Islam and the Environment

The Centre organized its annual Ditchley Park Conference during the weekend of 17-19 October, 2008 on the theme of Islam and the Environment. The conference explored three main areas:

• the cultural context and social consequences of environmental change;
• Islamic teaching and environmental ethics;
• the impact of economy and technology on the environment.

During the conference it was noted that Islamic teaching provided the moral and religious foundations of a rigorous environmental ethic. Moreover, within many Muslim countries there was already a series of appropriate mechanisms at the disposal of states. However, attention needed to be given to greater enforcement of existing legislation. It was also suggested that it was necessary to monitor changing environmental challenges and adjust responses accordingly.

The challenges posed by globalization and the unequal distribution of resources were debated. Consideration was given to developing a new discourse on human and environmental development informed by Islamic principles.

Participants were drawn from a wide variety of professional and governmental backgrounds in Western and Muslim countries.