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.

, , Curriculum
Development, MENA region, Legal Education,