An Islamic view towards sustainability: The theory and practice of GCC countries

Abstract

Despite the fact that many public policy issues related to sustainability are usually framed in the form of government initiatives and programs, probably an equally, if not more, important topic, is how to change people's behavior and attitudes. Given the ample challenges that all GCC countries face in terms of water scarcity and finiteness of fossil fuels in the decades (or years) to come, it might be wise that these countries embark on serious efforts in order to ensure changes in people's behavior. Despite the region achieving some of the highest GDP per capita globally, it also ranks the highest in terms of water consumption, electrical consumption, and CO2 emissions per person. In this regard, this research aims at taking a fresh look at how these countries can aim to alter people's behavior through invoking Islamic values and traditions in their pursuit of achieving sustainable development. By doing so, the research hopes to highlight the stark contrast between Islamic values usually put forth by leaders in these countries, while at the same time showing great discrepancies in terms of actual consumption of various resources as reflected in official figures and statistics.