Almost two billion people are affiliated with Islam, and if properly mobilized they could transform humanity’s response to climate change. A core idea for all Muslims is zakat, an obligatory charitable tax that yields roughly $1 trillion annually.
Reversing climate change requires trillions of dollars. Unfortunately, the numbers discussed at Glasgow are far below what’s needed.
But there is one source of relatively untapped funding capable of transforming climate funding.
The UN says 80 per cent of people identify religiously. Almost two billion are affiliated with Islam, and if properly mobilized they could transform humanity’s response to climate change.
Making this a reality would require only a small shift to yield a colossal return.
A core idea for all Muslims is zakat, an obligatory charitable tax whereby 2.5 per cent of one’s annual wealth is given to the less fortunate. Zakat yields roughly $1 trillion annually — enough to help the UN meet its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Or more than fifty times the $19 billion COP26 committed to tackling deforestation. Redirecting even a significant percentage of zakat could have a game-changing impact on global climate action.
Currently, most zakat alleviates poverty in very direct ways in the form of short-term humanitarian assistance. That, of course, is important. But it fails to mobilize much of zakat towards longer-term challenges. Zakat must fulfil its wider goals of addressing inequality — a core criteria of zakat distribution. And climate change will undoubtedly be the world’s biggest driver of inequality in years to come.
The Middle East, after all, is already warming at a rate double that of the rest of the world, with much of it at risk of becoming uninhabitable.
Such extreme circumstances require zakat to be applied in the holistic way it was originally intended, by pre-empting crises rather than just tending to the survivors of disaster.
There are religious precedents for doing so. After all, addressing unequal opportunities and eradicating drivers of future poverty are what justifies zakat being used for educational programs.
So why are the same principles not used to catalyze zakat into becoming one of the leading climate financing institutions?
The answer lies in climate education and understanding — or the lack thereof.
Many Islamic leaders still fail to grasp the do-or-die urgency climate action demands. Yes, they may understand that environmental preservation aligns with faith values. But do they understand the urgency with which those actions must be taken? That realization would illuminate the undeniable connection between climate action and poverty alleviation.
Addressing this deficit requires a profound and wide-ranging meeting of the minds between the world of science and religion.
This might be easier said than done, but efforts are afoot. The organization I lead, the Muslim World League, is activating its network of 1,200 senior Islamic scholars across 139 countries for such a dialogue.
To make this a reality, we invite climate experts from around the world — not least from North America — to participate.
Religion may have traditionally been viewed as the antithesis of science. But by embracing the true spirit of religious charity and engaging scientific minds for the sake of humanity, religion might just revolutionize climate financing, and save our planet.
Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa is Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), the world’s biggest Islamic NGO. MWL was represented at the pre-COP26 Vatican meeting of religious leaders convened by Pope Francis.
This piece was originally published in The Toronto Star on November 17, 2021.