Environmental Justice

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.

First published on project-syndicate.org on 16-May-2017

Read Heinrich Boell Foundation recent study Stopping Global Plastic Pollution

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

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

First published on Heinrich Von Arabien on 07/06/2017

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, Nora Löhle

First published on boell.de on 02/06/2017

Archive: Environmental Justice

This archive provides a list of all the older articles published under the topic "Environmental Justice"

Water is a human right and a public good, water is not gold

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

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Since the Lebanese "waste crisis" broke out in 2015, NGOs, private enterprises and citizens have worked in order to fill the vacuum in the provision of Solid Waste Management-related services. The intervention of the aforementioned actors often times working independently from the central government has brought about a more decentralised Solid Waste Management system. The benefits, the difficulties and the position of such a system vis à vis the Lebanese state are explored in this paper through the testimonies of individuals currently operating in the Solid Waste Management sector.

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After examinig the current state of agriculture in Lebanon, this article will investigate the implications of the Lebanese food production system and will try to identify the reasons underlying this situation. Finally, the article will shed light on the emergence of a form of ‘alternative agriculture’ and will try to understand whether or not it can be a sustainable solution to assure food security in the country in the face of rapidly advancing climate change.

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Countless combinations of tastes and textures shape the rich culinary landscape of the region. Bridging cultural differences and political rifts, food is a common thread for many in the Arabic speaking world. It is an essential part of a nation’s identity and sophisticated recipes are almost an issue of national pride: although most mouth-watering dishes are often the result of a long history of international migration of ingredients.

Add to cart

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.

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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.

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

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.

View the dossien on boell.de

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

Environmental Justice