COVID-19 pandemic disturbs the\nschooling of children and teenagers. For young adults, planning of career and\nmarriage is disrupted, too. The economic challenge is tremendous for graduands\nwho\u2014already burdened with educational debt\u2014are seeking jobs commensurate with\ntheir competencies. Young parents struggle to survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In handling this huge national challenge,\na consideration of a legal concept under the rubric \u201crights of future\ngenerations\u201d may help. Contemporaneous moral philosophy calls it \u201cthe obligations\nto the future generations\u201d. In chapter al-Nisa\u2019<\/em>, verse 9, the Qur\u2019an\nwarns, \u201cAnd those (guardians) should be concerned about the fate of their weak\nchildren, in case they leave them behind, and they (guardians) should fear God,\nand speak words hitting the mark.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each generation is obliged to use\nnatural resources with justice, as wastefulness leads to unsustainable futures.\nThe mission of the Qur\u2019an is to mould man to become \u201cthe servants of the\nMerciful \u2014 those who walk the earth in humility\u2026and when they spend, are\nneither wasteful nor stingy, but choose a middle course between that\u201d (al-Furqan<\/em>,\n25:67).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, each generation holds natural\nresources in trust from God, as the following Qur\u2019anic verse implies: \u201cBelieve\nin God and His Messenger, and spend on others\u2019 welfare, out of the property He\nhas made you trustees\u201d (al-Hadid<\/em>, 57: 7). Every generation is allowed\nonly \u201cusufruct\u201d of natural resources \u2014 a temporary right to the use, enjoyment\nand profits without damaging them that ultimately belongs to God. The term and condition of use\u2014that the natural\nresources themselves must remain undiminished and uninjured in any way\u2014ensures\nsustainability for future generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n International community of\nscholars\u2019 discourse on the obligations to future generations started in 1960\u2019s.\nThe idea spread widely, and on 12 November 1997 was enshrined in UNESCO\u2019s\n\u201cDeclaration on the Responsibilities of the Present Generations towards Future\nGenerations\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Such international convention\nresolves to safeguard the well-being of future generations comprising many\nfacets: basic needs, political liberty, family, ecology, biodiversity, culture,\nsecurity, development, education and social fairness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Well-being is more than just issues\nof national productivity and job opportunity, but also of public health, social\ninteraction, learning culture, skill, housing, household finance and quality\nenvironment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cobligations to future\ngenerations\u201d may function as tool, instrument, model and research program to\nameliorate the society. National policy must consider how national plan and\nprojects greatly impacting future generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Wales, the concept was\ninstitutionalised as Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015<\/em>\nand appointment of Commissioner for Future Generations whose power is\nindependent. The Commissioner\u2019s mandate is to initiate new national policies\nbased on sustainable development framework with the whole-of-government\napproach. A watershed document includes Manifesto for the Future<\/em>, declared\nin 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hungary introduced Commission for\nFuture Generations in 2008, while Finland established Parliamentary Committee\nfor the Future in 1990\u2019s in order to identify complex issues in the early phase\nof national policy plans that impact the future. This ethical-legal notion\nemphasises a just circulation of wealth. As the Qur\u2019an cautions: \u201cwealth should\nnot circulate solely among the rich\u201d (al-Hashr<\/em>, 59: 7).\nThe needy, indigent, deprived and\nvulnerable ones also had a right in national economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Qur\u2019an, God severely\ndenounces the condition of gross economic disparities as it is the most important\nissue to remedy at the heart of social discord. National economic resilience\ndepends on fair and decent wages for dignified life; while promotion of\nentrepreneurship needs eradication of \u201crent-seeking\u201d and \u201cunearned incomes\u201d. Present-day\nresearchers recognise several important changes in current way of life in order\nto safeguard justice and sustainability for future generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Commitment towards a decrease in\ncarbon emission needs to be translated to development of natural, renewable\nenergy. Man and state need to alter to new technologies like solar panels and\nsustainable transportations. A reform towards sustainable food systems is a\nmust\u2014whether in terms of agricultural practises, food distribution, diet, or\nmanagement of food waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, there must be a basic\nchange in development policy towards economic growth within the parameter of \u201cecological\ncivilization\u201d. Contemporary discourse is enriched by such workable concepts of green\neconomy, green-collar jobs, and sustainable business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scientific and technological\nprogress is meaningless if it changes the ecosystem in a harmful way.\nWell-being refers to an improvement of quality of air and water, too; while\nrain harvesting needs to be harnessed. Materials for building must come from\nrenewable or recycled resources; and a policy of neutral carbon or low carbon\nemission needs effective enforcement. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Management of waste needs planning\nin the context of promoting recycling, and at the same time decreasing domestic\nsolid wastes in landfills. God says in the Qur\u2019an, \u201cDo not waste your wealth\nsenselessly. Surely, the wasters are brothers of satans, and Satan is ever\nungrateful to his Lord\u201d (al-Isra\u2019<\/em>, 17:26-27). Wasters are taking away God\u2019s\ngift of sustenance from other creatures and thus creating unsustainable future. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" COVID-19 pandemic disturbs the schooling of children and teenagers. For young adults, planning of career and marriage is disrupted, too. The economic challenge is tremendous for graduands who\u2014already …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-straits-times","category-139","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}