Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is a social movement and analytical framework to address the unfair exposure of marginalized communities to the harms associated with resource extraction, hazardous waste, and other land uses. But how does Environmental and Climate (In)Justice manifest itself in the region? And how are the dominant economic and development models in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq affecting future generations? Pushing for sustainable development and a just transition is thus a question of justice: between current and future generations, between those who benefit and those who are affected by these practices, and between those who have the means to isolate themselves from their negative repercussions, and those who have to endure the most of it. The Environmental Justice Program tries to put 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.

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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.

Recent Articles
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Inside COP 24 in Katowice

Great expectations, low execution: The Katowice climate change conference COP 24

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City Debates

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
Dossiers

Dossier: United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP24) Katowice, Poland – 2 to 14 December 2018

Dossier: Marrakech UNFCCC COP 22 – 7 to 18 November 2016

Dossier: Paris Climate Change Conference - 30 Nov-11 Dec 2015