Letters from Our Readers: Fall 2008

Storm Warnings

I found George Black’s depiction of Bangladesh problematic in a number of respects, particularly the alarm he builds about poor Muslims displaced by climate change as potential terrorist threats (“The Gathering Storm,” Summer 2008). Fearmongering and religious stereotyping undermine the international understanding necessary to effectively address poor people’s vulnerability to global warming. One should also be wary of inflated estimates of “environmental refugees.” The 25 million environmental refugee figure popularized in 1995 has little basis in fact, as a number of scholars have pointed out. Environmentalists should be extremely cautious about linking climate-related migration to national security. Using the language of threats may garner more attention in the media and policy circles, but it diminishes empathy and could intensify anti-immigrant sentiment. The heart of darkness is not in Bangladesh or in Africa, but in our own prejudices about the poor.

Betsy Hartmann
Director, Population and Development Program
Hampshire College
Amherst, Massachusetts

As the Sea Rises

George Black raises the specter of a dangerous fundamentalist Islam as a result of environmental dislocation in Bangladesh. I think it is regrettable that he should have recourse to prevailing stereotypes about Islam that stir up fears about terrorism and antagonism to Western values. Since Islam teaches peace, social justice, and responsibility toward other people and the world, a move to embrace Islam could very well result in efforts to create a more equitable society and ameliorate environmental degradation. For instance, for many hundreds of years, Muslims who enjoyed worldly success devoted a large proportion of their wealth to creating waqfs, or pious foundations that included schools, homes for widows and orphans, as well as fountains and public waterworks to provide this all-important resource to all people in society; the remains of these foundations are still in evidence in many cities of the Muslim world, including Cairo and Istanbul. And in his article, Mr. Black quotes Muslim religious scholars who underscore Islamic principles calling for responsible stewardship of creation. Instead of falling back on unfounded fears, we should recognize that the venerable traditions of Islam can actually serve to avert the impending environmental and human catastrophe in Bangladesh.

Elise Auerbach
Chicago, Illinois

Your article on the grave threats faced by Bangladesh and other low-lying regions did a good job of stating the serious ramifications of global warming. But it concluded that the root cause of those problems was global warming itself. In fact, the root cause is the size and behavior of global population. In the very long term, an equilibrium will be reached between the carrying capacity of our planet and the number and lifestyles of people here. Our only choice is how we reach that point, not whether we will get there. We can reach a balance gracefully, by limiting our numbers and consumptive habits, or nature will make the tough choices for us. I hope the environmental community will raise awareness of population and lifestyle as the true underlying cause of nearly all major problems in the world today, global warming included.

Steve Johnson
Lakewood, Colorado

George Black responds: My story made it clear, I thought, that Bangladesh’s tradition of Islam is indeed one of its greatest assets, and that there is a growing awareness in Islamic thought of the concept of environmental stewardship. I also took pains to stress that estimates of the numbers who will be displaced vary enormously. That said, there’s a serious underlying question here: like it or not, one of the most urgent issues facing us in the coming years will be the humanitarian and political impact of global warming on the world’s poorest countries. And it so happens that the most vulnerable place of all is Bangladesh, where the majority of the population is Muslim. Throwing around words like “stereotyping” and “fearmongering” doesn’t seem to me a particularly helpful way of discussing this reality or looking for solutions before millions of lives are ruined.

Come Together

“Montana Gives Peace a Chance” was refreshing (Summer 2008). We need to see more of this kind of problem-solving so we can move ahead with the important environmental challenges of our day. The lessons from this article go far beyond the Yaak Valley of Montana. Kudos to Bass, King, and the lot of them.

posted online by
Roderick K. Purcell

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