FAITH MATTERS: There is no planet B
On April 22, the earth day was celebrated not only in U.S. but also around the world being dedicated to protecting our environment and keeping our world healthy. Arbor Day was observed April 28. Today, April 29, is the day of the climate March in Washington, D.C., and around the country. More than 100,000 people from all parts of the country are expected to converge to express their concerns. Even a group from Evansville is going there by bus.
In late 1960s, I was a graduate student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. During a summer break, I ventured to drive up to New York with a friend for sightseeing. During the long drive, amazing and beautiful scenery was punctuated with cities in between. The remarkable St. Louis Arch was under construction.
The route from Ohio onward was lined with the rust belt cities. Passing through Pittsburgh, a hub of steel industry, there were smoke stacks spewing unbelievable environmentally hazardous industrial effluents without any consideration of human health of residents. We parked our car at a friend’s home in Jersey City to visit New York city for a couple of days using the subway system.
Upon return, I found my light green car was totally covered with black soot. All because of unchecked emission of pollutants. Those were the days of acid precipitation from the coal-fired power plants, unsafe water, lung disease from asbestos and coal mining and unregulated polluting industries.
Then the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969 occurred which spilled estimated 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean - the largest of spills at that time in American history. This incident changed the way how public and government viewed fossil fuels. Feeling the horror, dismay and outcry of the public then Senator Nelson proposed the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment." He persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican congressman, to serve as his co-chair. April 22, falling between Spring Break and final exams, was selected as the date.
So, on April 22,1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive rallies. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.
Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.
In 2017 under the new administration of President Trump EPA is under siege – the same agency which was established by conservative Republican President Richard Nixon. The safeguards against the pollution, water quality, and other health hazards are being questioned and being minimized or eliminated.
All religions teach the responsibility of human beings to take care of the earth as we are ordained by Almighty God to be her caretakers. Both Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasize protecting, valuing and preserving the environment as a central component of the faith. They remind us of the merciful God’s design for the creation and the responsibility given to us humans to keep our abode in good order.
According to a Quranic verse, “Do not spread corruption (or disruption) on earth after it has been so well ordered. And call onto him with fear and longing. God’s grace is ever near unto the doers of good (translation 7:56)." Another verse is a reminder, “But waste not by excess: for God loves not the wasters -- translation end of 6:141.” A saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “If the hour (the day of resurrection) is about to be established and one of you was holding a palm shoot, let him take the advantage of even one second to plant it” is such a powerful reminder.
The faith communities are active participants in expressing their concerns about the potential rollback of the environmental protections and increased exploitation of the non-renewable earth resources. They will continue to be a voice of reason since we know there is no planet B.
Saiyid M. Shah is a member of Islamic Center of Evansville.