“Waste Less, Manage Better”: Hbs’ 8th Summer School Tackles Solid Waste Management in the MENA Region Article At the 8th Regional Summer School of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, 23 young activists, researchers and civil society actors from different countries in the MENA region got together in Rabat, Morocco for one week to discuss and develop sustainable approaches to solid waste management. By Bauke Baumann Refuting the case for nuclear in the Middle East Article Although the epicenter of the world’s petro- economy, countries in the Middle East understand the need to diversify away from fossil fuels. To do so, some also bet on nuclear energy. The need to transition is most strongly driven by broader regional priorities to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and grow the economy while also providing jobs for the increasing population of young people. At first glance, nuclear seems an apt tool to help the region meet these dual objectives. However, Middle Eastern countries would be better served by investing resourced pegged to nuclear in the more promising solar and wind industries. By Joelle Thomas hbs concludes the 7th Regional Summer School on Civic Engagement in Urban Sustainable Development News hbs offices in the MENA region held the 7th Regional Summer School in Amman, Jordan under the title “Our Cities Our Future: Civic Engagement in Urban Sustainable Development”. 23 activists, researchers, architects and civil society professionals from 8 Middle Eastern countries participated in the week-long School. They addressed various topics related to architecture and urban sustainable development. Through lectures, discussions, group work, and a field visit, the participants exchanged ideas, shared experiences and got the chance to meet and learn about inspiring initiatives working towards sustainable development in the region. Great expectations, low execution: The Katowice climate change conference COP 24 Assessement The Katowice climate package brings minor progress, but COP 24 failed to deliver on the most fundamental issues such as raising ambition of national contributions, implementing human rights, and ensuring support for developing countries. Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) Wraps Up its Regional Summer School 2018 in Tunis Updates On the topic of “Citizen Participation in Urban Sustainable Development”, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) represented by its offices in Palestine & Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco concluded a five-day regional summer school in Tunis, hosted and organized by hbs Tunisia Office. The event took place between July 15th – 21st, 2018. It brought together 23 environmental activists, architects, artists and young community leaders from the MENA Region and provided them with a platform for capacity building, debate, and the exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences from the region on civil participation and sustainable urban development. HORSH BEIRUT FESTIVAL 2018 Event The Horsh Beirut Festival is a public event held each summer in Beirut’s largest green park bringing together people of all backgrounds and age groups to enjoy the green scenery and landscape and partake in a variety of free cultural, artistic and recreational activities. Regional Summer School 2018 Call for Applications Heinrich Böll Foundation (hbs), represented through its offices in Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco, welcomes applicants from Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa to apply for its Regional Summer School 2018 that will take place between 15 - 21 July 2018 in Tunis, Tunisia. Bonn UNFCCC COP 23 – 6 to 17 November 2017 Dossier The 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place from 6 to 17 November 2017 at the headquarters of the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The conference will be convened under the Presidency of Fiji. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the COP 23. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Bonn. The following web-dossier includes media coverage of the Bonn Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic. Sowing the seeds of an equitable world Article The reclamation of seed as a common good has begun. Following the concept of open source, new approaches evolve that result in the cultivation of a large number of species and varieties. By Barbara Unmüßig Launch of the latest issue of Perspectives on food Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East Has the pleasure to invite you to the launch of our latest issue of Perspectives on food.Thursday October 12, 2017 @ 19:00 Perspectives #13 - A Taste of Here and Now Looking at a map of the Mediterranean, one might imagine that it resembles a large pond. It is the centre of the old world, the sea that the Romans called “Mare Nostrum” (our sea) and the link between the different continents; Europe on the one side, North Africa on the other, the Levant, and the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also the beginning of a new world, an inland sea that leads to great empires such as the Persian, the Indian, and the Chinese; a crossroads for people, civilizations, trade, religions, customs, and tastes. By Kamal Mouzawak Response and Responsability The garbage crisis in the context of which Beirut