Climate change and the Lebanese economy
Interview with Julie Harb - Saint Joseph University (Lebanon), Institut de la Méditerranée and FEMISE.
Julie Harb is one of the young researchers who contributed to the report "The challenges of climate change in the Mediterranean” (available in May). She stresses the need for more public efforts for environmental protection and the need for a change in attitudes towards climate change.
Q - What forces and efforts are underway for the protection of the environment and to limit the impact of climate change in Lebanon? What sectoral examples to put forward?
A - It should be noted that the State has made some efforts in the past in the protection of the environment through certain legislations: this is the case for example with the law no. 444/2002 which presents the only major legislation dealing directly with climate change in Lebanon or the law 341/2001 on the reduction of air pollution by transport which indirectly mentions the protection of the environment.
On the sectoral level, a renewable energy project was set up to supply 20 MW of solar energy and should have been finalized in 2016. However, to date, this photovoltaic farm supplies only 1 MW. The Ministry of Energy and Water has issued several laws concerning this sector but unfortunately no implementation decree has been added to the text.
Read the full interview via FEMISE.
[Photo by Jad Berro | Flickr]
