Environmental Responsibility

The IFC EDGE Advanced Certification was awarded to the Aga Hall Estate, an upcoming residential high-rise development project, centrally located on the historic site of the family residence of Mawlana Hasan Ali Shah in Mumbai, India.

This week, at the opening events of COP26, the sense of urgency is palpable. Over the coming days, The Ismaili will share environmental content to coincide with the climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where world leaders, campaigners, and NGOs have gathered to discuss the most pressing issue of our time.

Agriculture is one of the world's largest industries. For years it has been pivotal in alleviating poverty, improving incomes, and providing food security for the marginalised in society. With the world’s population multiplying, the demand for agricultural commodities has risen tremendously in the past few decades.

Mawlana Hazar Imam has often spoken of the importance of caring for the environment. In Ottawa in 2013, he said, “Our faith constantly reminds us to observe and be thankful for the beauty of the world and the universe around us, and our responsibility and obligation, as good stewards of God’s creation, to leave the world in a better condition than we found it.” Young people today are shouldering this responsibility, and raising awareness of environmental issues, including through the medium of film.

Making Paradise: Exploring the Concept of Eden through Art and Islamic Garden Design is the latest exhibition at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery in London, UK. In this interview, its curator Esen Salma Kaya gives an insight into the multi-sensory show, the diverse artists involved, and planning it “from the heart.”