www.worldenvironment.tv
WORLDENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
Gas & Global Energy A Sustainable System WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE
Climate Change The Consequence of Human Actions Bwala Five Five Ghana: Picking Waste for a Living
BOTSWANA & ZIMBABWE No 12 / WINTER 2014
From the Okavango Delta to the Victoria Falls A Journey Like no Other
12
CONTENTS Climate Change
Green Economy
Waste Management
Eco-Living
4... Contributors The People who Made this Issue
12... The Arab Spring and the Environment
38... New Technology Dynamic Composting
6... Foreword Cathy Chami Tyan
20... Climate Change
56... Bwala Five Five Ghana: Picking Waste for a Living
44... Reforestation
70... From Trash to Art An Artistic Representation of History & Fame Through the Tapes of Erika Simmons
144...Marijuana: Addictive or Medicinal? Conceptions and Misconceptions of Marijuana Use
8... BookReviews The Books we Love to Read 10... Short News
The Consequence of Untapped Spaces Human Actions
Water
Energy 28... Looking at Lebanon’s Electricity Crisis Through a Gender Lens How Power Cuts Affect Women’s Lives in Lebanon 34... Gas & Global Energy A Sustainable System
48... Launching Ceremony of “BLUE GOLD” The Water as a National Wealth A Call for Unity Between the Lebanese People on Unifying Socio - Economic Options
Around the World in Photos 81... Aerial Darfur Ecotourism 106... Botswana & Zimbabwe From the Okavango Delta to the Victoria Falls a Journey Like no Other 126... Ecotourism in Lebanon Trends, Developments & Missed Opportunities
148... World Champion Twice in a Row Gold Medalist at Heart Biodiversity 156...Celebration of the International Day of Biodiversity Merging the Arts & Sciences to Raise Awareness on the Importance of Cultural Landscapes 159...Agenda 160...URL page
132... Bolivia Tourism Goes Green Botswana Photography Laetitia Tyan
Chairman, Andrea Tucci, a.tucci@worldenvironment.tv. Editorial Director, Cathy Chami Tyan, c.tyan@worldenvironment.tv Editorial Project Coordinator, Mona Samari, mona@communicationsinc.co.uk Editing, Laetitia Chattat Concept & Design, RAIDY | www.raidy.com Photography,Blue Gold of Lebanon, Diego Fernandez Gabaldon, Jouzour Loubnan, Laetitia Tyan, Olivier Ervyn, Mada Association, WE Group, Sales and Advertisements, Vanessa AbdelAhad, vanessa@worldenvironment.tv, adv@worldenvironment.tv Informations, info@worldenvironment.tv Subscriptions, Subscription@worldenvironment.tv, P.O.Box 1396 Beit Mery, Lebanon Printing, RAIDY | www.raidy.com Publisher, World Environment Group Copyright, The articles become part of the magazine’s archives. Further publishings on other issues must be authorized by the editor following the author’s consent ISSN 17379229
WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE’s policy is to use papers that are wood free, renewable, recyclable and from sustainable sources. In addition, all waste is sent for recycling. WORLD ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE is available online at www.worldenvironment.tv 2
CONTRIBUTORS Sherine Boueiz is a dynamic international professional with a keen interest in Wellbeing and a passion for Nature. A Psychologist by background, she has worked for multinationals in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East on various Corporate Communications projects, such as Corporate Social Responsibility and development. She is also devoted to activities involving health and relaxation therapies, like TaijiQuan or Natural treatments, all with the aim of improving the quality of life.
Laetitia Tyan Born in 2001 Laetitia is the youngest contributor to World Environment Magazine. Since a very young age Laetitia has traveled with family and friends to the wildest destinations. She has developed a passion for photography. During her last trip to Botswana and Zimbabwe she took amazing photos of a unique destination and captured moments of wildlife at its best.
Diego Fernandez Gabaldon is a humanitarian worker with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. He has served in Darfur, Sudan (2004 - 2007), West Timor, Indonesia (2008), Afghanistan (2010 – 2011) and Kenya (2011). While living in communities devastated by tragedy, Diego gathered images of the day-to-day life of Darfurians, West Timorese and Afghans, capturing their beauty, resilience and humanity. Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Diego is an economist by profession, and worked with the Spanish Embassies in Iraq and Thailand, before joining WFP. Diego’s pictures can be found at: www.diegofgphoto.net
4
Mona Samari Originally Tunisian, and born in London, Mona comes from a human rights and environment protection background, with over ten years experience as a campaigns and communications professional. Over the years, Mona has worked on a number of human right campaigns with a special focus on access to information, freedom of expression and whistleblower protection. As part of the International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan, Mona worked on the release of imprisoned Azeri journalist Eynulla Fattulayev, who was awarded the 2012 UNESCO Press Freedom Prize. More recently, Mona established the Middle East Office of ARTICLE 19 in Tunisia and organized workshops for journalists in rural areas of Tunisia on how to guarantee freedom of expression in the new constitution. In addition to human rights work, Mona has been working on major marine conservation campaigns since 2007, with a special focus on commercial endangered species conservation in European waters and more recently, Antarctic ocean conservation campaigns. Mona was also involved in the launch of the Arab Youth Climate Movement in 2012. In her spare time, Mona curates art exhibitions in London.
Zeina Ghossoub el-Aswad started her carreer as a clinical dietitian twenty years ago, she has since trained as a wellness executive and life coach. She guides individuals, publishes books and numerous articles, gives seminars and lectures, appears on national and international television shows, owns and operates a premier wellness center, and is completing her doctoral studies in counseling. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation and is becoming a master’s wellness coach. She is the highest credentialed coach in the Middle East and is affiliated with world renowned coaches like Dr. Cathy Greenberg. She brings years of experience and a wealth of unsurpassed knowledge in wellness coaching.
Nathalie Rosa Bucher
is a freelance journalist and world traveler, of French and German origins. She has set her bags in Lebanon and has become passionate about Lebanese culture and way of life. She is also a keen believer in the urgent need of renewable energy. She is currently collaborating with MIRROS Communication & Media Services on many topics amongst them environment and socio-economy.
Elsa Sattout is an assistant Professor in the faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences- Notre Dame University, Louaize-Lebanon. A multi-disciplinary development professional and a teacher serving the community in two thematic areas biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. She has served the world communities at national, regional and global levels through International and National Environmental Governances and NGOS on issues relevant to the conservation of biodiversity and sustainability. She believes in the role of environmental education (EE) in building better societies caring for the earth and in the importance of merging arts and sciences to better relay the messages to the communities and to infuse them in societies. Inspired to strengthen the role of the communities especially women in EE for a greater participation in biodiversity conservation in the Arab World.
Mariejoe J. Raidy Growing up in a region known for political upheaval and uncertainty, MarieJoe advocates for doing business in the MENA region in a way that is environmentally responsible and ethically driven. As Partner in Raidy Printing Group, she spearheaded an effort to adopt innovative, eco-friendly printing techniques while maintaining their leading position in High Quality Security Printing, Publications Printing, Packaging and Commercial Printing. Mariejoe has also partnered with Creative Lounges, a Branding and New Media Agency operating from Europe to the world, and has also helped them become a green company while growing their portfolio in the MENA region. Working with the American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, she helped create the “Better Business Group� in Beirut, which encourages Lebanese individuals and corporations to adhere to a code of business ethics. MarieJoe is also head of the Communication Committee in the Lebanese League of Women in Business, a Network Hub of the MENA Businesswomen’s Network, and Child of Lebanon, an NGO for the protection of Children in Lebanon.
Laetitia Chattat was born in Lebanon and brought up in Australia. She moved back to Lebanon in 2009. At age 16 she won the prestigious Best delegate award, in the Global Classrooms Model United Nation in the United Nations Headquarters, New York City. She is studying International Law. With an experience in book editing, she recently joined World Environment Magazine as copy writer and writer.
Martin Zoller lived in Bolivia from 1994 to 2006. After almost two years of living in Beirut (2008/2009), in 2011, he moved back to South America with his wife and is happy to call it his home. Together they give seminars about the power of intuition and meditations. Zoller is author of five books, many articles in magazines and newspapers and hosted TV Shows in Germany and Bolivia. He also does psychic consultations for individuals, corporations and political parties/individuals. Since 2013, he and his wife organize tours to Bolivia and Peru.
Olivier Ervyn Olivier Ervyn (b.1970) is a Belgian documentary photographer. Based in Brussels, he has travelled extensively in West Africa to document the life of poor and excluded individuals. The Ghana series is part of a wider project to show extent to which some take risks to earn a living. He is currently working on two other projects, one on African churches in Europe and the other on new forms of poverty in rich economies.
5
Winter 2014
FOREWORD
“To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed.” - Theodore Roosevelt
6
On the 8th of November, a week before the Warsaw Climate Change Conference, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines. It was one of the most intense tropical storms to ever make landfall anywhere in the world. It brought torrential rain, sustained winds of over 195mph and a storm surge of up to 30 feet that devastated coastal areas leaving behind countless dead and millions of people affected, including hundreds of thousands who have been forced from their homes. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expressed “scientists’ confidence that climate is warming and that humans are responsible for at least half of the increase in temperatures since the 1950s”. Natural resources are being used extensively for construction, industries, transport, and consumption has increased enormously, creating mountains of waste. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the Climate Change Vulnerability Index, stated that climate change “may pose a serious obstacle to sustainable economic growth in the world’s most commercially important cities”. Cities, such as Dhaka, Mumbai, Manila, Kolkata, Bangkok were ranked as “highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, by evaluating their risk of exposure to extreme climate events, the sensitivity of their populations to that exposure and the adaptive capacity of governments to respond to the challenge.” At WE Magazine, we work not only to show you the beauty of our vast environment, but also to inform you, in hope that as a community we can recognize that positive human action can lead to unimaginable results. I dedicate this issue to those who died in the Philippines and to the millions of people who suffer everyday from Climate Change. To avoid more human made disasters, and because we all contribute in our daily lives to this change I call each one of us to act: consume less, save energy, protect natural resources, generate less waste, recycle and reuse, use less paper and give a thought to the number of trees we use each day. Ultimately, It is a call for governments to encourage sustainable development by preserving our natural resources, protecting our forests, planting more, and using new renewable and clean energies. - Cathy Chami Tyan, Chief editor
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
BOOKREVIEWS Improving Global Environmental Governance
Social and Economic Benefits of Protected Areas
Best Practices for Architecture and Agency
An Assessment Guide Edited by Marianne Kettunen, Patrick Ten Brink
By Norichika Kanie, Steinar Andresen, Peter M. Haas
The book covers a wide range of issues pertaining to environmental governance including transboundary air pollution, marine pollution, biodiversity and ozone depletion. It also examines partnerships as a hybrid case of emerging modes of environmental governance. These partnerships are a recent form of actor configuration that warrant attention for dealing with global environmental threats in order to better understand the full potential of actor configurations in the absence of state involvement.
8
The Energy of Nations Risk Blindness and the Road to Renaissance By Jeremy Leggett
Jeremy Leggett gives a personal testimony of the dangers often ignored and incompletely misunderstood - a journey through the human mind, the institutionalization of denial, and the reasons civilizations fail. It is also an account of tantalizing hope, because mobilizing renewables and redeploying energy funding can soften the crash of modern capitalism and set us on a road to renaissance.
This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the socio-economic benefits of PAs and PA networks and provides step-by-step practical guidance on identifying, assessing and valuing the various ecosystem services and related benefits provided by PAs. It also aims to improve the communication of PA benefits to different stakeholders and the general public. It is shown that identifying and valuing the socioeconomic benefits of PAs can be beneficial for several reasons. Demonstrating socio-economic importance of a protected site can significantly increase political and stakeholder support for the site and resolve conflicts between different interest groups.
Culture, Architecture and Nature An Ecological Design Retrospective By Sim Van Der Ryn
Routledge International Handbook of Social and Environmental Change By Stewart Lockie, David A. Sonnenfeld, Dana R. Fisher
The Routledge International Handbook of Social and Environmental Change reviews the major ways in which social scientists are conceptualizing more integrated perspectives on society and nature, from the global to local levels. The chapters in this volume, by international experts from a variety of disciplines, explore the challenges, contradictions and consequences of social–ecological change, along with the uncertainties and governance dilemmas they create.
With an introductory chapter and further recommended reading for each decade, this book is key reading for any architect or designer today practising today, and students will find a wealth of knowledge with which to support their studies. The author’s beautiful illustrations, painted in a corresponding timescale to the chapters, offer further insight into the way he understands the challenges of humanity’s stewardship of our planet.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation By Kenneth Amaeshi, Paul Nnodim, Osuji Onyeka
This book contributes to the theorization of CSR by presenting the meaning of CSR in a clear and distinct manner, giving the ongoing CSR debate a new direction anchored on a firm economic philosophy. It reinforces the view of firms as social institutions as well as economic actors, establishing CSR as a form of justice rather than philanthropy. Articulating CSR as private governance of corporate externalities, for the first time, this book provides researchers with a new paradigm to translate knowledge into action and offers reflective managers an alternative framework in which to explore their corporate strategies and decisions. 9
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
SHORT NEWS
MAGAZINE
10
UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN WARSAW KEEPS GOVERNMENTS ON TRACK TOWARDS 2015 CLIMATE AGREEMENT The UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw ended keeping governments on track towards a universal climate agreement in 2015 and including significant new decisions that will cut emissions from deforestation and on loss and damage. “Warsaw has set a pathway for governments to work on a draft text of a new universal climate agreement so it appears on the table at the next UN Climate change conference in Peru. In the context of 2015, countries decided to initiate or intensify domestic preparation for their intended national contributions towards that agreement, which will come into force from 2020. Parties ready to do this will submit clear and transparent plans well in advance of COP 21, in Paris, and by the first quarter of 2015. Countries also resolved to close the pre-2020 ambition gap by intensifying technical work and more frequent engagement of Ministers. The conference also decided to establish an international mechanism to provide most vulnerable populations with better protection against loss and damage caused by extreme weather events and slow onset events such as rising sea levels. In addition, governments provided more clarity on mobilizing finance to support developing country actions to curb emissions and adapt to climate change. This includes requesting developed countries to prepare biennial submissions on their updated strategies and approaches for scaling up finance between 2014 and 2020. The Warsaw meeting also resulted in concrete announcements of
forthcoming contributions of public climate finance to support developing nation action, including from Norway, the UK, EU, US, Republic of Korea, Japan, Sweden, Germany and Finland. Meanwhile, the Green Climate Fund Board is to commence its initial resource mobilization process as soon as possible and developed countries were asked for ambitious, timely contributions by COP 20, in December, next year, to enable an effective operationalization. The agreements included a significant set of decisions on ways to help developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and the degradation of forests, which account for around one fifth of all human-generated emissions. The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ is backed by pledges of 280 million dollars financing from the US, Norway and the UK. In Warsaw, a milestone was passed after 48 of the poorest countries of the world finalized a comprehensive set of plans to deal with the inevitable impacts of climate change. With these plans, the countries can better assess the immediate impacts of climate change and what they need in the way of support to become more resilient. Developed countries, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland have also paid or pledged over 100 million dollars to add to the Adaptation Fund, which has now started to fund national projects. Governments completed work on the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) so that it can immediately respond to requests from developing countries for advice and assistance on the transfer of technology. The CTCN is open for business and is encouraging developing countries to set up focal points to accelerate the transfer of technology.
