Bhopal: The women’s wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) recently held an online national panel discussion to mark World Environment Day, bringing together academics, activists and environmental advocates to examine the ecological crisis through the lens of ethics and individual responsibility.
The discussion, titled “Environmental Crisis: A Test of Ethics and Responsibility,” drew participants from across the country and centred on the argument that lasting solutions to climate change demand not just scientific or technological intervention, but a fundamental shift in moral values and human behaviour.
Delivering the presidential address, JIH national secretary Rahamathunnissa A described the environment as an “Amanat” – a trust placed in human hands – and invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s oft-quoted observation that the Earth provides enough for every man’s need but not for his greed.
Drawing on the Islamic concept of “Khaleefah,” or stewardship, she argued that ecological degradation is inseparable from social justice, with the burden of environmental excess falling disproportionately on the poor and marginalised.
JIH national assistant secretary Sumaiya Maryam, in her inaugural remarks, described the environmental crisis as a “moral mirror” of contemporary society’s choices. Citing the recent Canadian wildfires and recurring floods across the globe, she said ecological disturbances are increasingly traceable to unsustainable patterns of living.
Social anthropologist Dr Manju J Manoj from Kerala pointed to the vulnerability of fishing and forest-dependent communities, noting that climate disruptions routinely deepen pre-existing social and economic fault lines. Climate researcher Chitra Gangwani from New Delhi drew attention to tier 2 and tier 3 cities, which she said face mounting pressure from water scarcity and climate-induced disasters with little institutional or financial support.
Goa-based environmentalist and architect Talula D’Silva took aim at development models built on excessive concrete use, advocating a return to nature-based construction practices. She described unchecked overconsumption as a form of “intergenerational colonisation” that erodes the rights of those yet to come.
Sumaiya Haseeb Sheikh, a social activist from Ahmedabad, urged a move beyond symbolic campaigns and what she called “photo-op activism,” calling instead for sustained community engagement. Educator Fakhra Tabassum from Chhattisgarh stressed the importance of embedding climate literacy early, arguing that everyday habits such as waste segregation, resource conservation and tree plantation are the building blocks of a sustainable culture.
The symposium closed with a collective call for what speakers described as a “green conscience,” an ethics-rooted commitment to responsible living and collective action.
