Religion and Climate Science
by Hafiz Jawad Sohail
Hi, I am Hafiz Jawad Sohail. I am 27 and from Pakistan. I am currently volunteering and advocating for Climate Change in particular, and for SDGs in general. I am a trained Climate Reality Leader and a member of YOUNGO (official youth constituency of UN Climate Change). I also worked on SDG 3 and 4 as part of the Global Schools Program of SDSN Youth and UNLEASH Innovation Lab. I have completed various trainings and certified programs, like the World Youth Alliance Certified Training Program and the Global Thinkers Forum’s Telemachus Mentoring Programme. But how it all started out is always fascinating for me whenever I think about it. I want to share my climate story with all of you.
I was convinced both scientifically and religiously. This is kind of weird but this is true. When I studied sedimentology as part of my geology course, I came to know about how sediments reach out to oceans starting from the high places of the world, like the Himalayas in our region. I studied how rivers erode rocks and produce sands and clays in their journey downstream in the mountains towards the seas. I was also fascinated by the fact that our region has rich soil and nutrients that created the best agricultural lands, caused by the same sediments and minerals that are washed down in our floodplains and deltas. I knew not only how the water cycle worked but also how the rock cycle works, and plate tectonics,, and natural resources and palaeontology and so on... These subjects were like studying and knowing Mother Nature very closely.
After I graduated from university, I decided to learn more about nature and therefore enrolled myself in some online courses from UNITAR and UNCC:eLearn. After taking some self-paced courses, I was touched by climate change science and how it was connected with my geoscience background. It was not difficult for me to understand this subject because it was very close to what I had already studied, and rather at once convinced me in advocating for the climate crisis that everyone is facing nowadays. The fact that the main contributors of GHG emissions and the population group that is severely bearing the damage caused by the climate crisis were not the same, took me by surprise. It was also the start of my learning about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Agenda 2030 of the UN. Since I have learnt a lot and I am still continuously developing my understanding and awareness about Climate Change and SDGs.
Now, you wonder where is religious conviction in this story, but here it is coming. I was always a spiritual kind of person who used to observe and learn the inward meanings of things as outwards. I always used to think about a verse of the Holy Quran until I got an answer through climate change science. The verse states as:
“Corruption has appeared in the land and sea, for that men’s own hands have earned, that they may taste a little of what they have done: in order so that they may (take heed) and return (to the right way).
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This verse has many implications and one of them is the climate crisis (global warming, pollution etc), which has spread all over the land and oceans due to the doings of mankind. We all are suffering and facing this crisis, and this verse also emphasizes combating this fatigue. Here, it is not difficult to understand the corruption on land spread by mankind throughout history, but what corruption appeared in the sea due to human hands was a subject of interest for me for many years until I came across climate change science. It is human hands that cause the danger to marine life and oceans due to plastic and chemical waste that is disposed of in the seas and threatens the life below water. The above chapter of the Quran is named after Ar-Rum (The Romans), which at the time of revelation represented the western world from where industrialization started, and this chapter also mentioned some events that were yet to occur in the course of history.
I know my climate story is very unique, but it is what it is. I believe in this cause, therefore I am committed to contributing willingly. We have put through hard times and suffocated our planet enough already. Now is the time for its care and maintenance. Sustainability is a big word to achieve and I don’t know if it’s going to be a work of one generation or many to come, considering the loss and damage caused in just one and half centuries alone. At least we should put all our hard work to make it green again and leave behind any selfish agendas that may harm our future.
About
Hafiz Jawad Sohail (born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1993) is a trained Climate Reality Leader and SDGs advocate. Hafiz is a highly motivated and self-driven professional with a background in geoscience and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Public Administration. Hafiz is actively involved with many global and local forums; volunteering for SDGs and social change. He is a member of YOUNGO (official youth constituency of UNFCCC), Advocate for Global Schools Program of SDSN Youth, Climate Reality Leader with The Climate Reality Project, Voting Member of CIVICUS, Certified Member of World Youth Alliance, Researcher with We Make Change and so on. Hafiz loves to work for the causes of human dignity, youth, peace and the environment. He believes that human dignity is the only parameter on basis of which we claim equality in this world, it is intrinsic, not granted and doesn’t depend on social and economic status. He is in pursuit of a role where his energies will make an impact on his surroundings. Hafiz aims to learn modern tools and skills to continue his struggle throughout his career.
