BERLIN – If there are any geologists in millions of years, they will easily be able to pinpoint the start of the so-called Anthropocene – the geological age during which humans became the dominant influence on our planet’s environment. Wherever they look, they will find clear evidence of its onset, in the form of plastic waste.
The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 7 to 18 November 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the COP 22. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Marrakech.
The following web-dossier includes written and audio-visual media coverage of the Marrakech Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Without the ocean there would be no life on our planet. But the future of this unique ecosystem faces a grave threat today. The Ocean Atlas 2017 delivers with its 18 contributions and 50 graphics the relevant facts and figures about the ocean.
Public space is essential for urban life - it enables people from all social strata and backgrounds to meet, enjoy the space together, and form a harmonious identity. Yet, Beirut is notorious for its lack of such spaces.
Before the civil war, Horsh Beirut, was the only sizeable park of the city, and a place for gatherings, festivals, and traditions. However, in 1982 an Israeli raid destroyed most of it, decimating the number of trees. So following the end of the war, the Municipality of Beirut signed a partnership agreement with the Regional Council of Ile-de-France to rehabilitate the park with the initial plan of reopening it to the public in 1995. This date was then pushed back to 2002 in order to allow the newly planted pine trees to grow bigger1. However, the year 2002 came and yet the gates to the park remained shut to the public, and became only accessible to those who request a special permit from the Municipality. In practice, the vast majority of Beirut residents had become deprived of their right to enjoy the place, under the pretext that the municipality is inadequately equipped to manage it. This led NAHNOO, a youth non-governmental organization, to spearhead the “Horsh Beirut for All” advocacy campaign to challenge the situation in late 2010 which led to its reopening to the public 5 years later, in 2015.
The Middle Eastern and Northern African (MENA) region, faced with tumultuous changes in the last five years, shows a picture of shrinking spaces for civil society activism. In contrast, ecological activism is growing and connecting the fight for climate justice to other demands for community and indigenous rights, gender equality, democracy and transparency.
The central question for us, therefore, is how the use of natural resources needs to be organized so as to respect the ecological limits of our world and, at the same time, strengthen human rights and democracy. In order to capture the diversity of regional perspectives on this question, we have conducted an international dialogue process entitled «Resource Equity in a Finite World» which sought to harness the knowledge and experience of young people in particular, both in our partner countries and in Germany and Europe.
Through misuse, we lose 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil every year. For the International Year of Soils in 2015, this Atlas shows, why the soil should concern us all. Jointly published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies.
The Middle East is characterized by high income economies relying on energy exports, and middle to low income economies with limited resources for export. Both developmental models tend to neglect sustainability - but pollution, climate change and loss of natural resources already are rampant and will effect future generations even more drastically. Pushing for sustainable development is also a question of justice: between current and future generations, but also between those who have the means to isolate themselves from the negative repercussions of unsustainable practices, and those who have to bear the brunt of it. The program Environmental Justice puts special emphasis on the issues of climate change and renewable energies, on the access to public resources, and the right to sustainable agriculture and a just international trade regime.
The great transition - Alternative paths for a better and climate just future
The 21st session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 30 November to 11 December 2015 in Paris, France. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the CoP 21. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Paris.
The following web-dossier includes written and audio-visual media coverage of the Paris Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic.
The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 1 to 12 December 2014 in Lima, Peru. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the CoP 20. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Lima.
The following web-dossier includes articles on the Lima Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic
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Environmental Justice
Toward a Global Treaty on Plastic Waste
BERLIN – If there are any geologists in millions of years, they will easily be able to pinpoint the start of the so-called Anthropocene – the geological age during which humans became the dominant influence on our planet’s environment. Wherever they look, they will find clear evidence of its onset, in the form of plastic waste.
Dossier: Marrakech UNFCCC COP 22 – 7 to 18 November 2016
The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 7 to 18 November 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the COP 22. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Marrakech.
The following web-dossier includes written and audio-visual media coverage of the Marrakech Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic.
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.
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.
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.
Horsh Beirut Festival 2016
After the recent opening of Horsh Beirut to the public, Assabil Friends of Public Libraries and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Middle East will soon host #Horsh2016!
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.