was haunted by bad smell in the past year, is still awaiting a satisfying solution. For the time being, it is not that hot and there is an enjoyable change of air in Beirut, so it is not that obvious. By Bente Scheller With or without the Paris Agreement – An action climate policy under trump is not the last word President Donald Trump declared that he would start measures to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, putting his country back into the “rogue state” category in international climate negotiations. By Liane Schalatek and Nora Löhle Watch Day: Dalieh Exhibition The Dalieh of Raouche Watch Day, organized in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, is part of a larger project aiming at celebrating Beirut’s natural and built heritage. The project builds on activists effort by the Dalieh Campaign since 2013 to protect the Dalieh of Raouche, located on the Western coast of Beirut, as a site of exceptional ecological, geological and biodiversity value, archaeological and cultural value and the only remaining natural, publicly accessible landscape in Beirut. After the Paris Agreement and the Marrakech Calls - How will Lebanon Deal with Its Commitments on Climate Change? The Lebanese Commission for Environment and Development in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Middle East Office have the pleasure to invite you to a panel discussion entitled 'After the Paris Agreement and the Marrakech Calls - How will Lebanon Deal with Its Commitments on Climate Change?' Place: The Green Room at the Ministry of Environment Monday, December 5, 2016 between 10:00 and 13:00 Discussions with representatives from the Lebanese Commission for Environment and Development, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Civil Society’s Role in Climate Politics Finding an answer to the question of how to deal with global climate change is no easy feat and the issue has been setting challenges for international politics for decades. A scientific advisory body was established in Germany, with the aim to support the German government in the field of climate politics. The so-called WBGU, the German Advisory Council on Global Change, analyses climate change and its consequences in its role as an independent institution and compiles action plans for political decision-makers. In 2014, the WBGU published a report on ‘Climate Protection as a World Citizen Movement’ on behalf of the German federal government departments. In its report, the advisory board clarifies that climate change is occurring and that the human population plays an important role in it. The WBGU presents suggestions for the climate conference in Paris and lays particular emphasis on the shared responsibility of protagonists at all levels. It is time for global civil society to take on more responsibility, according to the report. Yet that is not the solution. By Barbara Unmüßig The Environment, Main Collateral Damage of an Unusual Level of Corruption Lebanon ranks low on the list of world corruption. Its environment is degrading fast. Is there a link between the two? Many, experts say. By Suzanne Baaklini Paving the way for a new climate change agreement in Paris: Heading over the cliff! From the way negotiations in Paris have progressed to a new draft treaty to combat climate change it is clear that things are underway, but where exactly are they headed? By Habib Maalouf Paris Climate Change Conference: Week two of COP 21 in Paris: Nations show off and make empty promises… Climate catastrophe is now unavoidable Lebanese journalist Habib Maalouf shares his views regarding the draft agreement being discussed in the UNFCCC COP21 in Paris By Habib Maalouf Against a backdrop of shoe protests: Low expectations as the climate change conference gets underway in Paris Lebanese journalist Habib Maalouf shares his initial views regarding the climate summit. By Habib Maalouf Wasting time Not as visible as two weeks ago but still there: the garbage crisis. Some garbage has been removed, but what to do in the long run seems still a mystery. By Bente Scheller Radical Goals for Sustainable Development Let us imagine for a moment that we could change the world according to our wishes. Dramatic economic inequality gives way to social and political inclusion. Universal human rights become a reality. We end deforestation and the destruction of arable land. Fish stocks recover. Two billion people look forward to a life without poverty, hunger, and violence. By Barbara Unmüßig Monetizing Nature: Taking Precaution on a Slippery Slope Some seek to establish tradable prices for ecosystem services, claiming that markets can achieve what politics has not. However, such an approach collapses nature’s complex functions into a set of commodities stripped from their social, cultural, and ecological context and can pose a threat to the poor and indigenous communities who depend on the land for their livelihood. By Barbara Unmüßig The High Cost of Cheap Meat Factory-style livestock production is a critical driver of agricultural industrialization. Its remorseless expansion is contributing to climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and human-rights violations – all to satisfy Western societies’ unhealthy appetite for cheap meat. Regional Autumn School The Heinrich Böll Stiftung, represented through its offices in Ramallah, Beirut, Tunis, and