| | Appropriate technology center for south Lebanon
| | By Najib Saab
July - August 2000
As grand plans are being developed to rebuild south Lebanon, "international sales representatives" from a variety of agencies are flocking the country to promote their catalogue products and services, based on a pre-conceived model of development. While international experience and financial support are essential, development projects should be designed to suit the needs of the people concerned, not the agendas of foreign experts, agencies and their local associates. The reconstruction of the liberated south should be seen as an opportunity to introduce integrated development concepts, based on capacity building of the rural communities, and involving people as real partners in planning and execution. This includes taking environmental considerations into account at the planning stage, to ensure that rush bandage solutions do not produce self-destructive effects in the future.
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| | A green platform for Lebanese elections
| | By Najib Saab
June 2000
Are we overstepping realistic boundaries by endorsing an environmental platform, in a country where elections are rarely accompanied by any program whatsoever, be it on politics, sociology, economy, education, or basic human rights, let alone environment? | | more... | |
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| | Paranoia won't save the environment
| | By Najib Saab
May 2000
There is a general tendency to always blame others for environmental deterioration. So the public accuses neighbors, industrialists, farmers, politicians and even other countries. This attitude is no more restricted to the public, as it also characterizes the behavior of many environmental groups. But when environmentalists lay the blame solely on other people and external factors, they relinquish their primary responsibility to find solutions and devise realistic and applicable environmental policies to be promoted among decision makers and the general public. | | more... | |
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| | Arab environment: the public has spoken, now the governments should listen!
| | By Najib Saab
April 2000
The principal conclusion emerging from the data analysis of the first environmental Arab public opinion survey, released last week by Environment & Development magazine, is that the public concurs that the environmental situation is getting worse and demands that steps be taken to improve it. People also agree that governments are basically to blame for the environmental deterioration and are in turn responsible for repair. Most striking was that respondents indicated their willingness to pay higher taxes if these are allocated to protect the environment. They overwhelmingly showed acceptance to take personal environmentally-friendly action, by changing their life styles and consumption habits.
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 | | | Arab Environment in 10 Years | | | ARAB ENVIRONMENT IN 10 YEARS crowns a decade of the series of annual reports produced by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) on the state of Arab environment. It tracks and analyzes changes focusing on policies and governance, including level of response and engagement in international environmental treaties. It also highlights developments in six selected priority areas, namely water, energy, air, food, green economy and environmental scientific research. |
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