By Najib Saab, Issue 33, December 2000

The heated debate around the political and economic aspects of the Lebanese Government's policy statement, delivered by Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, disregarded the environmental section, which we thought was the most interesting in this policy. It is for the first time in Lebanon that the cabinet's policy includes definitive environmental guiding principles, going beyond slogans and fancy rhetoric. In this policy statement we see a clear perception of what the government promises to accomplish at the environmental level, beginning by calling for an environmental state of emergency, setting priorities, establishing a national agency for environmental research and implementing a system of incentives versus taxation, which effectively supports clean production while punishing polluters.

Most journalists and spokesmen of environmental groups missed the point when they described the environmental section of the policy statement as usual and repetitious, probably because they hadn't read it carefully enough. That is why it's beneficial to go over this policy statement with care, and compare it with other policy statements of previous governments.

The policy statement of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's Government in November 1996 designated a section to environment that promised, in general terms, to "ensure the implementation of the land use laws in un-zoned areas, protecting agricultural areas and natural reserves, regulating the industrial sector, protecting the coastline, stopping environmental mayhem, finding a fundamental solution for solid waste, waste dumps, and stone quarries, and developing a modern administrative structure for the ministry…" These are headlines of well-known problems, but were stated in a discrete and incoherent manner, and lacked any perception of how to go about solving them.

The most recent policy statement was pioneering in awarding the environmental issue what it deserved. In a letter he wrote to Environment & Development magazine a year ago, Prime Minister Rafic Hariri had promised, while still leading the opposition at the time, to place environmental problems at the top of his concerns for the twenty first century. He also outlined a well-structured environmental program, in a fashion unprecedented by traditional politicians. When we published that letter preceding the editorial of January's 2000 issue of Environment & Development magazine, some environmentalists accused us of promoting false promises by an opposition politician, designed for fast consumption. Those insisted that he would abandon environmental commitments once he was back in power. Now Prime Minister Rafic Hariri is indeed back on top of the government, with an announced environmental policy that mirrors what he had promised a year ago.

The environmental section in the policy statement begins by stressing that "the government will place environment as a priority on its agenda." It went on to explain this decision and its importance to the people's well-being by stating that "recent experiences around the world have confirmed that environmentally sound decisions can also be sound economically, especially if we were to take into consideration the future of coming generations, instead of instant gains.

The second paragraph was characterized by a clear-cut commitment, rare for policy statements, as it called for an "environmental state of emergency in Lebanon, to stop immediately all activities causing irreparable damage to nature and resources, and to set an explicit environmental policy and a plan-of-action to be implemented within a specific timetable".

In response to those accusing him of promoting expedited development at the expense of other essential issues, Prime Minister Hariri clearly stated in the policy statement that "environmental management as we understand it is not an addition to the development policy; it rather is an integral part of this policy".

In order for environmental issues to be placed in the hands of professionals and not amateur players, and to stop treating ministries as guinea pigs, the policy statement asked for the "establishment of a National Environment Agency, entrusted with carrying out scientific research and setting standards. This will ensure that environmental policies are based on reliable data and not amateurish guessing and witch-hunt." Promising to establish this independent institution may be the most prominent theme in the policy statement, as it represents an advanced step towards creating active environmental institutions and defining rational scientific policies that are not bound by circumstantial interests.

The statement links fiscal and taxation aspects to the environmental policy, promising not only to make polluters pay, but also rewarding environmentally-friendly actions, by applying tax exemptions to encourage clean production and other protection initiatives: "Implementation of sound environmental policies cannot be achieved through restrictions and taxes only, but also through incentives which would award sound environmental practices and encourage individuals and establishments to adopt measures for protecting the environment, such as granting material support and tax exemptions while imposing taxes and fines on polluters." The statement concludes by stressing the need to "work together - ordinary citizens, politicians, industrialists, traders, intellectuals and decision-makers alike - to ensure a healthy environment for future generations".

It is for the first time that we feel that there is indeed a clear framework for a state environmental policy, which reflects the aspirations of environmentalists. It still remains to be seen if this policy will become a plan-of-action, translated into concrete programs that reflect the environmental state of emergency called for by the policy statement. The environment section in the policy statement was a strong proclamation of intentions that must be followed by definitive schemes prepared and executed by professionals. As much as we support the government's new environmental inclination, we should be keeping a close watch on its course of action to make sure that promises will be turned into deeds.