Rabat in cooperation with the International Union for Conservation of Nature / Regional Office for West Asia (IUCN ROWA), will be hosting a regional Autumn School “Natural Resource Rights in the Arab Middle East and North Africa” in Amman, Jordan from November 23 – 27, 2014. Memorandum: Resource Politics for a Fair Future In this Memorandum the notion of new politics is introduced to look at current conflicts around resource use as a complex set of interactions between nature, humans, interests, power relations and cultures. With this text the Heinrich Böll Foundation offers a perspective which combines democracy, ecology and human rights and lays out fundamental ways forward that can form the basis for fair and sustainable Resource Politics. Climate change negotiations: A cold week in Warsaw UN negotiations over climate change in Polish capital Warsaw are expected to create a roadmap of international treaties that all parties are expected to sign in 2015, in Paris. All participants agree that the first week of the 19th COP has shown “modest progress”. By Bassam Al Kantar Warsaw demonstrates against climate change The Polish capital, Warsaw, was today (16 November 2013) the scene of a protest in which activists from the UN’s climate change conference joined forces with the Polish Green party and Leftist parties and labour unions from across the world. By Bassam Al Kantar What hope for the 19th UN Climate Summit? Philippines being hit by a typhoon of unprecedented ferocity and the resulting human and material disaster, which led many conference speakers to amend their speeches in the early days of the COP 19, using the tragedy to demand that a new international agreement be reached before 2015 to reduce the incidence of such events. By Habib Maalouf Warsaw Climate Conference writes first letter of new agreement Negotiators are into the second and final week of the climate change conference in Warsaw, yet have been unable, so far, to set down even the first letter of the international agreement which is due to be tabled in Paris in late 2015. By Habib Maalouf Public Space in Beirut How to approach a city like Beirut? By its history, its economic meaning, its art scene, its people? On the search for a city’s identity, many of its facets are revealed in certain places, namely the city’s public spaces. By Christine F.G. Kollmar What A “Small Baby” Can Do: Making a difference as an environmental NGO in Lebanon Dr. Ali Darwish explains in an interview how an environmental NGO in Lebanon can make a difference. This year, hbs celebrates 10 years of cooperation with Green Line. No City Without Public Space Guerrilla Picnicking: How hbs partner organization Nahnoo fights for Lebanese citizens' accesss to public green space. By Christine F.G. Kollmar Report on the 18th Climate Change Conference in Doha Despite the proceedings of the Doha Climate Change Conference (COP 18) running a full day over their scheduled two week cut off, the nations of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) failed to come up with anything either new or meaningful. Doha ended as Durban had a year before: a commitment to extend the Kyoto Treaty and laying the ground for a new agreement to be brought in by 2015. By Habib Maalouf The Doha Experience Every year the countries of the world - with the support of a number of scholars, specialists and members of civil society - gather at a giant meeting organized by the United Nations to negotiate the measures that shall be taken to address the risks of climate change. But what matters in this context is that usually the host country that chairs the conference bears the largest burden for its success. Was Doha ready for this challenge? By Rami M. Serhal The 18th Climate Change Conference in Doha repeats the failures of Durban Doha ended as Durban had a year before: a commitment to extend the Kyoto Treaty (which, since its signatories produce less than 15 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, mean to has little to offer the cause of climate change) and laying the ground for a new agreement to be brought in by 2015. By Habib Maalouf After Lebanon clarifies its official position on negotiations: What to expect from the 18th Climate Change Conference in Doha (COP 18)? With the 18th round of the Conference of Parties (COP 18) due to be held in Doha—the first time such proceedings have been hosted in an Arab country—many questions are raised over the long-term visions, expectations, capabilities and true positions of the nations taking part. What will the official Lebanese delegation bring to Doha? How has Lebanon prepared itself to deal with climate change and, more specifically, with negotiations over the issue, after pledging back in 2009 in Copenhagen to generate 12 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources? By Habib Maalouf Green Sins - How the Green Economy Became a Subject of Controversy Large-scale wind farms and solar power plants are springing up everywhere one looks. That’s good for the climate, but small-scale farmers and the poor are becoming the pawns of hard-nosed business interests around the world. By Barbara Unmüßig Critique of the Green Economy - A Conversation with Barbara Unmüßig, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation On 31 May 2012, after a press conference entitled “Figures, Dates, and Facts about the June 2012 Rio