“Saving the world requires saving democracy. That requires wellinformed citizens. Conservation, environment, poverty, community, education, family, health, economy- these combine to make one quest: liberty and justice for all. Whether one's special emphasis is global warming or child welfare, the cause is the same cause. And justice comes from the same place being human comes from: compassion.� - Carl Safina, The View from Lazy Point: A Natural Year in an Unnatural World
CLIMATE CHANGE
Magazine The Arab Spring and the Environment ..............................12 By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
Climate Change................................20 By Laetitia Chattat
❮
By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
The Arab Spring and the Environment
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
The Seeds of the Arab Revolutions The underlying causes of the Arab Spring, viewed by some as an event, by others as an ongoing process and – often in the Arab world – dismissed as a misnomer, were invisible to some: “Like everyone else, we didn’t see it coming,” Eric Goldstein commences his article Before the Arab Spring, the Unseen Thaw, published in January 2012 on the Human Rights Watch website. When looking at what caused the Arab Spring, as Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior economist at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization put it, “I know that ‘many factors’ is not an eye-catching answer to the question. However, it is the most accurate.” In their comprehensive report, The Arab Spring and Climate Change, Francesco Femia and Caitlin Werrell based at the Center for Climate and Security, however, state that beyond a humanitarian outlook a more wellrounded assessment is necessary of the dynamics of opposition in the country [Syria], including the possible social, environmental, and climatic drivers of unrest, will help policymakers and opinion leaders fashion more responsible actions.” “This political unrest has been referred to as the “Arab Spring” and although the Arab Spring has been referred to in the Western media as a predominantly politically-motivated uprising against autocratic incumbent regimes, there were important socio-economic underpinnings to the uprising,” Professor Joan Harrigan, a political economist and a professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, writes in her paper, Did Food Prices Plant the Seeds of the Arab Spring? published in 2012. 14
“One such important factor was increasing food prices in many countries of the MENA region. The result of rising food prices, along with other socio-economic factors, such as high levels of unemployment, especially amongst educated youth, was a steady increase in the cost of living and an erosion of living standards.” In fields such as demographics, economics, sociology, agrarian studies, disaster risk science and climatology, issues like water shortages, drought, rural exodus, and soaring unemployment have indeed been highlighted, possible consequences pointed out and reported on. While in some cases this was under-documented, in many others, including for example, the case of Syria, Egypt and Tunisia, it was well documented, refuting the understanding that the uprisings came out of the blue. Among the events or multiple triggers that contributed to the so-called Arab Spring were for example the strikes in the mining area of Gafsa in 2008 and 2011, and youth protests in Tunisia in 2005, as well as the abovementioned crippling droughts in Syria and food riots in Egypt.
Green Change? For Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Research & Development (IPRD) in London, the current problem lies in the fact that the political changes brought about by the Arab Spring were largely cosmetic. “Scratch beneath the surface, and one finds the same deadly combination of environmental, energy and economic crises.” He agrees with Femia and Werrell, and considers climate change as the key issue. “Droughts exacerbated by global ❮
This political unrest has been referred to as the “Arab Spring” and although the Arab Spring has been referred to in the Western media as a predominantly politicallymotivated uprising against autocratic incumbent regimes, there were important socio-economic underpinnings to the uprising.
warming in key food-basket regions have already led to a 10-20 per cent drop in rice yields over the past decade. Last year, four-fifths of the US experienced a heat wave, there were prolonged droughts in Russia and Africa, a lighter monsoon in India and floods in Pakistan – extreme weather events that were likely linked to climate change afflicting the world’s major food basket regions,” he commented in The Guardian in March 2013. According to Ahmed, the Arab Spring is merely a taste of things to come. It is therefore not surprising, that the uprising in Syria started in the rural town of Dera’a, rather than the 16
capital city. The devastating impact of prolonged drought on agricultural livelihoods drove an estimated 50,000 Syrian families to migrate from rural areas to cities in 2010 alone, Michael Werz and Max Hoffman, write in their contribution to Arab Spring and Climate Change. “In 2002 more than 30 percent of Syrians were employed in the agricultural sector; by 2010 agricultural workers represented less than 15 percent of Syria’s overall workforce.” The authors point at similar trends having occurred in Northern Africa. “Tunisia saw its rural population begin to decline in 2010, despite growth in
the overall population, and the rural population is projected to decline by nearly half a percentage point between 2010 and 2015. While drought and environmental degradation are not the only contributing factors, substantial rural dislocation within such a short period of time has significant consequences.” Given that environmental issues were among the triggers of the Arab Spring, it is important to look at the effects these popular uprisings had on the environment, in how far environmental issues have gained increased significance, and whether the succeeding, democratically
Climate Change elected governments have introduced new measures or policies to address the panoply of environmental issues their countries are faced with and mechanisms to monitor and ensure implementation.
Tunisia
Droughts exacerbated by global warming in key food-basket regions have already led to a 10-20 per cent drop in rice yields over the past decade.
The case of Ksibet el Mediouni in the Bay of Monastir, Tunisia, is a pertinent case. Surrounded by a treatment plant in the north and one in the south of the town, Ksibet el Mediouni has, over the last 20 years, literally been turned into a toxic wasteland. “It’s a veritable ecological disaster,” writes Tunisian journalist Nadia Akari. As a result of decades of pollution, diseases – predominantly respiratory and dermatological – have spread among the 10 000 inhabitants and for years, nobody has dared to step into the sea or eat anything that came out of it. A massive toxic spill in 2006 caused an ecological and health disaster, as the air became impossible to inhale. As a result of the incident, demonstrations were held, with former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali still in power. A new toxic spill occurred on the 14 and 15 September 2013. In order to denounce the severity of the problem, and the fact that after years of lobbying, the plants had not been shut down, Ksibet el Mediouni called for a general strike and inhabitants went on a peaceful protest on 18 September 2013. Suggested sites for new treatment plants brought forward by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development have so far been rejected. The town’s inhabitants pointed out that the problem would merely be postponed and shifted. The ministry, having recognized the severity of the problem has set a deadline for late October, to come up
with a solution and has acknowledged that a radical solution was necessary for the problem and is working in partnership with civil society. The case of Ksibet el Mediouni highlights some of the worst ecological problems inherited from the Ben Ali era and showcases how extended civil liberties have empowered local populations to have a say in finding a solution. Whether this solution will set a precedent for post-revolutionary Tunisia, will be sustainable, leading to an improvement of livelihoods and a full regeneration of the sea habitat, needs to be seen. Other problems that have plagued Tunisia over the past two years have been rampant wildfires in 2011 and again in 2013, and waste. “Several sectors of the environment have been placed in danger in Tunisia, following the January 14th Revolution,” reported Sean Haley from the Tunisian capital in August 2011. Numerous strikes and demonstrations that ensued the ousting of Ben Ali caused great disruption in waste collection, industrial waste management and trash piling up or being illegally dumped. Djerba’s municipality is leading the way in combating waste and has embarked on a selective waste collection program, which consists of the selective collection of packaging waste and biowaste. The treatment facilities consist of a compost plant and a sorting centre for the packaging waste. A civic amenity centre is in the planning process. Tunisia’s government, which introduced environmental legislation in the mid-1980s but failed to introduce large-scale alternative energy projects, has signed an agreement with the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation this year ❮ 17
that aims at growing the country’s green economy. The agreement focuses on alternative energy projects, which should aid the country in reducing its dependency on gas and fossil fuels and also create green jobs.
Egypt According to Ahmed, Egypt’s oil production peaked in 1996, and since then has declined by around 26%. “Having moved from complete food self-sufficiency since the 1960s, to excessive dependence on imports subsidized by oil revenues (now importing 75% of its wheat), declining oil revenues have increasingly impacted food and fuel subsidies. As high food prices are generally underpinned by high oil prices – because energy accounts for over a third of the costs of grain production – this has further contributed to surging global food prices.” “Food price hikes have coincided with devastating climate change impacts in the form of extreme weather in key food-basket regions. Since 2010, we have seen droughts and heat-waves in the US, Russia, and China, leading to a dramatic fall in wheat yields, on which Egypt is heavily dependent. The subsequent doubling of global wheat prices between June 2010 and February 2011 directly affected millions of Egyptians, who already spend about 40% of their income on food. That helped trigger the events that led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 – but the same configuration of factors is worsening.” Ahmed contends that Post-Mubarak, Egypt still faces the same challenges, which have worsened under the Brotherhood’s mismanagement. In the long term, the country also faces a growing demographic crisis. Currently at 84 million, the population 18
is projected to increase to an estimated 100 million after about a decade. As a community development practitioner, solid waste management expert, and consultant, Dr. Laila Iskandar’s portfolio and experience guarantee that she should be Egypt’s most qualified and competent Minister of Environment, argues Cairo-based journalist Louise Sarant. Given her background in waste management, environmental activists, conservationists and the media have expressed great hopes that Dr. Iskander will improve the country’s waste problem and the state of environmental awareness. There is growing hope that change will finally see the implementation of green policy, along the Red Sea coast, along the Nile River and throughout the Arab world’s largest country. It will take strong efforts from activists and environmental leaders to effect that change however, Joseph Mayton commented in the Ecologist, in the wake of Mubarak’s ousting. The Minister is convinced that the biggest challenge ahead is to solve solid waste management issues, and insists that this cannot be done without an efficient collaboration between the government, private institutions, and civil society. Not surprising, given her track record, she has proposed an initiative in August 2013 that would see the separation of waste at household level: glass, plastic and organic waste. Improved waste disposal methods would offer manufacturing material and provide unemployed youth with job opportunities. Besides working on raising citizens’ awareness regarding separating their waste, the ministry has been organizing an awareness campaign
with different authorities including civil society organizations, media outlets, houses of worship and schools. The initiative also involves closing down exposed garbage dumpsters, which exist within residential areas. According to the Ministry, each ton of garbage collected offers seven “green” job opportunities. The success of the initiative would see the employment of youth. Among the concerns raised by young Egyptian environmental activists, is the fact that the ministry can’t enforce laws, according to Laura Tabet, co-founder of Nawaya. At present, it is not an executive body and still is a Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs but should be changed to the Egyptian Ministry of Environment. “It does not have its own budget, it’s not really independent, it’s only a consultancy bureau from within the cabinet of ministers. But it needs to become as strong as the Interior or Finance Ministries, because there are so many missed opportunities in water and waste recycling that won’t be considered without a competent and powerful Ministry of Environment,” Walid Mansour adviser at Mena regional advisory program, GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation), told Sarant. Given the significance environmental triggers played in bringing about the Arab Spring, new administrations and lawmakers ought to make it their priority to tackle these pressing issues. As the examples of Egypt and Tunisia highlight, all approaches will require competent and visionary key figures such as Egypt’s Minister of Environment, adequate operating budgets as well as the involvement of all stakeholders, notably civil society, to stand a chance of success, ensure sustainability – and guarantee stability.
Climate Change
Since 2010, we have seen droughts and heat-waves in the US, Russia, and China, leading to a dramatic fall in wheat yields, on which Egypt is heavily dependent. The subsequent doubling of global wheat prices between June 2010 and February 2011 directly affected millions of Egyptians, who already spend about 40% of their income on food. 19
❮
By Laetitia Chattat
Climate Change The Consequence of Human Actions “As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you and climate change is one of those exceptions.� Al Gore
36
Climate Change
Laguna de Bay, Philippines: November 8, 2013 Typhoon Haiyan an equivalent category 5 hurricane, endangering 25 million Filipinos in its path as it unleashed its fury. The one of the biggest to ever hit land according to scientists.
Tacloban City,Leyte, Philippines: Super typhoon Yolanda or Haiyan destroyed countless homes, flooded cities and towns and left more than a 4,000 Filipinos dead and 1,100 missing after hitting the country on November 8, 2013.
