Environmental Justice

En Finir avec la Pollution Plastique Mondiale

Les plastiques ont permis de développer notre économie parce qu’il s’agit d’un matériau polyvalent, durable et peu coûteux. On les utilise pour produire des emballages alimentaires, des sacs de course, des produits de consommation du quotidien : des jouets, des vêtements, des appareils électroniques, mais aussi des pièces automobiles, du matériel médical, et mille choses encore. Les plastiques sont devenus un matériau essentiel à toutes les économies.

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

City Debates 2018

City Debates is a yearly conference organized by the Masters in Urban Planning & Policy and Masters in Urban Design Programs at the American University of Beirut. This year, Professor Ralf Pasel joined AUB's City Debates 2018 in Beirut and summarized his presentation in the following 2 podcasts:

PROFESSOR RALF PASEL ON SITUATIONAL URBANISM

Professor Ralf Pasel on Situational Urbanism - Heinrich Böll Foundation Beirut - Middle East

video-thumbnail Watch on YouTube

PROFESSOR RALF PASEL ON HOUSING PROJECTS FOR REFUGEES IN GERMANY

Professor Ralf Pasel on Housing Projects for Refugees in Germany - Heinrich Böll Foundation Beirut - Middle East

video-thumbnail Watch on YouTube

Greenline Water Campaign TV Spot - fwdprodclips

video-thumbnail Watch on YouTube

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

Peasants with a green globe in the background

Agroecology in Lebanon

Research
Did you know that small-scale peasant farmers produce 70% of the world's food? Our Partner JIBAL.org and their researchers have been engaging in important conversations around the debate about who really feeds the world at the national and international levels. Check out their latest publication on “Agroecology in Lebanon” to find out more about how agroecology- an alternative food system vision– is being used in Lebanon as a tool to build a more equitable food system.
Cover of the research Paper

UNPACKING SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICIES IN LEBANON

Research Paper
This research paper employs a systems analysis to explore how solid waste mismanagement has been an intentional political decision-making process tailored to nurture and protect dysfunctionality through elite capture and clientelism. The hypothesis will be presented using a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) which will then be analyzed and validated via case studies involving the municipalities of Beit Mery, Dhour Choueir, and Brih. This paper published with the cooperation of Arab Reform Initiative A paper by Cynthia Kreidy, Policy Analyst, Millennium Institute  
Piles of solid waste in a street in Lebanon

Impacting policies: Waste management and advocacy in Lebanon.

Paper
This paper tackles the evolution and role of civil society actors and advocacy campaigns concerning Solid Waste Management since the 2015 waste crisis. It addresses the organization, advocacy strategies, tools, challenges, adopted roadmaps, and lessons learned from these movements and coalitions, using a comparative analysis between the Harak movement that emerged during the 2015 waste crisis and the Waste Management Coalition that formed in 2017 in the face of persistent waste mismanagement and the government plans to adopt waste incineration.

Power Poverty Hunger

In 2020, 768 million people suffered from hunger and undernourishment. That is almost 10 percent of the global population. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expects these numbers to rise further as a result of the economic crisis triggered by covid-19, extreme weather events, and conflicts.
Cover of Plastic Atlas MENA region 1st edition

Plastic Atlas

Plastic is ubiquitous: we use it for life-saving medical devices, clothing, toys and cosmetics; we use it in agriculture and industry. But we also know the growing risk of plastic waste in the environment, landfills and the oceans.