Grounding Climate Justice in Faith and Reality: An Islamic Ethical Framework and Field Evidence from Pakistan

Climate change presents a profound ethical and existential challenge, demanding responses grounded in both moral clarity and empirical reality. This article argues that religious ethical frameworks, particularly Islam, offer robust, culturally resonant principles for advancing climate justice. It develops an Islamic ethical framework based on the core concepts of Tawhid (unity of creation), Khilafah (human stewardship), Mizan (balance), and Amanah (trust). This framework is then applied to analyze field evidence from Pakistan, a nation acutely vulnerable to climate impacts despite minimal historical emissions. Drawing on mixed-methods field research conducted in 2023 in Sindh and Punjab provinces—including surveys ( N = 350), focus group discussions, and stakeholder interviews—the article documents the disproportionate burdens borne by smallholder farmers, landless laborers, and women. Findings reveal a nexus of biophysical vulnerability and socioeconomic injustice, exacerbating water scarcity, crop failure, and displacement. The article demonstrates how Islamic environmental ethics, when mobilized by faith leaders and communities, can empower local adaptation, advocate for equitable policy, and reframe climate action as a sacred duty. It concludes that integrating faith-based ethical systems into climate justice discourse and practice is essential for fostering resilient, morally grounded, and socially equitable responses to the planetary crisis.