Climate change used to be considered a problem for future generations to worry about, but it has been greatly underestimated. Many around the world believe that it is nothing but the continuous evolution of the world. Unfortunately, a new report released by the United Nations’ climate panel shows details regarding recent research. These details state that 95% of global warming is due to human action. There is ongoing proof of the destructive force of global warming and climate change. Within the last two decades natural disasters have more than doubled. According to CNN.com International, the Tsunami that hit Sumatra coast in the Indian Ocean on the 26th of December, 2004, left a death toll of 169 752 with 127 294 people listed as missing, in more than 11 countries. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico in August 2005, and was a category 5 hurricane. The winds rose to 280 km/h and there were 1833 fatalities. So many more have rocked the world, the most recent being Typhoon Haiyan (known as Typhoon Yolanda), that struck the Philippines. It was a category 5 Super Typhoon and took a total of 5260 lives. Moreover, 1.9 million people were left homeless, 575 378 now wait in front of evacuation centers, 2.5million are in dire need of food, 70 to 80 percent of the area affected was destroyed in the storm’s path and 281 091 homes were destroyed. If this isn't a wake up call, I don't know what is.
The west has started to realize that this isn’t going to merely go away. After the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan, the international community is becoming more aware of what’s to come. Naderev Sano, a Filipino delegate gave a heart-wrenching plea to the annual United Nations Climate Convention in Warsaw, in November of this year. Sano, who became globally known, went on a hunger strike to have the voices of his people heard. His tearful speech, spoke of the direct effect of human actions, climate and natural disasters. “To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of your armchair,” Sano proclaimed. The Philippines lie in a natural disaster prone area of the world, and has naturally adapted, but the current water temperatures are the warmest in the world and continue to rise as we speak. The rise of water temperatures is just the tip of the iceberg, temperatures in general are rising, with no sign of stopping. The warning signals of our actions are evident, the current weather situation, such as floods in Ireland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Lebanon are the worst these countries have seen in over 30 years or more. The United Nations report on Climate change shows, that the pause over the last 15 years is too short to have any long term, positive effects. The panel continues by stating that ongoing greenhouse gas
❮
23
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
"To anyone who continues to deny the reality that is climate change, I dare you to get off your ivory tower and away from the comfort of you armchair. I dare you to go to the islands of the Pacific, the islands of the Caribbean and the islands of the Indian ocean and see the impacts of rising sea levels; to the mountainous regions of the Himalayas and the Andes to see communities confronting glacial floods, to the Arctic where communities grapple with the fast dwindling polar ice caps, to the large deltas of the Mekong, the Ganges, the Amazon, and the Nile where lives and livelihoods are drowned, to the hills of Central America that confronts similar monstrous hurricanes, to the vast savannas of Africa where climate change has likewise become a matter of life and death as food and water becomes scarce. Not to forget the massive hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of North America. And if that is not enough, you may want to pay a visit to the Philippines right now. The science has given us a picture that has become much more in focus. The IPCC report on climate change and extreme events underscored the risks associated with changes in the patterns as well as frequency of extreme weather events. Science tells us that simply, climate change will mean more intense tropical storms. As the Earth warms up, that would include the oceans. The energy that is stored in the waters off the Philippines will increase the intensity of typhoons and the trend we now see is that more destructive storms will be the new norm." Philippines Representative, Yeb Sano's, Speech at the climate Change Conference in Warsaw
emission will further the warming and transformation among all perspectives of climate change. To restrain the current outcome, it will require “substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions”. The 24
result of a weeklong worth of negotiations, is a summary for policymakers on the physical science of global warming. The report is known as the IPCC, which is there “to provide the world with a clear scientific view on
Climate Change
the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts”. The IPCC reads that since the 1950s, many of the changes in the climate system are “unprecedented
over decades to millennia”. The actions of the international community are mixed. China is continuing to reduce its carbon footprint by their low-carbon zones and their ever expanding low-carbon
nuclear energy programme. Furthermore, the United States government is constricting emission standards for coal generators. On the other hand, Japan has revealed they it will be reducing their carbon target as
❮
25
Tacloban City, Leyte, November 16, 2013: A total of 393 cadavers, in black bags, were laid in a mass grave nearby a public cemetery in the northern part of the city in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan Only 10-15 percent of the bodies were identified.
a result of phasing out of low-carbon nuclear after the Fukishima disaster. Also, across the world, Australia’s new rightwing government has disregarded the Labor coalition’s flagship carbon tax. Global warming and climate change 26
are ongoing issues that can’t be dealt with lightly. Nothing is going to get done, unless we come together as a united international community and take drastic measures. It is time we take action, or we will not have a world, and it will be the consequence
of our own hands. We are either the type of people who stick our heads in the sand and pretend like nothing is happening, or we take the necessary actions and start creating a brighter future. What type of person are you?
"Our dependence on fossil fuels amounts to global pyromania, and the only fire extinguisher we have at our disposal is renewable energy." – Hermann Scheer.
ENERGY
Magazine Looking at Lebanon’s Electricity Crisis Through a Gender Lens.........................................28 By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
Gas & Global Energy ....................34 By Sherine Bouez
Energy
By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
Looking at Lebanon’s Electricity Crisis Through a Gender Lens How Power Cuts Affect Women’s Lives in Lebanon It may seem like an unlikely contender but in 2009 even the Vatican listed the washing machine as one of the key contributing factors to women’s liberation. Hours of hard labor washing piles of clothes outsourced to a machine, which at the push of a button, does it all in less than an hour. That’s assuming there is enough electricity for even just one load… 29
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
Women who are housewives, they may wait two, three, four hours, to do their washing,” Aïcha Mouchref, researcher for MADA Association explains the situation women in the north of Lebanon face. “The problem in Akkar is that whenever there is ‘leftover electricity’ (in the country) it goes there but it can at times just run for 15 or 20 minutes. Imagine you just started your load and have an entire family’s dirty washing piled up on the floor and it cuts, a few minutes into the cycle… With small kids, of whom there are plenty, it’s even worse.” Families in Lebanon’s northern region have on average 6.1 members compared to a national average of 4.8 and domestic workers are rarely part of the equation. The average number of children in Akkar is the highest in the country: 4 versus 2.6 children for Lebanon as a whole. Given different gender roles, women don’t experience the lack of electricity and power cuts in the same way as their husbands, male relatives or neighbors do. Though it has not been considered previously, Mouchref deems the approach of applying a gender-lens to the country’s electricity crisis useful. Sabah Baassiri from Saida readily admits that even though her four adult children have all moved out, electricity costs for her and her husband have increased a lot over the years and that this leads to some hard choices around expenses. “I’ve been wanting to renovate my kitchen for years… There are many other things we have to compromise on, like trips to Beirut but we don’t compromise on food,” she says. Monthly electricity bills amount to $820, which includes a $500 contribution to a shared generator, which provides an additional 2030
Energy
Ampere. “People who own a generator constantly increase their prices, often at random,” Baassiri says. As a result of these power relations, conflict frequently erupts either between neighbors or spouses. Baassiri knows of cases where husbands tell their wives when (not) to use electricity, to do laundry and iron when it’s cheaper to do so, which usually leads to tension. Asked how women are affected by power cuts, she said that women had to wait to do laundry, to vacuum, clean and other chores. “It makes your life harder and it really limits your choices.” Rania runs a small restaurant in Lehfed, which is open from 7am to 7pm. She rarely has more than four hours of electricity and needs to spend at least LL5000 on a generator per day, in order to run her machines and keep the fridges cool. The family needs another ‘motor’ to cover electricity needs at home. Daily power cuts significantly stunt and burden Lebanon’s economy and challenge its citizens. According to American University of Beirut (AUB) based Assistant Professor Leila Dagher and her co-author, Talar Yacoubian, relaxing the present electric capacity shortages should be made a national priority, in view of its potentially positive effect on the economy. The two argue that growth prospects are being hampered by intensive electricity outages and heavy technical losses. “Investing in new capacity to relax the electricity supply constraints and reducing the losses can further stimulate economic growth. In addition, any new capacity coming online will immensely increase the supply efficiency, especially that it will be replacing the older less efficient
backup generators. It is critical to meet energy demand if we want to sustain the current growth momentum,” their article, The causal relationship between energy consumption and economic growth in Lebanon published in Energy Policy in 2012, states. The impact that lengthy electricity cuts have on children and schools, the elderly and sick, the health care system, the agricultural sector and local businesses in Akkar, where cuts frequently last more than 12 hours, is far worse than in Saida, Lehfed or other parts of the country. “Six to twelve children in small houses is quite the norm,” Mouchref states. For the researcher, electricity is a basic need. “Electricité du Liban supplies most Akkari villages with electricity but not all houses are connected to the electricity grid.” While the over-arching issue at stake for Mouchref is poverty – transport is costly, which makes it difficult at times impossible to reach schools, clinics or health dispensaries in Akkar – sub-standard electricity lines and minimal supplies have been the cause of frequent conflict. “Road blocks for electricity – 10 to 15 per season – mainly in summer are quite normal,” Mouchref highlights. “And there are plenty of illegal connections. Nobody knows what you’re doing, it’s a case of ‘Tom & Jerry’ or how much can I steal from you, how much can we steal. It’s very common and the government has little control over it.” An issue that is often overlooked, when considering the energy crisis is the very basic human need to communicate, to stay in touch by means of radio, TV or mobile phone. “TV is a basic need, it’s the only way of keeping in touch and the only ❮
In 2009 the Vatican listed the washing machine as one of the key contributing factors to women’s liberation. Women who are housewives, may wait two, three, four hours, to do their washing.
31
entertainment available (in Akkar),” Mouchref argues. At this point, it also involves Internet/3G access. When it comes to electricity supplies, Akkar indeed lags far behind the rest of Lebanon. The cost for motors is in constant fluctuation, making it impossible to budget ahead. Furthermore, the lack of reliable, affordable electricity supplies has a disastrous effect on water supplies. “How do you run a water pump without electricity?” Georges Khalil, mayor of Chadra probes. “We have three wells in Chadra but we need 300 kilowatt to make them work.” People get by not with the help of the government but their own ingenious solutions and those who can support those who can’t foot motor bills. “I know a guy who covers for nine other people. They don’t even know someone else covers for them and who it is,” Khalil says. Families that have up to 10 children have to get by on $500 a month of which $100 goes towards electricity. “With that monthly budget people can hardly cover basic needs such as food, ensure they get sufficient nutrients,” explains Mouchref who lived in Upper Akkar for five years. Many Akkari families have welcome 32
Photos Courtesy of MADA Asssociation
Given different gender roles, women don’t experience the lack of electricity and power cuts in the same way as their husbands, male relatives or neighbors do.
Syrian refugees, in their homes and support up to 10 people. This adds pressure and increases livelihood vulnerability of these households. Asked what a mere $50 saved on motor expenses could do to such vulnerable households, the researcher underlines that it would make a huge difference. “It could allow for better health care for women, pre and post natal care and better nutrition for children.” The ripple effect of poverty is staggering and has long-term consequences that are often hard to remedy. “The LL 70.000 to cover annual public school fees, have to be paid upfront. As a result, registration is often delayed until after harvest time, which means that students start school late and are at a disadvantage.” “Some parents put lots of emphasis on educating both boys and girls, but seeing that there is little money, they often tend to spend it on the boys. If there is money to send all kids to school, boys often go to private school but girls to public school.” One positive effect of this conservative approach is that girls kept at home tend to study more than their male peers and obtain better results.
Energy
33
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
By Sherine Bouez
Gas & Global Energy A Sustainable System With 83 Charter members and 43 Associate members in 83 countries, the International Gas Union (IGU) envisions being the most influential, effective and independent non-profit organization serving as the spokesperson for the gas industry worldwide. Jerome Ferrier, IGU President, Director of Total, and President of the Association Francaise du Gaz (AFG), advocates natural gas as an integral part of a sustainable global energy system, and explains that the role of the IGU is to advocate gas as an essential component of a sustainable global energy system, and to promote the political, technical and economic progress of the gas industry. Mr.Ferrier tells us more about the IGU, and its plans for the Middle East.
Sherine Bouez: How is gas different to renewable energy? Jérôme Ferrier: Natural gas does not pose a threat to renewable energy, they can actually be used hand in hand. The produce of gas fields, that is bound to run out, is not a renewable energy as is the case of all fossil energies. The difference between gas and other fossil energies lies in the fact that natural gas is the fossil energy that emits the least CO2 when it is burnt in power plants (50% less than carbon and 30% less than fuel oil). This is why it is recognized as the cleanest of all fossil energies. S.B.: How does the IGU work with NGOs and contribute to introducing electricity to new areas? J.F.: The IGU works primarily with 34
international organizations, including the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework of Convention on Climate Change) and the UNIDO (United Nations for Industrial Development Organization) to focus on the intrinsic qualities of natural gas, as part of the solution for energetic transition. An event addressing gas was devised during the COP19 in Warsaw, as has been the case since COP15 in Copenhagen. The aim is to keep an open dialogue with environmental NGOs to raise awareness on how gas can be renewable energy’s best ‘ally’. Similarly, the IGU supports the approach of the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Kandeh Yukmella, in his energy access to all initiative, lead by the
Jerome Ferrier is an engineer with more than 30 years experience in the field of natural gas, production and marketing, namely in Africa and Europe. Since 1995, he has had the successive titles of General Director of Southwest Gas, President of Total Gas and Power for the Southern zone of Latin America, as well as Group Representative in Argentina. Furthermore, he was a special consultant to the president of Total Gas and Power, director of security of Total Group, and a consultant for foreign commerce of France since 2005. As President of AFG, he was elected the President of International Gas Union for the 3 years 2012-2015.