Summit: A Green Economy – Silver Bullet or Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?”, Barbara Unmüßig, a long time environmentalist and co-president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, spoke with the online news website Schattenblick. NGOs and Climate Crisis: Fragmentation, Lines of Conflict and Strategic Approaches Climate policy active NGOs and movements are fragmented and characterized by heterogeneous interests. Cleavages exist in important issues and the choice of strategies. A discussion of complementary strategies and division of labor is an urgent need. By Barbara Unmüßig Climate Change and Tourism in Lebanon Worldwide, the inexorable growth of the tourism sector with its high demand for land and other resources has reignited the debate about the environmental impact of tourism. Given the number of natural attractions in Lebanon on the one hand and the fact that its tourism development is only beginning anew on the other hand, it offers a rare opportunity to sufficiently consider, at least in theory, the interrelations of climate change and tourism from the onset. By Manja Riebe Years of Drought: A Report on the Effects of Drought on the Syrian Peninsula Years of drought have affected the eastern and northeastern regions of Syria, which are also known as the Syrian “peninsula” or “jazira”, which is considered the (agricultural) backbone of the country, the drought has led to a significant reduction in agricultural production in this area and consequently a decline in the national economy. One of the major consequences of the drought is that it has driven the majority of the population from this area towards the interior governorates in Syria where people have gone in search of a livelihood and shelter. This internal migration has also produced many humanitarian, social and health problems. By Masoud Ali No Plan? ... Money rules! Lebanon’s Construction Boom and the Challenges to Urban and Environmental Planning While a number of countries slid into recession during the year 2008, Lebanon witnessed spectacular economic growth rates. Most of the growth is, however, due to the recent boom in the construction sector. Not only is this development over-heated, it is also largely taking place without any planning, or the implementation of state or communal regulations. By Waltraud Frommherz-Hassib
“Waste Less, Manage Better”: Hbs’ 8th Summer School Tackles Solid Waste Management in the MENA Region Article At the 8th Regional Summer School of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, 23 young activists, researchers and civil society actors from different countries in the MENA region got together in Rabat, Morocco for one week to discuss and develop sustainable approaches to solid waste management. By Bauke Baumann
Refuting the case for nuclear in the Middle East Article Although the epicenter of the world’s petro- economy, countries in the Middle East understand the need to diversify away from fossil fuels. To do so, some also bet on nuclear energy. The need to transition is most strongly driven by broader regional priorities to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and grow the economy while also providing jobs for the increasing population of young people. At first glance, nuclear seems an apt tool to help the region meet these dual objectives. However, Middle Eastern countries would be better served by investing resourced pegged to nuclear in the more promising solar and wind industries. By Joelle Thomas
hbs concludes the 7th Regional Summer School on Civic Engagement in Urban Sustainable Development News hbs offices in the MENA region held the 7th Regional Summer School in Amman, Jordan under the title “Our Cities Our Future: Civic Engagement in Urban Sustainable Development”. 23 activists, researchers, architects and civil society professionals from 8 Middle Eastern countries participated in the week-long School. They addressed various topics related to architecture and urban sustainable development. Through lectures, discussions, group work, and a field visit, the participants exchanged ideas, shared experiences and got the chance to meet and learn about inspiring initiatives working towards sustainable development in the region.
Great expectations, low execution: The Katowice climate change conference COP 24 Assessement The Katowice climate package brings minor progress, but COP 24 failed to deliver on the most fundamental issues such as raising ambition of national contributions, implementing human rights, and ensuring support for developing countries.
Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) Wraps Up its Regional Summer School 2018 in Tunis Updates On the topic of “Citizen Participation in Urban Sustainable Development”, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) represented by its offices in Palestine & Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco concluded a five-day regional summer school in Tunis, hosted and organized by hbs Tunisia Office. The event took place between July 15th – 21st, 2018. It brought together 23 environmental activists, architects, artists and young community leaders from the MENA Region and provided them with a platform for capacity building, debate, and the exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences from the region on civil participation and sustainable urban development.