Archive: Environmental Justice
This archive provides a list of all the older articles published under the topic "Environmental Justice"
For more on "Water Not For Sale" campain:
Read the article "When dams meet privatization: Lebanon under water transactions" by Roland Riachi published in alakhbar english on May 13th, 2014
Visit the Campain's Facebook page
Publications
Ocean Atlas: Understanding the threats to our marine ecosystems
Without the ocean there would be no life on our planet. But the future of this unique ecosystem faces a grave threat today. The Ocean Atlas 2017 delivers with its 18 contributions and 50 graphics the relevant facts and figures about the ocean.
The Horch Beirut for All Campaign 2010-2016
Public space is essential for urban life - it enables people from all social strata and backgrounds to meet, enjoy the space together, and form a harmonious identity. Yet, Beirut is notorious for its lack of such spaces.
Before the civil war, Horsh Beirut, was the only sizeable park of the city, and a place for gatherings, festivals, and traditions. However, in 1982 an Israeli raid destroyed most of it, decimating the number of trees. So following the end of the war, the Municipality of Beirut signed a partnership agreement with the Regional Council of Ile-de-France to rehabilitate the park with the initial plan of reopening it to the public in 1995. This date was then pushed back to 2002 in order to allow the newly planted pine trees to grow bigger1. However, the year 2002 came and yet the gates to the park remained shut to the public, and became only accessible to those who request a special permit from the Municipality. In practice, the vast majority of Beirut residents had become deprived of their right to enjoy the place, under the pretext that the municipality is inadequately equipped to manage it. This led NAHNOO, a youth non-governmental organization, to spearhead the “Horsh Beirut for All” advocacy campaign to challenge the situation in late 2010 which led to its reopening to the public 5 years later, in 2015.
This brochure tells the story of our journey.
Perspectives Issue#9 - A Region Heating Up: Climate Change Activism in the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle Eastern and Northern African (MENA) region, faced with tumultuous changes in the last five years, shows a picture of shrinking spaces for civil society activism. In contrast, ecological activism is growing and connecting the fight for climate justice to other demands for community and indigenous rights, gender equality, democracy and transparency.
Resource Politics for a Fair Future
The central question for us, therefore, is how the use of natural resources needs to be organized so as to respect the ecological limits of our world and, at the same time, strengthen human rights and democracy. In order to capture the diversity of regional perspectives on this question, we have conducted an international dialogue process entitled «Resource Equity in a Finite World» which sought to harness the knowledge and experience of young people in particular, both in our partner countries and in Germany and Europe.
Soil Atlas: Facts and figures about earth, land and fields
Through misuse, we lose 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil every year. For the International Year of Soils in 2015, this Atlas shows, why the soil should concern us all. Jointly published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies.
What we do
The Middle East is characterized by high income economies relying on energy exports, and middle to low income economies with limited resources for export. Both developmental models tend to neglect sustainability - but pollution, climate change and loss of natural resources already are rampant and will effect future generations even more drastically. Pushing for sustainable development is also a question of justice: between current and future generations, but also between those who have the means to isolate themselves from the negative repercussions of unsustainable practices, and those who have to bear the brunt of it. The program Environmental Justice puts special emphasis on the issues of climate change and renewable energies, on the access to public resources, and the right to sustainable agriculture and a just international trade regime.
The great transition - Alternative paths for a better and climate just future
The final episode of the Heinrich Boell Foundation's Podcast Series „Tipping Point“ on Climate Justice in the Anthropocene is now online: The great transition - Alternative paths for a better and climate just future
See also boell.de/tippingpoint for the other episodes such as the License to pollute - Carbon markets and the new economy of nature
Dossier: Paris Climate Change Conference - 30 Nov-11 Dec 2015
The 21st session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 30 November to 11 December 2015 in Paris, France. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the CoP 21. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Paris.
The following web-dossier includes written and audio-visual media coverage of the Paris Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic.
Dossier: Lima Climate Change Conference - 1-12 December 2014
The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties of United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 1 to 12 December 2014 in Lima, Peru. Delegates from the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Offices worldwide and their partners are represented in the CoP 20. The Heinrich Boell Stiftung, MENA Beirut office has supported journalists from the region to travel and report on the conference from Lima.
The following web-dossier includes articles on the Lima Climate Change Conference from delegates and journalists in English, French and Arabic