United Nations. We believe that emerging countries that have gas reserves should devote part of their production to the domestic market aimed at gas power plants, in an effort to supply electricity to disadvantaged areas. S.B.: What can you tell us about unconventional gas? J.F.: Unconventional gas (shale gas, tight gas, coal bed methane, hydrate gas) is first and foremost natural gas like conventional gas, however it is produced in complex geological structures. This necessitates the implementation of processes such as hydraulic fracturing, where the use of chemical products is necessary to mobilize gas in the rock. Conventional gas reserves have already witnessed 130 years of production, enough to point to the fact that, like the AIE, we have entered “the golden age of gas�. At the current global production rate, unconventional gas would have already represented 130 years of additional production. These unconventional gas, and particularly shale gas, are now major players in countries such as the USA or China that will eventually become the two top gas consumers in the world. S.B.: Could potential gas reserves in Lebanon, and more generally in the oriental Mediterranean, be used for export? J.F.: If as we hope Mediterranean gas reserves prove to be significant, this would obviously be an export project in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) worth 36
thinking through; potential gas consumption of nearby countries such as Lebanon or Cyprus alone will not suffice to justify the costly development of these reserves. S.B.: What is the main objective of the December conference in Lebanon and how can it add value to the Middle East region? J.F.: It is the remit of organizers to answer this, however my own take is that it constitutes an important step in raising awareness about the important role natural gas is bound to play in the region. Even if part of the quantities produced might be dedicated to domestic markets that can only have a limited prospective growth, the bigger part of production will have to be exported in the form of LNG in order to ensure an acceptable return on investments for the costly considerations this supposes. S.B.: What are the key messages of the IGU magazine? J.F.: It is a bi-yearly magazine that supports and draws attention to the main events taking place in the course of each semester, in light of the unfolding of the respective Presidency. Along with the website, the magazine constitutes an essential link between the leading team and both the adherents from 83 countries of accredited members, and 43 big size gas companies as associate members. More than 126 members of IGU are associations and corporations of the gas industry representing over 95% of the global gas market. The magazine outlines our ongoing plans and hopes for a better future.
"We need to be prepared for nine billion people on this planet, as we all deserve a decent and secure life. By being creative, the world can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating jobs, promoting economic growth and ensuring better living standards. Where there is a will, there is a way!" - H.E. Mr. Marcin Korolec, Minister of the Environment of Poland and President Designate of COP 19 and CMP 9
GREEN ECONOMY ENVIRONMENT & BUSINESS
Magazine New Technology...............................38 By Sherine Bouez
Reforestation.......................................44 By Sherine Bouez
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
By Sherine Bouez
New Technology
Dynamic Composting With a Team of 36 engineers and technicians, Ziad Abichaker, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Cedar Environmental L.L.C., heads a Research and Development facility for environmental technologies in Abou Mizan, Lebanon. Home to the dynamic composting technology, the company specializes in building Municipal Recycling Facilities (MRF) for the recycling of municipal solid waste.
Sherine Bouez: What is your vision and what are your accreditations? Ziad Abichaker: Our vision is to bring decentralization to the waste management sector. The old thinking was to view waste as a problem, not a resource, to take it as far away from the community as possible and minimize its impact and volume by compacting it and burying it. We view waste as a valuable raw material which can be remanufactured to make useful products. By bringing it to local communities, we are creating â?Ž 38
serve them in a way that none of these municipalities has to transport its waste across more than 10-15 KM. The aim of the company is to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill and not resort to incineration of any portion of the waste. The solutions we come up with are opportunities to transform this waste into higher value products. For example, one of the technologies we have developed to this avail is the following: An enzymatic and bacterial preparation mixed with the organic waste accelerates the fermentation process of the organic waste, hence accelerating their degradation into compost. The dynamic composting reaction is odorless and completely destroys any pathogens in the waste, hence we were able to bring it closer to residential communities, while saving municipalities huge expenses on daily waste transportation. It is a constant uphill battle as this is a public sector file par excellence. There is an urgent need for dealing with the garbage issue. Take for instance landfills that lie critically close to residential communities. On a communal level everyone is well aware that if we don’t deal with garbage very soon it will be too late.
jobs, while producing good quality fertilizers from the organic portion of the waste and valuable plastic products from the recyclable part. S.B.: What is your strategy? Z.A.: The strategy is to assemble up to 10 major municipalities together in a cluster and build a recycling plant to 40
S.B.: How do you work with investors? Z.A.: I do not take on financial partners, projects can be selffinanced or bank loans are used. As a matter of philosophy, we prefer loans. We don’t accept donations in order to keep our independence, as long as financial decisions are concerned. We also reserve the right to take on projects or reject them. For innovative projects we used soft loans from Banque du Liban through a sponsored program called Kafalat. We get a loan, build, own, and operate the recycling facility. The
municipality subscribes to the facility built on a household basis, so a certain amount per house is paid monthly to recycle the garbage generated daily. We pay back the loan from that monthly fee, and from selling fertilizers and recyclable materials recuperated from the sorting of the waste. S.B.: How do you go by choosing which technologies to develop? Z.A.: We only choose to develop technologies that are commercially feasible and/or viable. Before scaling the project up we make sure it has the potential to be commercialized prior to applying for bank loans. Since we make our own machinery like the composting drums, conveyor belts, plastic shredders, etc., the solution is fully localized, it is therefore very affordable. S.B.: What are your upcoming projects? Z.A.: One of our projects is to produce plastic panels or Ecoboards made entirely from plastic bags and other plastic scrap that are not recycled, by mainstream plastic recycling industries. These boards are used to make bus stops, advertising panels with photovoltaic LED lighting, prefab houses, solar water heaters, or conveyor belts. Ecoboard panels are waterproof, rust proof, with a life span of 500 years. They are machinable like steel and wood. We have just delivered a new portable toilet made out of 91,000 plastic bags transformed into ecoboard for the Barouk Cedar Reserve in Lebanon. S.B.: How would you define your approach? Z.A.: We approach waste from a resourceful perspective rather than a problem, as I mentioned earlier. You â?Ž
Green Economy Environment & Business
We want to build the biggest recycling plant in the Middle East that sends zero waste to the landfill. So if we process 100 tons of garbage per day we will ‘throw nothing’.
can extract a lot of value from discarded things. By changing your perspective of the problem, you are using it to make valuable and durable end products. Another example of waste as a resource approach, is the transformation via composting of the organic materials into a certified-fororganic-agriculture fertilizer. Imported certified fertilizers range in price from 400$ to 600$ per ton, however the local fertilizer we developed from composting slaughterhouse waste brought down the price to 180$ per ton! It obviously enticed many farmers to get certified organic. After making locally certified fertilizers using a local certifying agency named Libancert, the number of certified for organic agriculture farmers in Lebanon went from 90 to 600 farmers. Still, this number is not enough because organic is being marketed for high
end consumers. We aim to encourage more farmers to switch to organic so the supply of organically certified goods increases, hence competition also increases, prices drop down and can be afforded by a wider spectrum of consumers. S.B.: What can you tell us about research and development in Lebanon? Z.A.: Imported solutions are not an option, as foreign technologies don’t always work on local problems. We need to raise awareness about the need for research and development as we can’t always get solutions off the shelf. S.B.: What are your current and ongoing projects? Z.A.: We want to build the biggest recycling plant in the Middle East that sends zero waste to the landfill. So if we process 100 tons of garbage per day we will ‘throw nothing’. We also want to have more recycling plants in more communities in Lebanon. At the moment what we have are mainly mini-plants serving one or two villages in the South of Lebanon, the slaughter house technology in Beirut, and a plant that serves about 80 villages in Jbeil. S.B.: What is driving you to do all this? Z.A.: Most importantly what drives us is solution providing rather than just raising awareness, since the latter increases anyways as the problems grow! Wastewater, medical waste, industrial waste, construction or debris waste are all issues that need to be dealt with. Municipalities have a say but not necessarily the financial and technical means. When Legal frameworks change to allow the private sector to offer its best talent to tackle these problems, then we will see improvement in all waste sectors. 43
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
By Sherine Bouez
Reforestation
Untapped Spaces Having identified an untapped space for growth, Raoul Nehme, President of Jouzour Loubnan, focuses on high mountains and arid regions in his mission to participate in the restoration of woodland in Lebanon. He started his mission in 2007, by talking about his project in professional circles and social gatherings, putting together a small team of committed volunteers and establishing a partnership with the Faculty of Sciences of Saint Joseph University.
Over 160,000 trees have been planted, and the Jouzour Loubnan team has found ways to involve private, corporate and social contributors. His strategic background comes in handy, whereby ‘thinking before acting on what to do and where to go’ is key in taking up this ambitious program that might well cost millions of US dollars, but Nehme is relentlessly on a mission! Also noteworthy is that Nehme is the General Manager of BLC Bank, a firm that has sustainable development and corporate citizenship at the heart of its business model. Sherine Bouez: How did you start the project on the ground? Raoul Nehme: We decided to start with a very small test of 100 trees to see which species would survive at 44
these very high elevations. The following year only 2 species were doing well. This second year we refined our plantation protocol with the support of the Faculty of Sciences of Saint Joseph University. We then went for 2,000 trees as an extension of the test, and to check if we knew how to handle larger quantities. We reached 10,452 trees the third year, purposefully choosing the number of kilometers in Lebanon! It was then more about our capacity to handle even larger volumes at a national scale. Last year-end counted 115,000 trees in regions including Kfardebian, Chabrouh, Ainata, Ehmej, Ehden, Bted3i, Shlifa, etc. Some of the trees planted included Lebanese Cedars, Juniper excelsa (Lezzab), Pine, Carob, Wild Almond,
Oak, Wild Prune, Walnut, Chestnut trees, and several other native Lebanese trees. S.B.: How are you addressing the sustainability of this elaborate program? R.N.: Sustainability is based on our thorough follow up program that includes irrigation, maintenance and a guardianship system over a period of three years. It comes at a cost,
though in the past couple of years we looked into finding protocols to cut these charges and identify the optimal way of doing so. Several local factors impact cost, which has typically been of 11 to 14 U.S. dollars per seedling. For instance, in many countries reforestation plans don’t involve irrigation, but in Lebanon they have not survived without it, as it all depends on the region, exposure, type of seeds, species, etc.
However, of equal importance for sustainability is the empowerment of local communities and involvement of younger generations, to maintain the projects on the long run and benefit from them. Our unique woodlands are amongst our most vital habitats in relation to biodiversity, climate change, desertification, soil water infiltration, and socio-economic development, rendering our reforestation a multifaceted challenge. ❮
ARE YOU… A MOTIVATED SPIRIT? You can give a hand in the public plantation campaigns regularly updated on www.jouzourloubnan.com. A COMPANY MANAGER OR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR? You can organize a plantation campaign for your employees and their families with us as part of our successful track record of corporate events to date. 45
ARE YOU… A REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER? You can join our comprehensive developer program carefully devised for you, and promote your green image in your marketing & sales strategies. A SOCIAL ACTIVIST? You can contribute in shifting perceptions and influencing the evolution of regulations, legal frameworks, and sustainability related to our woodland heritage. 46
S.B.: What type of research backs up your plans for growth? R.N.: To develop a number of protocols will take years and is part of our research and development approach. Lebanon has microclimates that do not always make it easy to extrapolate foreign studies. Our Laboratory works on the conservation of seeds and on plantation protocol, called the Laboratory for Seed Conservation and Germination (LSCG) at Saint Joseph University’s Faculty of Sciences, financed by Jouzour Loubnan to provide scientific support
and consultancy. Many seeds will not grow when planted. For example, with oak all it takes is one seed as the probability of germination is high, but this is not the case for all trees. Here lies the importance of the Laboratory, as reforestation involves dozens of plant species to be able to rebuild sustainable ecosystems. Lately, we have sent colleagues to Turkey to learn how to germinate Juniperus excelsa or ‘lezzab’, and to the United States to research asexual reproduction. These programs were financed by Lebanon Reforestation Initiative
Green Economy Environment & Business
(LRI), a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented by the United States Forest Service (USFS). In addition, we very closely follow all research done in this field through our collaboration with numerous local and international institutions. S.B.: How is your reforestation vision financed? R.N.: At the moment, we are mainly receiving funds from Lebanese private individuals and companies. Although we already count several sponsors
today, we need to be able to raise funds from international donors, similar to the ones we obtained from USAID. We must appoint full time, specialized people dedicated to this undertaking, as all of us at Jouzour Loubnan are volunteers with full time jobs! What is important is a regular source of funding, as trees need care to grow, they need to be nurtured, and most importantly they need to be sustained for future generations - I believe this is a possible challenge! Still, in the last 40 years, our 20% forest coverage in Lebanon has dropped by 40% to
12%: Successful reforestation normally falls under the remit of the State, not that of NGOs, although the latter can always lend a helping hand. However, governments have not been able so far to take charge of reforestation. As far as we are concerned, we continue our efforts and our next campaign will include the Italian, Spanish and French contingents of the UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army in Ebl El Saki. In addition, the Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, H.E. Giuseppe Morabito, has accepted to patron our 2014 Gala dinner. 47
By Gabriella Porelli By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
Launching Ceremony of “BLUE GOLD� The Water as a National Wealth A Call for Unity Between the Lebanese People on Unifying Socio - Economic Options Under the patronage of President Michel Suleiman Civic Influence Hub (CIH) organized, and in an unprecedented initiative at both the social and economic levels in Lebanon, the launching ceremony of the project BLUE GOLD; a five-year plan for the management of the water sector in Lebanon. More than a thousand figures including decision makers, politicians and economic authorities, academics, experts and journalists as well as civic society organizations, UN agencies, ambassadors, municipal unions and trade unions representatives participated in this huge event, which was held on Tuesday December 10, 2013 at the Phoenicia Hotel. 48
The ceremony was presented by the media anchorwoman Ildico Elia, who gave details about the BLUE GOLD project, built on hard scientific facts and studies, which could change the face of Lebanon. The project has drawn support from a large number of prominent players in the public sector, civic institutions and private sector. These companies support and endorse the concept and its implementation process. With the support of more than 40 experts in the water sector who worked together for more than 1 year, the Civic Influence Hub, a lobbying group with a mission to exert civic pressure, ensured that the project takes no political or sectarian influence. This