HORSH BEIRUT FESTIVAL 2018 Event The Horsh Beirut Festival is a public event held each summer in Beirut’s largest green park bringing together people of all backgrounds and age groups to enjoy the green scenery and landscape and partake in a variety of free cultural, artistic and recreational activities.
Regional Summer School 2018 Call for Applications Heinrich Böll Foundation (hbs), represented through its offices in Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco, welcomes applicants from Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa to apply for its Regional Summer School 2018 that will take place between 15 - 21 July 2018 in Tunis, Tunisia.
Bonn UNFCCC COP 23 – 6 to 17 November 2017 Dossier The 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place from 6 to 17 November 2017 at the headquarters of the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. The conference will be convened under the Presidency of Fiji. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the COP 23. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Bonn. The following web-dossier includes media coverage of the Bonn Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic.
Sowing the seeds of an equitable world Article The reclamation of seed as a common good has begun. Following the concept of open source, new approaches evolve that result in the cultivation of a large number of species and varieties. By Barbara Unmüßig
Launch of the latest issue of Perspectives on food Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East Has the pleasure to invite you to the launch of our latest issue of Perspectives on food.Thursday October 12, 2017 @ 19:00
Perspectives #13 - A Taste of Here and Now Looking at a map of the Mediterranean, one might imagine that it resembles a large pond. It is the centre of the old world, the sea that the Romans called “Mare Nostrum” (our sea) and the link between the different continents; Europe on the one side, North Africa on the other, the Levant, and the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also the beginning of a new world, an inland sea that leads to great empires such as the Persian, the Indian, and the Chinese; a crossroads for people, civilizations, trade, religions, customs, and tastes. By Kamal Mouzawak
Response and Responsability The garbage crisis in the context of which Beirut was haunted by bad smell in the past year, is still awaiting a satisfying solution. For the time being, it is not that hot and there is an enjoyable change of air in Beirut, so it is not that obvious. By Bente Scheller
With or without the Paris Agreement – An action climate policy under trump is not the last word President Donald Trump declared that he would start measures to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, putting his country back into the “rogue state” category in international climate negotiations. By Liane Schalatek and Nora Löhle
Watch Day: Dalieh Exhibition The Dalieh of Raouche Watch Day, organized in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, is part of a larger project aiming at celebrating Beirut’s natural and built heritage. The project builds on activists effort by the Dalieh Campaign since 2013 to protect the Dalieh of Raouche, located on the Western coast of Beirut, as a site of exceptional ecological, geological and biodiversity value, archaeological and cultural value and the only remaining natural, publicly accessible landscape in Beirut.
After the Paris Agreement and the Marrakech Calls - How will Lebanon Deal with Its Commitments on Climate Change? The Lebanese Commission for Environment and Development in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Middle East Office have the pleasure to invite you to a panel discussion entitled 'After the Paris Agreement and the Marrakech Calls - How will Lebanon Deal with Its Commitments on Climate Change?' Place: The Green Room at the Ministry of Environment Monday, December 5, 2016 between 10:00 and 13:00 Discussions with representatives from the Lebanese Commission for Environment and Development, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
Civil Society’s Role in Climate Politics Finding an answer to the question of how to deal with global climate change is no easy feat and the issue has been setting challenges for international politics for decades. A scientific advisory body was established in Germany, with the aim to support the German government in the field of climate politics. The so-called WBGU, the German Advisory Council on Global Change, analyses climate change and its consequences in its role as an independent institution and compiles action plans for political decision-makers. In 2014, the WBGU published a report on ‘Climate Protection as a World Citizen Movement’ on behalf of the German federal government departments. In its report, the advisory board clarifies that climate change is occurring and that the human population plays an important role in it. The WBGU presents suggestions for the climate conference in Paris and lays particular emphasis on the shared responsibility of protagonists at all levels. It is time for global civil society to take on more responsibility, according to the report. Yet that is not the solution. By Barbara Unmüßig
