ABSTRACT
The geographic and cultural diversity of today's nearly two billion Muslims motivates a wide variety of religious thought on matters large and small. One of the rare contemporary social issues on which there is virtual consensus, however, is a believer's duty to care for the environment. After reviewing the religious basis for this claim, this chapter examines how this obligation translates to behavior at the macro- and meso-level, as well as attitudes at the micro-level. Specifically, the study first outlines the actions of political leaders in Muslim-majority countries, with an emphasis on the Middle East and North Africa given the region's outsized role in the production of fossil fuels and comparatively more acute risk for myriad crises tied to climate change. Thereafter, it highlights the efforts of non-governmental organizations that are advocating for sustainable environmental policies specifically within an Islamic framework. Last, to examine the attitudes of the average Muslim, the chapter features an analysis of survey results from the Arab Barometer's fifth wave. The data reveal that although clear majorities across nearly all the countries surveyed believe that climate change is a “somewhat serious” or “very serious” problem, a troublingly high proportion respond that it is either “not a very serious problem” or “not at all a problem.” What's more, public opinion on this issue does not appear to be driven by religiosity (with notable methodological caveats). The chapter concludes with key takeaways from this broad overview of how (and whether) Islamic doctrine informs Muslims’ actions and opinions on climate change.