hub aims to present a new vision and numerous initiatives about social politics in order to pressure the decision makers in light of the unifying economic concept.” The Executive Director of CIH, Mr. Ziad Sayegh, talked about a new approach to create an efficient cooperation philosophy at a critical moment where divisions are increasing. He explained the three priorities of the lobbying group that include unifying Lebanese around unifying socioeconomic project and leveraging the civic society’s structure and fostering partnerships between the public and private sectors. Dr. Asaad Rizk praised the unifying
economy concept hoping to create an influential lobby that gathers all national components through CIH, because it is the economy, which brings back the light on the prominence of the wasted national wealth, and the common interests that unite the Lebanese, to overcome their differences and contradictions. From his side, Eng. Fahd Saccal explained the strategic goals and dimensions of BLUE GOLD, he said: “We chose water because it is the most vital element in life, and the average rainfall and snow in Lebanon is the highest compared with its surroundings in the Middle East. The objectives of the project are to introduce a new concept ❮ 49
transforming our surplus of water from a consumption need to a national economic wealth and to unite all the Lebanese under the theme of water and finally provide an integrated plan to manage this resource.” In his turn, Eng. Elie Gebrayel noted the steps to make this initiative a success: “We are determined not to fail, but our bet is to convince the decision makers to give priority to the national wealth.” He explained that: “CIH is driving a communication campaign with the legislative and executive authorities, and we are on the brink of completing a draft law to create “the National Water Council” which we propose as a new mode of interaction between the private and public sectors.” Mrs. Wafaa Saab spoke about the socioeconomic impact of the initiative and said: “Water is not like oil and gas, and doesn’t require us to search for it, it is visible, and is found on a wide geographical area; people from different affiliations and communities gather where there is water. She considered that “BLUE GOLD has substantial socioeconomic impact that concerns all the Lebanese in all sectors and at all levels; more than 3,000 jobs will be created in the first phase in addition to 400,000 seasonal jobs, while encouraging people to stay in their communities.” Speaking about the initiative’s concept, Mr. Farid Chehab said: “We used as Lebanese to blaming others and to hold them responsible for what happens to us and we have lost faith in making a difference and accomplishing achievements and taking decisions, so we focus at CIH on creating awareness amongst Lebanese about the unifying economy concept, and as an initial step, we work on forming a favorable
Water public opinion supportive for the BLUE GOLD project.” For his part, Mr. Hachem Koussa called on participants to support the project, as he spoke about the vital importance of water and explained that the BLUE GOLD Project was designed to be the most important national project, a beautiful dream come true. He called on behalf of CIH, the Lebanese to be active members of the lobbying network, which is in the process of creation, and join the group in supporting the Project as advisors or supporters while endorsing its communications campaigns.” Mrs Naila Kettaneh Kunigk urged all Lebanese to vote for BLUE GOLD on www.bluegoldlebanon.com and SMS 1329, and stressed that opinions of the people must be heard, because their votes are essential in the Public Affairs scene and are vital to create the National Water Council. BLUE GOLD is an initiative aiming to highlight the importance of water in Lebanon, as not a mere commodity but a national wealth able to leverage the national economy substantially. The project aims as a first step, to create the National Water Council by communicating with decision makers and provide an opportunity to Lebanese to make their voices heard by collecting a million votes and present it for Parliamentary voting. The water resources are a power element to CIH as it is a subject that unites the Lebanese people from different segments and doesn’t know limits or sectarian segregation or targeting a limited area in Lebanon. In this line, the gift of CIH to the ceremony participants was the BLUE GOLD book that contains a detailed explanation about the project and executional mechanisms and benefit from the water wealth of Lebanon. ❮
Fighting the Water Crisis in Lebanon: An Emergency for the Civil Influence Hub (Cih) By Fadi Georges Comair If Lebanon, like Turkey, represents a reservoir of water for the Near East, then over the past twenty years the country’s bluegold has become a minor factor in the future development of the nation and an object of fierce competition between consumers and the government. The situation is due to “specificities of the Land of the Cedars” regarding the management of natural resources, aging infrastructure and environmental degrade. The findings include the following: • Quotidian problems in water distribution: Water cuts, leaks in water distribution networks, etc. • Significant Waste: Lack of income for surface water storage, groundwater recharge nonexistent, etc. • One billion, two hundred million m3 of water is lost in the Mediterranean region yearly. • Increase of water pollution: Accidental and intentional contamination. • Diluted responsibility: More than a dozen public bodies (ministries and others) are involved in the management. • Fragmented knowledge and insufficient skill: Absence of integrated information systems about resources and their uses. • Bad management of demand and inefficiency of networks in all sectors: Lack of organizational and human resources, ineffective government and structural weaknesses. • Unusable non-conventional water resources: REU, spring resurgences and grey water. • Excessive pumping of aquifers and unjustified energy spending: Groundwater drawdown, pollution, salinity and seawater intrusion. • Insufficient customer management: Impossibility to ameliorate service standards, inequitable tariff system, inability of citizens to pay for services. • Deficient budgeting: Incomplete and obsolete files, recovery problems, and malfeasances. A shortage crisis in Lebanon in fact threatens its citizens as the sad diagnostic of the water system shows. If nothing is done in the short term, the human, economic and social development of the Land of the Cedars will be in peril. This danger is essential to the message of the Civic Influence Hub’s first white paper on the state of water resources in Lebanon that outlines, with an urgent tone, main levers of action that service both food and social security. 51
The sole, rigorous attempt to protect and better use blue gold in Lebanon, outlines short, medium and longterm visions in addition to a roadmap that indicates the essential pillars that need be erected to develop the sustainable use of the resource. Additionally, the CIH’s motion reinforces the solidarity between the government and private sectors and attempts to implicate civil society in the durable preservation of our hydro-heritage. We hope that the CIH’s white paper will help meet the challenges and find solutions to the questions citizens and leaders continually ask. • How can we limit the effects of global change on water resources in Lebanon? • How can we sustainably manage the abundant water resources that are wasted in the Mediterranean? • How can consumers be accustomed to efficiently use water? • How can the threat of a water war between the countries bordering the Jordan basin be kept at bay? For together to achieve the protection of water resources in Lebanon, all leaders of the Country of the Cedars should engage in a comprehensive global process based on a strong willingness to anchor water policies. The consolidation of integrated watershed management is essential for achieving the objectives of the CIH’s “Blue Gold” program and optimizing the financial means to support sustainable infrastructure projects. Investors need to assess the value of this initiative that aims to strengthen the solidarity of citizens under the motto “Together for good water status in Lebanon”.
BLUE GOLD has an integrated approach where different Lebanese stakeholders will share the implementation as they will be part of the initiative on a national scale. The project will have a role in the improvement of water availability and quality in all areas of Lebanon. It also seeks to save funds especially in the water domestic consumption area, in addition to creating jobs in Lebanon and the possibility of increasing the individual incomes by providing the opportunity for the citizens and the private sector to invest in the water sector, as well as strengthening the foundations of the Lebanese economy and growing the national GDP.
Understanding Better the Blue Gold Project Why the Blue Gold Project? Lebanon has a strategic water wealth which is the richest in the Middle East and the Arab world. However, Lebanon is located in an area threatened by desertification from Iran to Cyprus, thus the importance of: a- Protecting Lebanon water wealth and invest it in an effective and transparent manner, as it is an important element of Lebanon’s strategic security. b- Managing Lebanon water wealth in its strategic dimension as provided by in the international law and preventing the waste of water that may lead to huge loses. c- Benefiting from Lebanon water wealth so as to serve the Lebanese citizens, who will be partners in this project, and enhancing the cooperation between the public and private sectors. What is the Blue Gold Project? Blue gold is a national 5-year project optimizing the Lebanese Government water strategy. It is ❮
53
based on an analysis of all the studies done on the water sector, launching a new vision that transforms water from a simple commodity to a national wealth, and at the same time aims at fixing weaknesses therein and monitoring projects and initiatives that fall within the strategy with the partnership of the Lebanese citizens. What is the importance of the Blue Gold project? a- The cost of the Lebanese government’s water plan amounts to (2012 / 2020) amounts to 7.3 billion Dollars. This plan is funded by the government and through loans and after eight years, it will only guarantee balance between supply and demand. 54
b- The cost of Blue Gold Project for (2015 / 2020) is equal to 5 billion dollars. This project will guarantee a surplus of 500 million square meters for Lebanon. It is funded by the private sector with controls that prevent monopoly and encourage the contribution of citizens as partners, provided that the water remains the property of the Lebanese State. This project will also ensure a return of 23.5% for the Lebanese State and 12.5% for the private sector. Blue Gold Project will reduce the annual water bill paid by citizens from USD 700 to USD 380. It only needs 16 dams instead of 44, and will provide 3,000 job opportunities. How can we help with the execution of Blue Gold Project? We can help by:
a- Establishing a National Water Council that can operate independently and effectively. b- Launching the work of the commission established by the Council of Ministers for the purpose of studying the law on water issued in November 2012. c- Cooperating with the Parliament’s Public Works, Water and Energy Committee in order to discuss and adopt Blue Gold Project. d- Establishing a watch dog to monitor the implementation of the projects. e- Getting the signature of one million Lebanese citizens on the Blue Gold Project as part of an integrated advertising and media campaign.
“There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things that we could use.” - Mother Teresa
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Magazine Bwala Five Five..................................56 Photos & text by Olivier Ervyn
From Trash to Art.............................70 By Mariejoe J. Raidy
Photos & text by Olivier Ervyn
Bwala Five Five Ghana: Picking Waste for a Living
Early morning at the Koforidua dumpsite.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
The Bwala 55 wastepickers come equipped with nothing but a 2-feet-long hook made of a piece of bent construction steel. Having no protection equipment available, some wear socks to protect their hands.
With a GDP growth of 7.9% in 2012, a democratic political environment and ambitious development plans, Ghana is often portrayed as the land of all opportunities in West Africa. It ranks first in West Africa and fifth in Africa in the 2012 World Bank ranking for business, and is generally regarded as one of the most stable states of the region and continent. However, despite positive overall economic indicators, the country still faces numerous problems and not everyone is benefitting from the country’s rapid economic development. Unemployment is one such problem. It is officially estimated at only 3% but a significant proportion of the labour market (around 43%) is engaged in informal economic activities, with only 8.5% of the working population in formal sector employment. Big variations exist between urban and rural areas, with some sectors of society more particularly at risk of exclusion from the labour market, such as women and youth, who often work as self-employed or domestic employees, apprentices or unpaid family workers(1). The national poverty rate remains � 58
Georgina, 47, prefers working on her own in the most remote sections of the dumpsite, where fire has cleared up most of the waste. She suffers from breathing problems and is often too tired and unwell to come to work.
Dominic, 18, and his sister have been picking waste with their mother, Georgina, for several years. They live in the outskirts of Koforidua and commute every day to work. Both would like to go to school but can’t afford not to work.
Protective equipment is non-existent. Sometimes, a few pairs of shoes or trousers appear among the debris and everyone around tries them on, hoping they will fit. Gloves are rare, though, so socks or strips of cloth are used to protect hands.
The Bwala 55 workers are very aware of the dangers of their occupation. Although the small community they make up is rather changing and unstable, the older members share their experience with the younger ones and try to keep activities more or less organized. 62
high, with 30% of the population living on less than 1.25$ a day. Poverty in Ghana is a rural phenomenon, with rural communities accounting for more that 60% of the poor(2). Inflation is also high, at around 9% a year. Among the many groups of people highly affected by poverty and the risk of unemployment, are the waste pickers. “Bwala Five Five” is the name given by local waste pickers to the main dumpsite of Koforidua, a town of 130,000 inhabitants in eastern Ghana, 3 hours by road from Accra. On a regular working day, about 15 women and young children work at the landfill. They arrive at dawn and spend the day sorting and collecting the rubbish deposited by municipal garbage trucks, picking anything of value but focusing on plastic and metal. The Bwala 55 wastepickers come
equipped with nothing but a 2-feetlong hook made of a piece of bent construction steel. Having no protection equipment available, some wear socks to protect their hands. Electric cables are used to secure trousers and the day often starts by a search for wearable shoes in the mountain of garbage. Once ready, collecting and sorting can start. Some head for the freshest waste, dumped late on the previous day, while other prefer the most remote sections of the landfill, which are constantly smoldering and covered in acrid smoke, but where metal is more easily visible and easier to collect. Anything that can be sold or recycled is picked. Old books, clothes, items of food are collected and set aside for future use. All pockets of all items of clothing are checked, in case they contain a few coins or anything of value. However, the Bwala 55 make their money by collecting hard plastic ❮
A bad start to the day, with very little valuable pickings. On the bright side, Jacob, 12, was pleased with the pair of shoes he had just found. Picking is an art‌ Tins of tomato paste, baby milk powder, coffee, condensed milk, oil, pilchards and corned beef are highly sought after. Soft drink cans have no resale value.
Kofi and Junior, trying to grab the largest pieces of plastic as they are falling out of the truck.
The main danger, however, comes from working and, often, living in a highly toxic and contaminated environment. Methane produced by rotting organic waste feeds fires that seem to burn night and day.
(basins, cooking containers, plates, etc) and metal cans (instant coffee, tomato paste, etc), which they sell to a processing company. Pickers build up their personal mountain of metal and plastic, along the main access road. When the processor’s truck comes, a makeshift weighing system is built, with scales hanging from a simple wooden frame. Prices vary a lot from one month to the next but plastic usually brings in 50 pesewas a kilo (0.25$) and metal 20 pesewas a kilo (0.09$). The workers are mostly women and young children, with a few young male adults joining in from time to time. The work is physically demanding and often dangerous, as only those who get very close to the garbage truck as it dumps its load can grab the larger pieces of plastic. Kids in particular take risks, climbing on top of the unstable heaps of waste or running after the speeding trucks to be first in the picking line. The main danger, however, comes from working and, often, living in a highly toxic and contaminated environment. Methane produced by rotting organic waste feeds fires that seem to burn night and day. Those who work in the “hot” sections, like Georgina, 47, complain of smoke-induced ❮ 66
Jonah, 22, waste picker
Plastic bags and smog, the two symbols of the Koforidua dumpsite.
