km, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.) Providing universal access to that basic minimum worldwide by 2015 would take less than 1% of the amount of water we use today. Corporations own or operate water systems across the globe bringing about $200 billion a year. Yet they serve only about 7 percent of the world’s population, leaving a potentially vast market untapped. Islam lays great emphasis on water conservation.

ENERGY: The International Energy Agency says the world will need almost 60% more energy in 2030 than in 2002. We depend on oil for 90% of our transport and to run our industries. In the last decade, US oil use has increased by almost 2.7 million barrels a day, more oil than India and Pakistan use daily altogether. Chinese oil consumption is at unprecedented levels. But burning fossil fuels is intensifying climate change and heating the Earth to dangerous levels. Deriving renewable energy from inexhaustible natural sources like the sun, wind and the seas is comparatively more expensive. Yet, cheap, available energy is essential for ending poverty and ending poverty is the key to easing the pressures on the planet. It’s one of the most challenging vicious circles the planet faces.

CLIMATE CHANGE: The main reason for climate change or global warming are greenhouse gases from human activities, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2).Before the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were about 270-280 parts per million (ppm).They now stand at almost 380ppm, and have been rising at about 1.5ppm annually.  In terms of historical emissions, industrialized countries account for roughly 80% of the carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere to date. Since 1950, the U.S. has emitted a cumulative total of roughly 50.7 billion tons of carbon, while China (4.6 times more populous) and India (3.5 times more populous) have emitted only 15.7 and 4.2 billion tons respectively (although their numbers will rise). Annually, more than 60 percent of global industrial carbon dioxide emissions originate in industrialized countries, where only about 20 percent of the world’s population resides. The US accounts for roughly 4 % of the world’s population; but accounts for approximately 23% of global emissions and 42% of industrialized country emissions.

BIODIVERSITY: Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small has an important role to play and that it is this combination that enables the ecosystem to possess the ability to prevent and recover from a variety of disasters. This is obviously useful for mankind as a larger number of species of plants means more variety of crops and a larger number of species of animals ensure that the ecosystem is naturally sustained. However rapid misuse of land and resources is making scientists think the Earth is now entering its sixth great extinction phase. In 2003 the World Conservation Union’s Red List said more than 12,000 species (out of 40,000 assessed) faced some extinction risk, including: one bird in eight, 13% of the world’s flowering plants, a quarter of all mammals.

POLLUTION:  Hazardous chemicals are now found in the bodies of all new-born babies, and an estimated one in four people worldwide are exposed to unhealthy concentrations of air pollutants. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 3 million people are killed worldwide by outdoor air pollution annually from vehicles and industrial emissions, and 1.6 million indoors through using solid fuel. Most are in poor countries. Contaminated land is a problem in industrialized countries, where former factories and power stations can leave waste like heavy metals in the soil. It can also occur in developing countries, sometimes used for dumping pesticides. Agriculture can pollute land with pesticides, nitrate-rich fertilizers and slurry from livestock. Diseases carried in water are responsible for 80% of illnesses and deaths in developing countries, killing a child every eight seconds. Each year 2.1 million people die from diarrhea related diseases associated with poor water.

GROW GREEN: Forests cover 30 per cent of the planet’s total land area. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and are vital carbon sinks. The loss of natural forests around the world contributes more to global emissions each year than the transport sector.  Curbing deforestation by planting trees is a highly cost-effective way to reduce emissions. Islam makes it incumbent on every Muslim to contribute his/her share in improving greenery. Muslims should be active in growing more trees for the benefit of all people. In one tradition the Prophet says: “If the Hour is about to take place while any one of you has a sapling in his hand, which he can cultivate before it takes place, let him cultivate it for he will be rewarded for it.”

SAVE WATER, SPREAD WATER: The Prophet (pbuh) urged moderation and thriftiness in the use of water during ablution. In another instance the Prophet said, “A man saw a dog eating mud from (the severity of) thirst. So, that man took a shoe (and filled it) with water and kept on pouring the water for the dog till it quenched its thirst. So Allah approved of his deed and made him to enter Paradise.” Water is a gift from Allah. Water should be freely available to all and any Muslim who withholds unneeded water sins against Allah: “No one can refuse surplus water without sinning against Allah and against man.” Hadith says that among the three people Allah will ignore on the Day of Resurrection there will be “the man who, having water in excess of his needs refused it to a traveler…”

LIVE and LET LIVE: Islam’s mercy is not restricted to human beings but is extended to animals and birds. Game hunting of birds or animals just for the pleasure of the sport and not for a real need is forbidden in Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) once saw a mother bird flying over the heads of a group of Muslims as if seeking for its little one which they had taken. Seeing this, the Prophet ordered them to return the little bird back to its mother. The Prophet warned us against cursing animals which we ride, and which carry our burdens. He, on the contrary, commands Muslims to treat them gently and with kindness.

All games and sports harmful to animals and birds are forbidden in Islam because of their cruelty. Thus, Islam establishes a relationship of true love and harmony between man and all creation.