The Environment, Main Collateral Damage of an Unusual Level of Corruption Lebanon ranks low on the list of world corruption. Its environment is degrading fast. Is there a link between the two? Many, experts say. By Suzanne Baaklini
Paving the way for a new climate change agreement in Paris: Heading over the cliff! From the way negotiations in Paris have progressed to a new draft treaty to combat climate change it is clear that things are underway, but where exactly are they headed? By Habib Maalouf
Paris Climate Change Conference: Week two of COP 21 in Paris: Nations show off and make empty promises… Climate catastrophe is now unavoidable Lebanese journalist Habib Maalouf shares his views regarding the draft agreement being discussed in the UNFCCC COP21 in Paris By Habib Maalouf
Against a backdrop of shoe protests: Low expectations as the climate change conference gets underway in Paris Lebanese journalist Habib Maalouf shares his initial views regarding the climate summit. By Habib Maalouf
Wasting time Not as visible as two weeks ago but still there: the garbage crisis. Some garbage has been removed, but what to do in the long run seems still a mystery. By Bente Scheller
Radical Goals for Sustainable Development Let us imagine for a moment that we could change the world according to our wishes. Dramatic economic inequality gives way to social and political inclusion. Universal human rights become a reality. We end deforestation and the destruction of arable land. Fish stocks recover. Two billion people look forward to a life without poverty, hunger, and violence. By Barbara Unmüßig
Monetizing Nature: Taking Precaution on a Slippery Slope Some seek to establish tradable prices for ecosystem services, claiming that markets can achieve what politics has not. However, such an approach collapses nature’s complex functions into a set of commodities stripped from their social, cultural, and ecological context and can pose a threat to the poor and indigenous communities who depend on the land for their livelihood. By Barbara Unmüßig
The High Cost of Cheap Meat Factory-style livestock production is a critical driver of agricultural industrialization. Its remorseless expansion is contributing to climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and human-rights violations – all to satisfy Western societies’ unhealthy appetite for cheap meat.
Regional Autumn School The Heinrich Böll Stiftung, represented through its offices in Ramallah, Beirut, Tunis, and Rabat in cooperation with the International Union for Conservation of Nature / Regional Office for West Asia (IUCN ROWA), will be hosting a regional Autumn School “Natural Resource Rights in the Arab Middle East and North Africa” in Amman, Jordan from November 23 – 27, 2014.
Memorandum: Resource Politics for a Fair Future In this Memorandum the notion of new politics is introduced to look at current conflicts around resource use as a complex set of interactions between nature, humans, interests, power relations and cultures. With this text the Heinrich Böll Foundation offers a perspective which combines democracy, ecology and human rights and lays out fundamental ways forward that can form the basis for fair and sustainable Resource Politics.
Climate change negotiations: A cold week in Warsaw UN negotiations over climate change in Polish capital Warsaw are expected to create a roadmap of international treaties that all parties are expected to sign in 2015, in Paris. All participants agree that the first week of the 19th COP has shown “modest progress”. By Bassam Al Kantar
Warsaw demonstrates against climate change The Polish capital, Warsaw, was today (16 November 2013) the scene of a protest in which activists from the UN’s climate change conference joined forces with the Polish Green party and Leftist parties and labour unions from across the world. By Bassam Al Kantar
What hope for the 19th UN Climate Summit? Philippines being hit by a typhoon of unprecedented ferocity and the resulting human and material disaster, which led many conference speakers to amend their speeches in the early days of the COP 19, using the tragedy to demand that a new international agreement be reached before 2015 to reduce the incidence of such events. By Habib Maalouf
Warsaw Climate Conference writes first letter of new agreement Negotiators are into the second and final week of the climate change conference in Warsaw, yet have been unable, so far, to set down even the first letter of the international agreement which is due to be tabled in Paris in late 2015. By Habib Maalouf
Public Space in Beirut How to approach a city like Beirut? By its history, its economic meaning, its art scene, its people? On the search for a city’s identity, many of its facets are revealed in certain places, namely the city’s public spaces. By Christine F.G. Kollmar
What A “Small Baby” Can Do: Making a difference as an environmental NGO in Lebanon Dr. Ali Darwish explains in an interview how an environmental NGO in Lebanon can make a difference. This year, hbs celebrates 10 years of cooperation with Green Line.
