Developing a Taught Module on ‘Law, Religion, and Environment’

Abstract

Building on the Arab Barometer seventh wave survey, which highlights the
regional priorities on climate change, water resources, and environmental
development in Middle East and North Africa, this paper explores the
potential for a module on “Law, Religion and Environmental Sustainability”.
The module aims to mainstream environmental sustainability in the legal
education curriculum through forging the intersections between law, religion,
and the environment. The growing body of interdisciplinary research on
religion and environmentalism mainly involves scholars from academic
disciplines such as sociology, theology, and religious studies, but not law.
The Arab Barometer results indicate that citizens’ environmental concerns
are mostly linked to the micro level, without directly reflecting on related
macro level issues. However, religious beliefs and faith systems often cut
across the micro and macro levels, and could potentially advance
environmental and sustainable development objectives. Moreso, there have
been pockets of non-international armed conflicts that are in some ways tied
to religious beliefs and cultural values on access to natural resources such as
land and water. This paper addresses how to train law students to embrace
and contribute to the emerging field of religion and environmentalism. Such
training would equip law graduates to (a) have a good understanding of the
contemporary social, economic and political context of environmental
governance and sustainable development laws; (b) appreciate the interlinkages
between law, religion and environment at a theoretical and practical level; and
(c) be better equipped to maximise the opportunities and resolve tensions that
may arise from mainstreaming legal principles, including human rights and
justice, in advancing sustainable development goals, including environmental
sustainability.