Environment, Islam, and women: a study of eco-feminist environmental activism in Pakistan

Abstract

This study aimed to discuss a better understanding of existing levels of Islamic environmental behavior in the perspective of eco-feminist environmental activism in Pakistan with the analysis of existing literature, media reports, NGOs’ environmental movements, and the environmental activists’ campaigns. Women, in the world generally and Pakistan particularly, have the most appropriate pro-environmental behavior concerning the cultural eco-feminist dimensions. This study will address the radical reasons for climate change as demographic changes, deforestation, pollution, and population growth along with their solutions from the Islamic perspective. Women as the ecofeminism activists must be the part of policy matters and their implementation structure as the first-hand companions of nature and social culture.

Is climate change the ‘elephant in the room’ for outdoor environmental education?

“…The article referred to climate change seven times regarding curriculum issues within outdoor education (OE) on integrating the Education for Sustainable Development Agenda. The article which incorporated the most references to climate change was Haq et al ( 2020 ) article regarding environmental activism in Pakistan. Their article was categorised with a secondary focus on climate change/crisis, referring to climate change 19 times.…”

“…Other phrases associated with climate change within the articles included ‘global warming’ (A. Gough, 2007 ; Haq et al, 2020 ), ‘increasingly rapid change in climate’ (Morse et al, 2018 ), ‘climate-threatened resources’ (Zajchowski et al, 2021 ), ‘Anthropocene global heating and climate destabilisation’ (Blades, 2021 ), ‘abruptly changing weather patterns,’ ‘climate changes,’ ‘climate emergency,’ ‘climate exposures’ (Haq et al, 2020 ), ‘changes in climate’ (McGregor & McGregor, 2020 ), ‘climate crisis’ (Quay et al, 2020 ), and ‘climate regimes’ (Zajchowski et al, 2021 ). The wide variety of words and phrases used to describe climate change, and its impacts in the JOEE potentially dilute the importance and impact of the issue for OEE policymakers, programmers, and practitioners.…”

“…Weather and climate events referred to in the JOEE include heatwaves, cloudbursts, cyclones, floods, and sea intrusion (Haq et al, 2020 ), sea-level rise (Hill, 2012 ), droughts (Gough, 2007 ; Quay et al, 2020 ) and bushfires (Quay et al, 2020 ). Phenomena related to weather and climate extremes were outlined by Hill ( 2012 ), as he referred to human-induced (anthropogenic) climate change, citing increased greenhouse gas emissions as a significant contributor to climate change in Australia.…”

The methodology wars and outdoor and environmental education: Feminism, positivism, and causation

“…As Dillard (2000) outlined, the beating heart of feminism re-frames the research endeavour as one that liberates the marginalised and brings into question "the traditions, perspectives, viewpoints, cultural understandings, and discourse style of the researcher" (p. 663). I do not have to look far in the OEE literature to acknowledge the salience of feminism in practice (Allin & West, 2013;Bren & Prince, 2022;Gray, 2016;Haq et al, 2020;O'Brien & Allin, 2021;Wall, 2017;Warren & Rheingold, 1996) and the continued oppression, misogyny, and sexual harassment experienced by diverse groups of people in the outdoors (Davies et al, 2019;Gray et al, 2020;Kennedy & Russell, 2020;Warren et al, 2018). That said, when seeking research with an explicit feminist paradigmatic approach in OEE, the results often yield limited applications.…”

2020-Vision: understanding climate (in)action through the emotional lens of loss

“…Leadership must also seek to draw upon a range of critical perspectives that are situated outside normative political processes to assist in holding nations to account by disrupting the status quo. Thus, there is an important role for social and cultural perspectives outside of normative policy making structures, for instance feminism (Haq et al 2020;Robinson 2019) as well as those whom seek to pose uncomfortable questions about the root causes of climate change as embedded within capitalism (Klein 2014). The COVID-19 pandemic has 'disrupted' people and there is an appetite for positive change as part of the momentum to 'build back better' and this opportunity must now be harnessed.…”