Jacob, 12, waste picker
breathing problems and of having to spend much of their limited earnings on medical treatment. The Bwala 55 workers are very aware of the dangers of their occupation. Although the small community they make up is rather changing and unstable, the older members share their experience with the younger ones and try to keep activities more or less organized. All waste pickers dream of finding a “good” job somewhere else but see that as a remote possibility. Jobs are scarce in 68
the region and the lack of available cash makes it almost impossible for them to start a small business or buy stock of any kind and sell it in the town’s marketplaces. Of the children who pick waste, none go to school. Worse, according to rumours circulating in town, the municipality is thinking about closing the Bwala 55 site and opening a new and larger landfill site, further away from the city, and to which waste pickers may not be given access.
Sources (1) African Development Bank, Republic of Ghana country strategy paper 2012-2016, Feb 2012 (http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/upl oads/afdb/documents/projectand-operations/ghana%20csp% 20draft%20for%20comments.pdf) (2) Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), Country Briefing Ghana: Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) at a glance, July 2010 (3) The World Bank, What a waste A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, Daniel Hoornweg and Perinaz Bhada-Tata, March 2012, No. 15
Waste Management
Municipal Waste in Africa and the World(3) Municipal waste generation in subSaharan Africa is approximately 62 million tonnes per year, or 5% of the total waste generated globally. Per capita waste generation, though generally low in the region, ranges from 0.09 to 3.0 kg per person per day, with an average of 0.65 kg/capita/day (vs 2.2 kgs in OECD countries and 1.1 in the MENA region).
69
By Mariejoe J. Raidy
From Trash to Art
An Artistic Representation of History & Fame Through the Tapes of Erika Simmons Erika iri5 (pronounced “iris”) is a self-taught artist. She holds a degree in Russian from Washington University in St. Louis. Much of her work focuses on data and memory, a post-modern response to pop-art, in a series entitled “Ghost in the Machine.” But she is a wild creature and wanders wherever her imagination leads. Previous clients include: The Times, Oprah Magazine, MAXIM, Levis Strauss & Co., Hermes, and RayBan.
Audrey Graceful 70
Waste & Art
Mariejoe J. Raidy: The art pieces you produce are made out of recycled tapes which are no longer in use today. Instead of throwing the old technology away, you decided to look at them with a different eye, add your personal touch to them, turn them into an artistic medium and recycle them into outstanding art pieces. Where and how did the inspiration come from? Erika Simmons: I started using the tapes as a medium because I am fascinated with data and how technology had evolved to capture a moment - be it on film, in music on the tapes, or even recorded on sheet music. We are always trying to catch that firefly in a bottle to re-tell a story. â?Ž
The Birds
71
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
MJ.R.: You are a self taught artist with a Russian degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Your work focuses on data and memory, a post-modern response to pop-art, through which you represent iconic figures from the times where 8mm film, VHS tapes and cassette tapes were still in use. From Jimi Hendrix, to Audrey Graceful, to the stars of Pulp Fiction and many more. You immortalize a moment in history through the eyes of your tapes. Where did this inspiration come from and how was it created? E.S.: The inspiration came from reading a lot and trying to tell a story of how we relate to technology and pop culture. I love that people can imagine holding these real objects in their hands and remembering maybe making mix-tapes or recording on old VHS tapes. It makes it very personal for the viewer and I get a lot of emails from people relating how their memories come right back when they see the artwork. â?Ž
72
Waste & Art
Royale with Cheese
73
Jimi Hendrix
74
Waste & Art
Bob Dylan 75
MJ.R.: In 2010, you collaborated with director Ethan Lader to help produce a music video for the song “Just the Way you are” by Bruno Mars, a video which received over 300 millions views on YouTube! How was this experience? E.S.: This experience was fantastic - I was very lucky to collaborate with a team of very talented people who did amazing work. And the outpouring of fan support afterwards was incredible. I am grateful to Ethan and Bruno Mars as well, I’m very happy with how it turned out. MJ.R.: You were recently honored the official Artist for 2013 Grammy Award. How does people’s positive
76
response and love for your art make you feel, knowing that you are an avant-gardist with your experimental medium, and being one of the first people to venture in a new path makes it impossible to know how the impact is going to be beforehand? E.S.: Of course I’m honored that people respond to what I make - its the dream of any artist to be able to do what you love and share it. The best part for me is exploring the unknown and sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t - but that’s life. I could never sit at my desk and make the same thing over and over. People change and evolve and I hope that my art reflects that. ❮
Waste & Art
John Lennon
77
MJ.R.: Why tapes? E.S.: I like tapes as a medium because they have so many emotional connotations for people who grew up at that time. And there are rich metaphors (besides the cool physical textures) to play with. I’m still discovering new ways to use them.
The Clash
78
MJ.R.: What’s next? E.S.: I’ll always make art with the tapes, but now I’m exploring art created out of old sheet music where the designs reflect the mood and themes in the music. I’m also experimenting with popped balloons - it might sound crazy but its looking fantastic. I hope to share lots of new marvelous work soon!
Alan Turing
AROUND THE WORLD IN PHOTOS AERIAL DARFUR Photos by Diego Fernandez Gabaldon
Kabkabiya, North Darfur, destination of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) during the conflict.
AERIAL DARFUR Misfortune beset Sudan once again in 2003. The ill-fated succession of events that developed in Darfur left thousands of people dead and even more homeless. Families torn apart, orphaned children, the drama of malnutrition and the appalling undermining of human dignity and self-respect have been since part of day-to-day reality in Darfur. Diego Fernandez Gabaldon, is a humanitarian worker with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. These images were taken while serving in Darfur between 2004 and 2007.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
Kalma camp. Located near Nyala (South Darfur) with around 100,000 estimated residents was one of the largest IDP camps in Darfur.
Darfur Crisis, 10 Years On Darfur is a region in Sudan the size of France. It is home to about 6 million people from nearly 100 tribes. Some nomads, some farmers, and all Muslims. In 1989, General Omar Bashir took control of Sudan by military coup, which then allowed The National Islamic Front government to inflame regional tensions. In a struggle for political control of the area, weapons poured into Darfur. Conflicts increased between African farmers and many nomadic Arab tribes. In 2003, two Darfuri rebel movements- the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)- took up arms against the Sudanese government, complaining about the marginalization of the area and the failure to protect sedentary people from attacks by nomads. The government of Sudan responded by unleashing Arab militias known as Janjaweed, or “devils on horseback”. Sudanese forces and Janjaweed militia attacked hundreds of villages throughout Darfur. Over 400 villages were completely destroyed and millions of civilians were forced to flee their homes. In the ongoing genocide, African farmers and others in Darfur are being systematically displaced and murdered at the hands of the Janjaweed. The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. More than one hundred people ❮ 84
Day to day life in Darfur. Competing livelihood systems have led to conflict over natural resources amongst pastorlists and farmers. The conflict in Darfur has been ongoing since 2004, and continues today. 87
Around the World in Photos
continue to die each day; five thousand die every month. The Sudanese government disputes these estimates and denies any connection with the Janjaweed. The Sudanese government appears unwilling to address the human rights crisis in the region and has not taken the necessary steps to restrict the activities of the Janjaweed. In June 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) took the first step in ending impunity in Darfur by launching investigations into human rights violations in Darfur. However, the government of Sudan refused to cooperate with the investigations. On March 4, 2009 Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, became the first sitting president to be indicted by ICC for directing a campaign of mass killing, rape, and pillage against civilians in Darfur. The arrest warrant for Bashir follows arrest warrants issued by the ICC for former Sudanese Minister of State for the Interior Ahmad Harun and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb. The government of Sudan has not surrendered either suspect to the ICC. Darfuris today continue to suffer and the innumerable problems facing Sudan cannot be resolved until peace is secured in Darfur. According to UN estimates, 2.7 million Darfuris remain in internally displaced persons camps and over 4.7 million Darfuris rely on humanitarian aid. Resolving the Darfur conflict is critical not just for the people of Darfur, but also for the future of Sudan and the stability of the entire region. 89
Around the World in Photos
More than a decade after the start of the Darfur conflict in Sudan, over 2.4 million people still live in camps. Some 300,000 remain in camps across the border in eastern Chad, reluctant to return home because of ongoing insecurity, loss of property and fear of oppression. These refugees remain dependent on humanitarian aid for survival — but as the world’s attention gradually fades, thousands more Darfuris are fleeing new violence.
91
Darfur villages. Due to the security situation and poor road conditions, humanitarian workers in Darfur relied on air travel to deliver assistance.
The International Rescue Committee aids 84,000 Darfuri refugees in three camps in eastern Chad and offers services to 33,000 Chadians living nearby. The IRC runs schools, health centers and water and sanitation programs in the camps.
Wadis (seasonal rivers) during the rainy season. These seasonal rivers make travel in Darfur more difficult and roads become impassable. 95
98
A different Darfur, South Darfur during the rainy season.
103
Road conditions and insecurity are the main challenges to transport commodities both for traders and humanitarian agencies.
104
“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.� -Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods
ECOTOURISM
Magazine Botswana & Zimbabwe...........................................106 By Gabriella Porelli Photos by Laetitia Tyan
Ecotourism in Lebanon..........................................126 By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
Bolivia Tourism Goes Green........................................132 By Martin Zoller
Ecotourism
By Gabriella Porelli Photos by Laetitia Tyan
Botswana & Zimbabwe
From the Okavango Delta to the Victoria Falls A Journey Like no Other Being one of the of the most sought after wilderness destinations in the world, the Okavango Delta shows the wild Africa of our dreams; the heartstopping excitement of big game viewing, the supreme tranquility and serenity of an untouched delta, and evocative scenes of extraordinary natural beauty.
A journey to the Okavango Delta – deep into Africa’s untouched interior – is like no other. Moving from wetland to the Dryland – traversing the meandering palm and papyrus fringed waterways, passing palmfringed islands, and thick woodland, resplendent with lush vegetation, and rich in wildlife – reveals the many facets of this unique ecosystem. It is the largest intact delta in the world. ❮ 107
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
The Okavango Delta is situated deep within the Kalahari Basin, and is often referred to as the ‘jewel’ of the Kalahari. That the Okavango exists at all – deep within this thirstland – seems remarkable. Shaped like a fan, the Delta is fed by the Okavango River, the third largest in southern Africa. It has been steadily developed over the millennia by millions of tonnes of sand carried down the river from Angola. Swollen with floodwaters from the summer rains, the Okavango River travels from the Angolan highlands, crosses into Botswana at Mohembo in the Caprivi, then later spills over the vast, fan-shaped Delta. The timing of the floods is uncanny. Just as the waters from Botswana’s summer rains disappear (April, May), the floodwaters begin their journey – 1300 kilometres of which is through Kalahari sands – revitalizing a vast and remarkably diverse ecosystem of plant and animal life. ❮
The water’s flow, distribution and drainage patterns are continually changing, principally due to tectonic activity underground. As an extension of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, the Okavango is set within a geographically unstable area of 110
faults, and regularly experiences land movements, tremors and minor quakes. By the time the water reaches Maun, at the Delta’s southern fringes, its volume is a fraction of what it was. As little as 2 to 3 percent of the water reaches the
Thamalakane River in Maun, and over 95 percent is lost to evapotranspiration. Although, the flow doesn't stop in Maun, it may continue east to the Boteti River, to fill Lake Xau or the Makgadikgadi Pans, or drain west to Lake River to fill Lake Ngami. ❮
There Are Three Main Geographical Areas - The Panhandle - The Delta - The Dryland The Panhandle begins at the Okavango’s northern reaches, at Mohembo, extending down for approximately 80 kilometres. Its corridor-like shape is contained within two parallel faults in the Earth’s crust. Here the river runs deep and wide and the swamps are perennially flooded. The dominant vegetation is vast papyrus beds and large stands of phoenix palms. The main tourist attractions of the Panhandle are fishing, birding and visiting the colourful villages that line its western fringes. At Seronga, the fan-shaped Delta emerges, and the waters spill over the Delta, rejuvenating the landscape and creating stunning mosaics of channels, lagoons, ox-bow lakes, flooded grasslands and thousands upon thousands of islands of an �
The Okavango is a proposed World Heritage Site. Its long-term conservation is ensured through government policy and regulations (though only Moremi Game Reserve has an official protected status), the efforts and initiatives of camps and lodges in its concessions, the recently launched Okavango Development Management Plan (ODMP), and its status as a Ramsar site under IUCN, an agreement that limits its utilization and development. 112
113
endless variety of shapes and sizes. Many of the smaller islands are grandiose termitaria built by fungusgrowing termites, one of 400 termite species in Africa, whose fantastic structures are a source of refuge and food for many animals. The Delta region of the Okavango can vary in size from 15 000 square kilometres during drier periods, to a staggering 22 000 square kilometres during wetter periods. Its dominant plant species are Reeds, Mokolwane Palms, Acacia, Sycamore Fig, Sausage Trees, Raintrees and African Mangosteen. At the Delta’s lower reaches, the � 115
Major species to be seen include: Elephant |buffalo | giraffe | zebra | hippo | crocodile | rhino | red lechwe | waterbuck | reedbuck | duiker | impala | kudu | steenbok | wildebeest | hartebeest | sable | roan | tsessebe | lion | leopard | cheetah | genet | serval | and caracal | along with an immense variety of birds – land and water, resident and migratory, some of which are rare and endangered. It should be noted, however, that game viewing very much depends on season, and water and food availability. 116
perennial swamps give way to seasonal swamps and flooded grasslands. To the southeast the third vegetation region becomes evident, as it changes to true the Dryland. There are three major land masses here: the Matsebi Ridge, Chief’s Island and the Moremi tongue. Here the vegetation is predominantly Mophane, Acacia and Scrub Bush. Moreover, the land is dotted with pans. It is to this region that large numbers of mammals retreat during the dry winter months. Major tourist attractions in the Delta and the Dryland areas are game viewing, birding and boating, often in the traditional mokoro. The diversity and numbers of animals and birds can be staggering. A recent overview of the Okavango records 122 species of mammals, 71 species of fish, 444 species of birds, 64 species of reptiles and 1300 species of flowering plants. A successful rhino reintroduction programme in the Okavango now puts the population of White Rhino at approximately 35, and Black Rhino at 4. � 119
Zimbawe: Victoria Falls a Fascinating Place Victoria Falls also known as "Mosi oaTunya" ("the smoke that thunders") is positioned almost exactly half way along the mighty Zambezi River's, a 2700 km journey from it's source to the sea. Here the river plunges headlong into a 100m vertical chasm spanning the full one-and-a-half kilometre width of the river.
