From January to September 2026, nature has repeatedly signalled its\ndistress. However, humans often choose to ignore these signs.<\/p>\n
On 26 August 2026, a glacier collapse in the Himalayan region\ntriggered massive flooding in the Trishuli River valley, Nepal. The\ndisaster claimed at least 1,300 lives and left more than 5,300 people\nreported missing across Nepal and Tibet. Critical infrastructure was\nimpacted, including hydroelectric power plants, roads, bridges, and\nresidential areas. This event demonstrated the extreme fragility of\nmountainous regions when climate change intersects with geographical\nvulnerability.<\/p>\n
In several other parts of Asia, monsoon floods struck China,\nBangladesh, and Pakistan. Tropical storms also repeatedly hit the Asian\nregion throughout the year, causing significant damage across various\nterritories.<\/p>\n
In Madagascar, Cyclone Gezani in February 2026 killed at least 59\npeople. The disaster also caused more than 16,000 people to be displaced\nand affected over 423,000 residents.<\/p>\n
In Europe, prolonged heatwaves recorded much higher casualties. At\nleast 35,000 excess deaths were recorded during the 2026 summer heatwave\nseries, based on data collected from various parts of Europe.<\/p>\n
Extreme temperatures have once again shown that climate change is no\nlonger a future threat. The crisis is present today as a matter of\npublic health, economy, and humanity.<\/p>\n
Indonesia faces an equally serious situation. Throughout 2026, the\nNational Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) has continued to report\nthousands of disaster incidents, including floods, forest and land\nfires, droughts, extreme weather, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanic\neruptions.<\/p>\n
One of the largest disasters occurred in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). A\nmagnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the NTT region on 15 August 2026,\ncausing widespread damage. As of 22 August, the BNPB recorded 87 deaths.\nA few days prior, the number of displaced persons had reached over\n82,000.<\/p>\n
Forest and land fires also remain a serious threat during the dry\nseason. The Ministry of Environment noted that approximately 85,000\nhectares of corporate concession areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan were\nburned. The government also noted that around 335 companies holding\nconcessions were indicated to have hotspots within their territories.\nWhile this data does not automatically prove that all companies engaged\nin burning, it is sufficient to demonstrate the seriousness of\nenvironmental oversight issues.<\/p>\n
Disasters no longer seem to arrive one by one; they appear in rapid\nsuccession, like a procession knocking at humanity\u2019s door.<\/p>\n
It is as if nature is bearing witness to what humans have done to the\nearth they inhabit. In religious language, this situation should be read\nnot merely as natural events, but as a call to correct the way humans\ntreat the environment.<\/p>\n
The Qur\u2019an warns, \u201cCorruption has appeared throughout the land and\nsea because of what the hands of people have earned, so that He may let\nthem taste part of what they have done, in order that they may return\n[to righteousness].\u201d This warning is found in Surah Ar-Rum, verse\n41.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/environmental-theology-seeking-a-new-paradigm-1789035012", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }