Annually we mark Earth Day on 22 April and World Environment Day on 5 June. These days are reminders of the crucial need to preserve order and balance in the nature.
More than 100 years ago Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, wrote: “Nature in its essence is the embodiment of (God’s) Name, the Maker, the Creator … Nature is God’s Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world.” Nature is to be respected and protected as part of a divine trust for which humanity is answerable.
Solutions to the world’s serious environmental problems must go beyond technical proposals and address the underlying causes of such problems. Genuine solutions, in the Bahá’í view, will require a globally accepted vision for the future, based on unity and willing cooperation among the nations, races, creeds, and classes of the human family. Furthermore, commitment to a higher moral standard and the development of consultative skills for the effective functioning of groups at all levels of society will be essential.
The Bahá’í International Community states that: “A more balanced attitude toward the environment must therefore address human conditions as consciously as it does natural ones. It must be embodied in social norms and patterns of action characterized by justice and equity. On this foundation can be built an evolving vision of our common future together” and that, “Identifying the spiritual principles at the root of ecological challenges can also be key in formulating effective action. Principles– that humanity constitutes but a single people, for example, or that justice demands universal participation in the work of sustainable development – reflect the rich complexity of human nature”.
There is also need to direct resources away from those activities that are damaging to both the social and natural environment, and instead efforts be made towards the creation of systems that foster cooperation and mutualism. There will also be need to observe the principles of economic justice, equality between the races, equal rights and opportunities for women and men, and universal education.
Furthermore, in the Bahá’í view, there is need for a world federal system to enable mankind to arrange its economic, material and social life with justice for all peoples, and reverence towards the earth. Such federated, integrated system of global governance will be able to coordinate the just distribution of the planet’s resources and enact laws that ensure universal well-being.
To have the opportunity to realize one’s full potential is a basic human right for everyone, and we all should be concerned with ensuring the same for others. As the Bahá’í International Community states: “The shift to sustainable modes of production and consumption is a further expression of this principle: put simply, to consume more than one’s fair share is to deplete the resources needed by others”.
For feedback please contact: tshwane@bahai.org.za; or call 083 794 0819
Websites: www.bahai.org, www.bahai.org.za