120
Creating the biggest curtain of falling water in the world and also one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The power of the falls is awesome, with the highest ever flow recorded when it reached more than 700 000 cubic meters of water a minute. The water in the Gorges rose 18 metres (60 feet) above its normal flood level. This constant pounding by the currents of the mighty Zambezi has, over the millennium, cut through the rock faults and fissures, and carved â?Ž
Facts: -The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa, the three larger are the Nile, Congo, and Niger. -The Zambezi flows through six countries, Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. -Victoria Falls lies almost directly half way along the Zambezi River in its 1677 miles stretch from its source to the sea. -Victoria Falls is approximately 5577 feet wide and varies in height from 262304 feet, and when all dimensions are taken into account along with flow rate it is considered to be the biggest curtain of water in the world. - Victoria Falls is one of the so-called seven natural wonders of the world, the others are: the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbour of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, the Polar Aurora and the Paricutin volcano. -Because of the spray of Victoria Falls the Rain Forest at Victoria Falls is the only place in the world where it rains 24 hours a day 7 days a week. -Before being named ‘Victoria Falls’ in 1855 by David Livingstone, the waterfall was known to the local tribesmen as the Mosi-oa-tunya translated as ‘Smoke that Thunders.’ -During a full moon it is possible to see a ‘moonbow’ at Victoria Falls at night, this occurs in the spray of the falls from the light of the moon and appears in the same way as a solar rainbow in the day with the same colours and shape. - Between September and December, and the river's flow is at a safe enough level, it is possible to swim right to the edge of the Victoria falls in a naturally formed pool known as ‘the Devil’s swimming pool’. In this time the natural rock wall prevents swimmers from being taken over the falls despite the current. 122
Eco-Living
Ecotourism
out not one but eight successive precipices. When our early ancestors inhabited this area some 1.5 million years ago , they would have seen a different Victoria falls to the one we see today. Being one of the greatest physical spectacles in Africa, it stands to reason that it has attracted so much interest over time and therefore the area is steeped in history and mystery. In November 1855, Dr David Livingstone was transported in a canoe by the local Makalolo people to the very edge of these falls. The sensitive Scotsman was so overwhelmed by his first sight of these spectacular falls, that he momentarily abandoned his scientific observations and recorded: "It has never been seen before by European eyes, but scenes so wonderful must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight". Loyally, the good missionary, whose heart lies buried in Africa, named this great wonder of the world after Victoria, his British queen. 125
By Nathalie Rosa Bucher
Ecotourism in Lebanon
Trends, Developments & Missed Opportunities Large posters showcasing Lebanon’s rich heritage welcome travelers arriving at Rafic Hariri International Airport. Roman archeological sites such as Baalbeck’s magnificent ruins, quaint fishing towns like Byblos or Batroun and Lebanese mountain villages feature prominently; most of Lebanon’s natural wonders and particularly Ecotourism destinations, however, don’t. 126
Ecotourism first emerged in Lebanon in the mid-90s, when the country was still reeling from the 15-year civil war. “Lebanese people did not know their own country after all these years of war,” Serge Soued of Lebanese Adventure, a local Ecotourism operator founded in 1997, explains. “The sector has witnessed great developments from 1996 until today,” Mark Aoun of Vamos Todos, an Ecotourism club established in 2006, explains further. Aoun underlines the role of clubs as conduits for the
growth and popularity of Ecotourism in Lebanon. “At the beginning, it attracted Europeans who visited Lebanon to participate in Ecotourism activities. Today however, Lebanese people have become much more aware of it and enjoy Ecotourism events. The many clubs have helped the expansion of Ecotourism in Lebanon.” “Ecotourism was not well defined at that time,” Soued says in retrospect. “All non-traditional tourism activities involving nature were put under the
umbrella of Ecotourism. Outdoors activities became a trend and it created a new market. The good side of it is that Lebanese people discovered their country and became more aware of their natural heritage.” The price nature paid for these new discoveries was, and often still is, high. Soued concedes that this new market opened the way for many bad practices such as uncontrolled 4x4 driving, skidoo, quad biking, and more, undertaken disregarding the damage this could cause to flora and
fauna and local populations. Asked to categorize ecotourists, Zeina Haddad, the Ministry of Tourism’s (MoT) head of grottos department who has been tasked with following sustainable tourism projects at the MoT, replies that ecotourists are a diverse mix of people, including Lebanese who have travelled and deem Ecotourism as trendy. “It shifted over the years to become 60% locals, 30% foreign expat and 10% tourists,” Soued reports.
In Aoun’s experience, “The big majority, if not all (eco-tourists), are well-educated, 70% to 80% are young, and varying between 25 and 45 years. Locals represent more than 80% of the participants and their percentage increased a lot over the years. As for the number of foreigners, it increases and decreases in accordance with the security situation.” Ecovillage, a pioneering effort situated in the Chouf offers a place for educational Ecotourism, and ❮ 127
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. 128
allows visitors to learn about the environment, organic agriculture and healthy living in a pristine setting. “We make sure that our visitors understand what sustainability and ecology are through tours in the village and educational games,” cofounder Karim Al-Khatib explains. “We had 4,000 visitors of which 2,000 were students in 2012.” Lebanese Adventure mainly focuses on nature activities, mixing the cultural aspects with fun. “Our activities are based on respect for
nature and protection as well as giving support to local communities we visit,” Soued says. Nature programs geared at schools (white and green classes) feature among Lebanese Adventure’s recent projects. Over the years, it has conducted tourism studies in Ehmej and Hammana, where the first canoeing site in the area was launched. “We were the first company to introduce biking as a means to visit villages in the Beka’a,” Soued adds. The company took part
Ecotourism
in designing sites such as Hima Kfar Zabad near Aanjar and Hima Ebel el Saqi in Nabatiye. “More than 6,000 people had their first Ecotourism activity with us,” Aoun says referring to Vamos Todos. “We embarked on several projects, from forestation, to cleaning, and organizing awareness campaigns. We usually organize weekly activities, with more than 50 persons attending. We are giving more attention to awareness campaigns and trying to see what possible Ecotourism
qualifications in Lebanon need to be addressed.” The International Ecotourism Society’s definition of Ecotourism is “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in Ecotourism activities should follow the following Ecotourism principles: - Minimize impact. - Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect. - Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts. - Provide direct financial benefits for conservation. - Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people. - Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate. “In Lebanon Ecotourism means you go out into nature, you do a small hike and then you have something to eat. This is what Ecotourism translates to for most Lebanese and this is mainly why Ecotourism is not advancing too much,” entomologist and environmental expert Dr Nabil Nemer, who serves on the committees of two nature reserves and is involved in a project that provides support to Lebanon’s nature reserves, points out. “We need to challenge the Lebanese mentality – to eat in a restaurant in a village that’s not Ecotourism.” “There is potential, given that the new generation of Lebanese do not like to be in the cities, especially with high pollution and traffic jams. We need more tranquility and nature. We can’t find that anymore, neither in the city nor along the coast. The potential is clearly there but it needs to be guided and not at the expense of villagers and nature.
Villagers can guide visitors, people who are going to nature are receptive to engaging and learning from local communities. We have to have these conversations. And not always have an operator in between them.” Ecovillage’s Khatib suggests that the industry may have developed in the wrong way. “The majority of Lebanese that live in Lebanon don’t really like nature or they do but in their own way. The market has developed by seeing many new hiking groups, trails and housing.” Nemer puts forward that Ecotourism needs to be inclusive of all aspects of eco-rural development, which should take place in the different regions of Lebanon and ensure that local people are integrated. “The problem with Ecotourism in Lebanon is that these small enterprises, are all offering the same, they more or less adapt nature to the Lebanese way, that’s not what’s meant by Ecotourism.” The solution for Nemer lies in going through the MoT, which should set up a charter and identify sites. There would need to be mechanisms to implement, monitor and ensure that the communities are finally benefitting and not all the benefit goes to companies. In the absence of nationally binding guidelines, operators have made up their own. The five guidelines Ecovillage follows include organic agriculture, people involved in the project living on site, all constructions to be entirely built using sustainable building methods, producing and exclusively using renewable energy, an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and running an educational program with visitors. “Visitors should leave the place with more knowledge of nature, ecology and local culture,” Khatib explains. The three pillars on which Soued ❮ 129
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
The approaches to and interpretations of what Ecotourism entails may differ but there is broad consensus about the need for guidelines. For Khatib, Ecotourism also holds the potential to preserve Lebanon’s natural heritage.
130
rests his company’s core principles are nature and protection of the environment, interpretation (explanation of what is visited) and benefits for local communities. Lebanese Adventure has developed Hammana as an adventure destination, promoted Ehmej as a destination and worked with rural cooperatives. “We’ve organized many activities with more than 50 women associations in the country. These had a very positive impact, especially for women in remote villages who get to help their families this way.” Vamos Todos has also initiated successful awareness and educational initiatives. The approaches to and interpretations of what Ecotourism entails may differ but there is broad consensus about the need for guidelines. For Khatib, Ecotourism also holds the potential to preserve Lebanon’s natural heritage. “In our strategy it is one of our goals to be leading in Ecotourism and sustainable tourism in the region,” says Haddad. “Lebanon has the resources to do that, it has nature reserves, biospheres, and protected areas such as forests. Lebanon is a source of rich, green areas. Since 2002, people are increasingly aware about Ecotourism, responsible and rural tourism. They ask themselves: why not visit our home country?” Haddad argues that the Ecotourism Conference held in Quebec in 2002, the year of Ecotourism, was a turning point. “Many meetings were held, following up to Quebec in order to work on Ecotourism.” One of the recent efforts undertaken by the MoT is the Guesthouse Decree that aims at helping locals to transform their houses into guesthouses. “Around the Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT) alone there are around 35 guest houses,” Haddad
explains. Lebanon now has this alternative lodging, you can stay in guesthouses and youth hostels, and even monasteries are open to visitors.” Speaking of the MoT, Aoun argues that the ministry should support professional Ecotourism and create a department to be in charge of Ecotourism in Lebanon. “The Ministry of Tourism should regulate the sector, I guess,” Soued argues. “A group of us (four Ecotourism operators) proposed to the Ministry of Tourism to regulate this new kind of tourism but ... ” While Khatib feels that the MoT should supervise and categorize which project and organization does Ecotourism and who does not comply, Haddad is concerned about the fact that there are more operators than ever before but not all offer what can be labeled as Ecotourism. “Lebanon’s tourism has now to shift from a tourism that is centered on ancient sites to one that includes all the neglected natural sites,” Nemer suggests. “There’s huge potential but I think it will also help in attracting people to come again. We have to select our customers, not everybody wants to be in Beirut, or in nightclubs. Ecotourism is a global trend. We need to advertise our natural heritage!” Nearly two decades since Ecotourism first took off in Lebanon and over a decade since Quebec, a comprehensive vision and strategy should have emerged, ensuring all stakeholder interests are met. The MoT should certainly be key in ensuring that the opportunities Ecotourism holds in Lebanon are tapped into and activities run in a sustainable and equitable manner so that the country’s natural heritage is protected for future generations.
We’ve organized many activities with more than 50 women associations in the country. These had a very positive impact, especially for women in remote villages who get to help their families this way. 131
By Martin Zoller
Bolivia Tourism Goes Green Since it’s independence from Spain, Bolivia became famous for it’s almost uncountable numbers of coups d’état. Political and economical stability was as unfruitful as growing papaya in the highlands of the Bolivian Altiplano. These facts made it very hard for both local and international investors, entrepreneurs and startups to even think of alternative technologies, infrastructure or tourism as an opportunity in Bolivia.
Altiplano
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
Many local and national governments are supporting green development. Like other countries, Bolivia’s tourism is still growing, but the country is going in a very positive direction. It’s natural and cultural heritage offers a great ground for further (green) explorations.