No City Without Public Space Guerrilla Picnicking: How hbs partner organization Nahnoo fights for Lebanese citizens' accesss to public green space. By Christine F.G. Kollmar
Report on the 18th Climate Change Conference in Doha Despite the proceedings of the Doha Climate Change Conference (COP 18) running a full day over their scheduled two week cut off, the nations of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) failed to come up with anything either new or meaningful. Doha ended as Durban had a year before: a commitment to extend the Kyoto Treaty and laying the ground for a new agreement to be brought in by 2015. By Habib Maalouf
The Doha Experience Every year the countries of the world - with the support of a number of scholars, specialists and members of civil society - gather at a giant meeting organized by the United Nations to negotiate the measures that shall be taken to address the risks of climate change. But what matters in this context is that usually the host country that chairs the conference bears the largest burden for its success. Was Doha ready for this challenge? By Rami M. Serhal
The 18th Climate Change Conference in Doha repeats the failures of Durban Doha ended as Durban had a year before: a commitment to extend the Kyoto Treaty (which, since its signatories produce less than 15 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, mean to has little to offer the cause of climate change) and laying the ground for a new agreement to be brought in by 2015. By Habib Maalouf
After Lebanon clarifies its official position on negotiations: What to expect from the 18th Climate Change Conference in Doha (COP 18)? With the 18th round of the Conference of Parties (COP 18) due to be held in Doha—the first time such proceedings have been hosted in an Arab country—many questions are raised over the long-term visions, expectations, capabilities and true positions of the nations taking part. What will the official Lebanese delegation bring to Doha? How has Lebanon prepared itself to deal with climate change and, more specifically, with negotiations over the issue, after pledging back in 2009 in Copenhagen to generate 12 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources? By Habib Maalouf
Green Sins - How the Green Economy Became a Subject of Controversy Large-scale wind farms and solar power plants are springing up everywhere one looks. That’s good for the climate, but small-scale farmers and the poor are becoming the pawns of hard-nosed business interests around the world. By Barbara Unmüßig
Critique of the Green Economy - A Conversation with Barbara Unmüßig, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation On 31 May 2012, after a press conference entitled “Figures, Dates, and Facts about the June 2012 Rio Summit: A Green Economy – Silver Bullet or Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?”, Barbara Unmüßig, a long time environmentalist and co-president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, spoke with the online news website Schattenblick.
NGOs and Climate Crisis: Fragmentation, Lines of Conflict and Strategic Approaches Climate policy active NGOs and movements are fragmented and characterized by heterogeneous interests. Cleavages exist in important issues and the choice of strategies. A discussion of complementary strategies and division of labor is an urgent need. By Barbara Unmüßig
Climate Change and Tourism in Lebanon Worldwide, the inexorable growth of the tourism sector with its high demand for land and other resources has reignited the debate about the environmental impact of tourism. Given the number of natural attractions in Lebanon on the one hand and the fact that its tourism development is only beginning anew on the other hand, it offers a rare opportunity to sufficiently consider, at least in theory, the interrelations of climate change and tourism from the onset. By Manja Riebe
Years of Drought: A Report on the Effects of Drought on the Syrian Peninsula Years of drought have affected the eastern and northeastern regions of Syria, which are also known as the Syrian “peninsula” or “jazira”, which is considered the (agricultural) backbone of the country, the drought has led to a significant reduction in agricultural production in this area and consequently a decline in the national economy. One of the major consequences of the drought is that it has driven the majority of the population from this area towards the interior governorates in Syria where people have gone in search of a livelihood and shelter. This internal migration has also produced many humanitarian, social and health problems. By Masoud Ali
No Plan? ... Money rules! Lebanon’s Construction Boom and the Challenges to Urban and Environmental Planning While a number of countries slid into recession during the year 2008, Lebanon witnessed spectacular economic growth rates. Most of the growth is, however, due to the recent boom in the construction sector. Not only is this development over-heated, it is also largely taking place without any planning, or the implementation of state or communal regulations. By Waltraud Frommherz-Hassib