An enabling environment for elite capture: Report This paper shows how since the 1990s, Lebanon's environmental policy-making has been transferred to the benefit of politicians and their network of oligarchs. It makes this argument by zooming in on the quarrying industry and the energy sector. pdf
The Environment Is a Feminist Issue Climate change is arguably the biggest challenge we are facing this century. In our region alone, climate-related issues that have emerged over the past decades include water scarcity, land degradation, weather extremes, food insecurity, and conflict. Climate change and its ensuing effects are felt differently by various people based on gender, class, race, and national origin. Similarly, coping strategies towards the climate crisis vary according to the same factors.
The Untold Revolution: Food Sovereignty in Palestine Untold Revolution documents the beginning of the journey of the agricultural movement towards food sovereignty in Palestine, from an emancipatory ideological standpoint that seeks to break away from the dependence on the Israeli occupier and the global monopolistic companies. The movement advocates for the adoption of food production systems that are based on natural resources, local production inputs, values of cooperation, and agricultural practices that are culturally, environmentally, socially, economically, and nationally appropriate for the Palestinian context.
The Land "The Legal Notebook" continues in the film "Al-Muraj," produced in collaboration with the "Beirut DC" Association, presenting the case of Marj Bisri, which it dedicated a full issue to in its monthly magazine. The film narrates the stories of the residents of the Bisri Basin with Al-Muraj, their connection to it, and the memories and stories of their ancestors and fathers within its expanse. Al-Muraj has always been a playground of their childhood, a source of livelihood, and a gateway to knowledge and production. The film also documents the risks of the Bisri Dam through the testimonies of the residents and the data provided by experts and scientists, within an artistic framework brilliantly directed by filmmaker Mohammed Sabah. The World Bank's decision on August 4, 2020, to suspend funding for the Bisri Dam project serves as the beautiful conclusion to the film, highlighting the struggle of the residents of Al-Muraj, along with the revolutionaries, activists, and advocates of Lebanon.
The Invisible Water This short film aims to make us reflect upon how we use and consume water, without being aware of it: this is about so-called ‘virtual water’ – the ‘invisible water’ that goes into making products around the world, from food to household goods, clothing or buildings. This short film sensitises us to the water we most often do not see.
Nohye El Ard: Birth of Community Garden in Saida This film narrates the birth of the first community garden in Lebanon and the everyday life of the communities that farm and tend to this communal space. It explores the personal relationships of the different members of this community to land and urban agriculture. The film also discusses the importance of such collective spaces in cities and the urgency of protecting nature and agriculture as a public right and need for urban dwellers.
