Signs on the Earth: Islam, Modernity and the Climate Crisis (Paperback)

This book, by one of the world’s leading Muslim environmentalists, explores what is perhaps the greatest threat humanity faces today, namely climate change. Fazlun Khalid looks unflinchingly at how modernity imposes itself on the world, throwing traditional societies and ways of life into disarray. This unfolding disruption has corrupted the balance of the earth’s natural ecosystems while holding out illusory promises of "progress." Instead, he urges that such progress through industrialization, economic growth, and unsustainable addiction to consumerism desperately needs to be rethought.

His radical reconsideration of prevailing models of "development" draws inspiration from the realm of the sacred. He makes a special appeal to Muslims to reflect on their own particular responsibility in addressing the perils faced by the planet. Recognizing, however, that environmental concerns are a collective responsibility, Fazlun Khalid calls on people of all faiths and none, to work together to leave future generations a planet on which they will not only survive but thrive.