Indonesia is one of the most populous countries in the world to take on a green revolution. In the last few years, spiritual leaders, politicians, and local activists are taking environmentalism to new heights.
Indonesia, a country with a population of over 275 million, is the world’s largest majority Muslim nation. It’s also the world’s largest exporter of palm oil and coal and a leader in nickel mining. Nickel is used in many recent technological advancements in clean energy but its processing is a leading cause of pollution.
Recently, Indonesia’s clerics have taken a new approach to climate change and issued fatwas, or official religious rulings based on Islamic law. These fatwas encourage followers of the faith to live a more environmentally conscious life, plant trees, recycle, and reduce waste.
About the Green Islam Movement
Environmentalism in Indonesia hasn’t always been received with open arms by clarics. In the early 2000s, a fatwa was issued against the environmentalist Aak Abdullah al-Kudus for his tree-planting efforts during an important holiday.
Yet today, after destructive flooding and consistent droughts, clerics and locals are drastically changing their attitudes. Many clerics around the country now say that environmentalism is a basic tenet of Islam.
This has led to major transformations in mosques, schools, and communities around the country. In June, 2023, the group Enter Nusantara collected donations from over 5,000 people to install solar panels in a mosque in Yogyakarta. In 2019, Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the ninth largest in the world, installed 500 solar panels which increased its energy self-sufficiency by over 25%.
Environmentalism in the Muslim World
Throughout the world, more Muslims are incorporating environmentalism into their daily lives. Mosques are becoming the centers of the movement, with clerics quickly adopting environmental policies and teachings.
Groups such as the US based Green Muslims started as a trash pickup potluck during the month of Ramadan in 2007. The movement quickly grew to provide environmental training, organize community events, and nature-based activities. In 2022, Ummah for Earth organized 30 organizations around the world to organize environmental outreach in their regions.
These grassroots organizations are helping local communities conserve resources and cut waste. Politically, the movements are gaining steam, most famously in Indonesia. It’s clear that the movement is gaining momentum and may lead to some of the most dramatic environmental policy shifts in the world.