Horsh Beirut to open to the public for 3 hours on Saturday August 30

Source: Blog Baladi

Horsh Beirut, a 25,000 square meter park that contains the majority of Beirut’s green space, has been closed to the public for 15 years. The Municipality of Beirut has prohibited access to the park for fear of vandalism and poor maintenance. Officially, regulations state that any Lebanese over 30 years old with permission and foreigners are allowed in the park. In reality, granting access is selective and only those who appear to be wealthy or are western foreigners are allowed to enter. This could be changing though as the NGO NAHNOO have received permission not usually granted by the municipality to open the park to the public on August 30 from 6 to 9 pm. The event is advertised as a picnic with live music.

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Palestinian water woes are a result of occupation, not climate change

Source: Electronic intifada

As the Middle East suffers from drought caused by weather patterns and climate change, a population in the region has been enduring water shortages for years. The culprit in this case is human. Since the beginning of the occupation of Palestine, Israel has controlled and limited the Palestinian access to water. Israel controls the water resources and uses over 80% of water pumped from the mountain aquifer which is located in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Palestinians have an annual quota of water set by Israel and they are not allowed to dig any new water wells. The figure below shows the difference water consumption between Palestinians and Israelis. While Palestinian consumption is well below the 100 liters per capita per day recommended amount set by the World Health Organizations, Israel’s declared consumption per capita is almost double that.

AUB investigates renewable energy source along the Lebanese coast

Source: Panoramio

A research team at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut has been conducting investigations on algae along the Lebanese coast. The goal of these activities is to identify various types of algae that could provide a source for nutrition and renewable energy. The research is part of a larger EU-funded project that aims to identify potential sources of renewable energy in Lebanon and other countries on the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Egypt). The research found that some of the algae were an excellent source of protein and other nutritional supplements. The preliminary results seem promising, as high levels of omega-3 and anti-oxidants were found in micro algae off the coast of Byblos. The potential for renewable energy is still not clear.

Combatting climate change and investing in the energy sector in Lebanon: a win-win situation

The Arab world is one of the world’s most water scarce and dry regions and extremely vulnerable to climate change. While the influence of climate change on the current drought is not conclusive, many scientists predict irregular weather patterns including drought, flooding, rising sea level, among others. This will have major implications on food security and could cause famine and poverty in the region. The Arab population could face severe water stress causing massive migration. In Lebanon, sea level rise could displace 2 million people and cause $35 billion in damages.

Akkar struggles with environmental degradation

Source: How Stuff Works

Lebanon faces a myriad of environmental challenges; most notably is the mismanagement of its natural resources. Water suffers from river pollution, groundwater contamination and sea pollution.  The drought over the past few years has intensified and water shortage has lead to calls for declaring a state of water emergency. Forests in Lebanon are not spared either; in the last 40 years forest cover throughout the country has been reduced by 35%. Forest fires and illegal logging of trees are the main culprits. Many illegal stone quarries are operating throughout Lebanon extracting stone, but even the legal ones have caused damage to surrounding ecosystems.

Tara Méditerranée docks in Beirut

Source: http://www.conservation.org

Tara Expedition is a French non-profit organization dedicated to scientific research of the sea and has, since its inception, conducted various expeditions to the arctic researching a myriad of topics such as plastic pollution, air pollution and ocean color and composition. Over the past ten years, Tara conducted extensive research on various aspects of the sea and how it is affected by climate change. Their latest expedition, Tara Méditerranée, will investigate the Mediterranean Sea to study plastic pollution and raise awareness on environmental challenges in the region.

Removal of Sidon’s “garbage mountain” reaps immediate rewards

Source: Wikipedia

One of the main adverse environmental impacts from Sidon’s “garbage mountain” had been the deterioration of marine life along that stretch of the coast, as nitrogen and heavy metals were spilling into the sea waters. About a month ago, through a UNDP and Ministry of Environment project, the garbage was removed and buried in a sanitary landfill nearby. A 2,200 meter long seawall was also constructed to protect the ecological environment.

The vital role of NGOs in Lebanon’s oil and gas sector

Source: Now Media Website

Lebanon’s first licensing round for oil and gas exploration has been postponed four times in the last 18 months; a fifth postponement seems likely. Various stakeholders have been active in this sector, except for local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), even though they are an essential watchdog to for this complex industry. The Lebanese government and institutions do not have the best reputation for transparency, as the country’s Corruption Perception Index is 28 (ranked 127 out of 174 countries) . This is why NGOs are needed to implement oversight programs to ensure that none of the billions of dollars of revenues received by the government is unaccounted for.

Heat wave causes forest fires in north and south of Lebanon

Source: Saido Online

On Wednesday afternoon, forest fires erupted in the south and north of Lebanon. The main casualty to these fires was 3,000 square meters of oak trees and forages. The fire was caused by the current heat wave the country is suffering from.  The Meteorological Department at the Beirut International Airport expects the heat wave to subside, lowering the risk of more forest fires in the near future. David Schroder, the Director of Economic Growth, Water and Environment at USAID-Lebanon explained that the low precipitation rates of the previous winter season have lead to less than normal moisture in the ground, increasing forests’ susceptibility to fires. He also explained that there are other risks of accidental as many refugees live and cook outdoors in rural areas.