However, since Evo Morales came to power in 2005, things have changed in many aspects for the country. Whether you agree with his politics or not, there has been much progress especially in ecological tourism. Eco-Lodges, boutique travel agencies, organic food and holistic health centers are popping up like mushrooms all around the country. I have been living and traveling through Bolivia for over 20 years. In all my travels, I have never seen such quick progress in such a small time. Within the last four to five years, a new vision has come to Bolivia. Without any doubt, Evo Morales, the first Indigenous President of Bolivia, helped to create this mentality. When he came into power, he celebrated with traditional indigenous rituals instead of the postcolonial tradition. He speaks a lot of PACHAMAMA or mother earth and respects the power of nature and its energies. Over the last couple of weeks, my wife and I guided a group of 16 tourists from Switzerland and Germany through the highlands of Bolivia and Peru. Our goal was to allow our “guests” to discover Bolivia’s old and new magic. We traveled on a “green” path, 134
respecting not only traditions but also ecological rules. One of the highlights was a bike tour of the world famous “Death Road” or Camino de las Yungas. Starting from almost 4700 meters above sea level, we biked down to 1200 meters. The trip began in the cold, snow peaked mountains and ended in the tropical jungle. Besides the pumping adrenaline you get from the ride, you cannot help but feel the connection to and devotion towards nature and all its power. After finishing the trip down “Death Road,” (don’t worry, it is not as bad as it sounds. The road is now closed for public transport since a new, modern road was opened some years ago) we got our first sighting of the largest lung of the world, the Amazonas. We did not have to wait long before being introduced to the next ecological surprise. Our guides brought us for lunch and a tour at “Senda Verde”. Senda Verde is a private foundation, supported by volunteers from all around the world. The foundation takes care of wild animals that were injured by humans or little puppies and cubs whose parents were killed by hunters or in accidents. ❮
Eco-Living
135
Crocodiles, monkeys, snakes and all kind of birds are living in this paradise and receive a second chance in life. In the restaurant there, you will find two kinds of menus: One lists food options and the other shows how much money it takes to feed the animals for 3 days or more. The first menu serves for your own stomach; the second gives you the chance to donate money that will be used to fill the animal’s stomach. Back on the Altiplano, you feel like you are on a different planet but with the same magic that radiates from the Amazon. There you will find a very well taken care of cultural heritage, located at 4000 meters above sea level, the world famous city of Tiwanaku. Pre-Incan � 136
ruins with two nice museums and several shops that sell indigenous handmade crafts make this trip a unique experience. Each year, on the 138
solstice on June 21st, Shamans, Indians from tribes all around the world, and tourists from all cultures come to take part in the festivities. On
that special night, people sleep in tents, cook on open fires and celebrate in music and dances from many different cultural backgrounds.
Eco-Living
Tiwanaku can be reached from Bolivia’s “capital,” La Paz, by car in less than three hours. Bolivia actually has two capitals:
Sucre, the historical capital and La Paz, the political capital. At the beginning of his first legislative, Evo Morales made some efforts to bring
full power back to Sucre. Not far away from Tiwanaku, we find Lake Titicaca (Spanish: Lago Titicaca). The lake has borders with ❮ 139
Bolivia and Peru. By volume of water, it is the largest lake in South America. For Mysticals, the lake is a very special place. Its energy 140
attracts people from all around the world who come to meditate and connect to the magical energy of this unique spot.
Not more than 10 years ago, the Bolivian side of the lake was still very poorly developed. Comfortable hotels were very rare and the
Ecotourism
infrastructure was almost nonexistent. Today, things are completely different. Copacabana, the main town on the Bolivian side
of the lake, became a tourist friendly place. The indigenous people around the lake and on the islands close to the
main island organized themselves in little cooperation’s, offering healthy and ecological services. Upon visiting Moon Island (Isla de la � 141
Luna) and Sun Island (Isla del Sol), you may be surprised by the EcoLodges found there. Their hosts, friendly indigenous locals, offer excellent services, clean rooms and very good traditional food. One of these is the “Inca Sama Eco Lodge� on Sun Island. This is a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere. Once you are there you will not want to leave. Close to Copacabana, we visited artificial floating islands. Again, local families built them, sharing work and income from tourism. They quickly learned that taking care of mother earth not only gives them a better future, but also creates an income by attracting tourists looking for healthy and ecological tourism. 142
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” - Mahatma Gandhi
ECO-LIVING ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH
Magazine Marijuana: Addictive or Medicinal?..........................................144 By Zeina Ghossoub El Asswad
World Champion Twice in a Row.................................................148 By Sherine Bouez
Eco-Living Environment & Health
By Zeina Ghossoub el Asswad
Marijuana: Addictive or Medicinal?
Conceptions and Misconceptions of Marijuana Use If you have heard of drugs, then you have probably heard of Marijuana. Marijuana is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. It comes from the plant, Cannabis Sativa and in its many forms, is also known as Hashish. Marijuana's use has declined over the past two to three decades, but recently its use has seen a rise. Several factors contributed to this rise, including the perceived lack of risk, the ease of purchase, the ubiquitous presence worldwide, the relative ease of culturing it and its abundance. Of course, its effects as a drug are what keep people hooked. This drug is usually smoked as a cigarette roll, but it can also be mixed with food, smoked in a pipe/ water pipe, or even brewed as a tea. 145
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
Marijuana Use Facts: * - The Department of Health and Human Services in the United States reported that the average age of first-time users in 1999 was 16.4 years. Recent studies showed that 6.5% of high school seniors smoke Marijuana on a daily basis. 23 % of them said they smoked in the month prior to the survey and just over 36 % said they smoked within the previous year. Among 10th graders, 3.5 % said they use Marijuana daily, 17 % smoked in the previous month and 28 % in the past year. - Over the past 15 years, the concentration level of THC (The main psychoactive substance in today’s Marijuana; delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol, or “THC”) has more than doubled which may explain why we’ve seen a pretty dramatic increase in admission to emergency rooms and treatment programs for Marijuana. - About 1 in 6 teens will become addicted to Marijuana. - Marijuana has been shown to lead to heart irregularities, palpitations and arrhythmias. - People who don’t smoke cigarettes but who use marijuana regularly tend to have more health problems that keep them out of work (primarily due to respiratory illnesses) than do non-smokers. - Marijuana exposure at a young age changes the trajectory of brain development, especially in the frontal cortex white matter. - A study of 50,000 motorists found those who smoked Marijuana within three hours of driving had twice as many car accidents when compared to those who were sober. In another study, a third of drivers who were fatally injured tested positive for drugs, with Marijuana at the top of the list. * By Vivian Diller, Ph.D. psychologist in private practice in New York City, for the HuffingtonPost; “Teen Marijuana Use: How Concerned Should We Be?” 146
Eco-Living Environment & Health
The next obvious question is, why does it attract so many people, and how does it affect us? Smoking Marijuana introduces a chemical into our blood called THC. THC travels to the brain and acts on receptors known as Cannabinoid receptors. There are chemicals in the brain that are very similar to Marijuana which stimulate this center. Marijuana overstimulates this receptor, which is found in areas of the brain such as memory, thinking, pleasure, concentration and coordination. Whereas the initial effect may be overstimulating, the true effect comes after, where studies have shown that people who chronically abuse Marijuana are less satisfied with life. They have a higher rate of failure in school, work and life in general. They tend to have poorer physical health and more relationship problems. There are negative consequences on the structure and function of the brain, where all aspects of the areas mentioned above are compromised and degraded with time. It is shown that IQ’s drop, memories fail and the
connections are lost in the brain. As far as the effect on health, Marijuana raises the heart rate for about three hours after use. The increase can be significant and dangerous. It also has the same negative effects on the lungs as cigarette smoking does, sometimes even worse. Marijuana abuse can cause psychiatric problems. It has also been linked to cyclic vomiting syndrome along with other gastrointestinal problems. It has been associated with certain cancers, some very aggressive such as male testicular cancers. With all of this and the potential for abuse, is there really a place for it as a therapeutic or medicinal compound? Well, that is debatable. It has been used for pain and nausea control in patients with cancer and HIV/AIDS. However, there are no concrete studies to show its true benefits, that is why it has not been regulated or legalized yet, as other medical drugs have. The benefits, as far as research is concerned, still do not outweigh the risks. Further, Marijuana production is not controlled, therefore each batch or preparation can and
does produce a different mixture which cannot be accounted for. Adverse reactions may occur to the way it is prepared and with what it is mixed with. So doctors are naturally weary of prescribing it. The bottom line is, Marijuana is a drug. It has measurable and predictable effects on the brain and the body which often leave people sick, debilitated and compromised. Is there a place for it as a formal treatment? The answer is maybe. So far, that claim cannot be made, yet the future could hold a different answer. Legalizing it or not is a question for countries, governments and people, and that is an ongoing debate.
Medical Marijuana Facts * - Smoking cannabis introduces a number of potential problems. The complex makeup of cannabis that contains about 80 bioactive substances means that the desired anticancer effect may be lost because these compounds may interfere with each other. The heat of the burning destroys the useful nature of its compounds. - Compounds derived from Marijuana that do not cause the “high” associated with its THC ingredient- when applied alone, displayed a “diverse range of therapeutic qualities” that “target and switch off” pathways that allow cancers to grow. * By Dr. Wai Liu, oncologist at St. George’s University of London, for the HuffingtonPost; “Marijuana Compounds Can Kill Some Cancer Cells: Study” 147
Eco-Living Environment & Health
By Sherine Bouez
World Champion Twice in a Row
Gold Medalist at Heart
Chinese students execute Taiji Quan in the morning in Shanghai
The wind blew through the leaves, a soothing sound that echoed throughout the seasons, and through Avedis Seropian’s heart. Two years had passed since the last international Taijiquan competition, held in Wudang, China, where he had earned the title of Taijiquan World Champion. 149
Inside our bodies our organs are tightly ‘knit’, as if hugging one another. The parts are creating the whole. In fact, we are much more than the sum of our parts, since by creating internal harmony we are creating higher states of consciousness and awareness. Similarly, the environment was naturally made of water hugging the earth, wind caressing the trees, and a long chain of intertwined elements. Now, artificial additions result in a state of isolation, built out of steel.
Chinese people practicing Tai-Ji in the early morning, in Shanghai.
From branch to branch and up into a whirlwind, nature’s debris flew high and hit the ground, being shredded along the way into a million pieces. Nature’s perfect workings stood the test of time. The revered Four Tigers, living Grand Masters and keepers of the Taijiquan ancestry throughout the world, watched closely in Jiaozuo province, China, to assess his performances at the biggest Taijiquan competition to ever take place, the Taijiquan Exchange, before awarding him the Gold Medal. Avedis became second time Taijiquan World Champion on August 19th, 2013 up against 3482
participants including countless Chinese schools of mastery, rendering him now eligible for the title of Master in Internal Martial Arts. He stilled himself in this flowing breeze, as if the surrounding chaos of the stadium did not reach him, did not even recognize him. It passed through him like the floating mist of the Wudang Mountains, leaving his heart’s deep peace and sweet surrender intact. It was now beating to the rhythm of the sky, to the brightness of light, and to the waves of the ocean, slowly turning into subtle movements that looked like a flying dance, a
celebration of life: A seamless alternation between ultimate gracefulness and bursting speed, honed through unwavering training and determination. His gaze stretched to infinity as he looked away, far away beyond the crowd and roaring seats, and into the infinite horizon, to tell the tale of his heart’s longing with every inch of his being. With 20, 000 eager eyes looking on from the stadium, Avedis was the only participant from Lebanon and a uniquely self-trained expert. He arrived without a coach or a team leader, and entered the individual performances of
❮
151
Chen style Taiji and sword performances Taiji Jian, where others were at an advantage with the possibility for partnered performances. Witnessing his dexterity despite all odds and difficulty moving, the 19th generation holders of the lineage included world renowned Chen Xiao Wang and Chen Zheng Lei, with innumerable followers, both live and virtual on the web, intransigent gatekeepers of the 152
spread and alignment of Taijiquan with its purest essence of practice. For the brave at heart, Avedis left his mark, like an omen to the relentless warrior of peace, as he splashed back into the sunlight, and into the bustling crowd. Sherine Bouez: What is Taijiquan to you? Avedis Seropian: Taiji quan is the art of adaptation in life. When an
obstacle is too big you could take a conscious decision to just be like water, by finding a way around it. Consider a river’s course, the water element takes the shape of absolutely any obstacle and continues its journey. Whereas being hard or rigid would mean breaking at the impact of a blow. Practicing Taijiquan teaches you to endure, never to loose heart and to take every moment as it comes.
Eco-Living Environment & Health
S.B.: What is the mastery of the present moment? A.S.: To be able to make peace with the past, and focus on the present moment. When you are about to accomplish a movement that looks easy to the naked eye but is actually difficult to perform, the mindset is to put all your energy into it, do it, and physically free yourself from it because there is another one happening right afterwards. Similarly,
in life it might help to envision the positive outcome in your mind, do it, and move on without lingering on it: that’s the philosophy that we can take from Taiji. S.B.: What is your mindset when you perform? A.S.: I say to myself that this is my last and only time to perform. I have to show for all the training I have done alone. Every moment is precious, a
mistake or even a slight hesitation can happen in a split second, therefore this needs an unbending intent. A warrior of peace has an invincible resolve, a will that he doesn’t allow anything to break. It is a clash of seconds, time versus humanbeing, rather than two wills like in combat: Am I going to be flawless in these 4 minutes? It is about condensing all the culminating energy of extensive training and � 153
Taiji is a wheel acknowledging the cycles in a person’s life and in Nature. To tune into a cyclical mindset is to be more at ease in our life and learn from Nature’s wisdom to regenerate ourselves and nurture our ‘living space’.
lifestyle into a crystallized moment lived. During these few precious seconds after the jury’s go-ahead whistle blow, that marks the beginning, I live all the many times I opened my posture to begin and leverage on them to be the best I can be. So in this aloneness, I am with 300 different Avedis Seropians! S.B.: What is a practical application of this in our life? A.S.: Taiji is a doorstep to a happy way of living, in a world of chaos where we tend to loose our center. Creating this eternal rootedness that does not obey a certain world means that by practicing you will find in your body what you don’t find in the world. Living the experience of Taiji calms you down and helps you better cope with your daily life. Music, dancing, and other activities are also legitimate tools for growth like Taiji. Taiji or other, the expansion of our awareness is an essential evolution to experience the quality of living.
Biodiversity By Elsa Sattout
Celebration of the International Day of Biodiversity
Merging the Arts & Sciences to Raise Awareness on the Importance of Cultural Landscapes For the second year in a row, the initiative launched by the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences at Notre Dame University celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity. The day unfolded in a ceremony, during wich the winners were announced and the exhibition of photos, designs, and posters related to cultural landscapes was open to view. Raising awareness about biodiversity and understanding cultural landscapes, empowers communities to participate publically and protect the natural and built environment .On May 22, every year the UN and the rest of the world highlight the importance on the International Day for Biological Diversity. Over the years, the international community has noticed the important need to preserve natural and cultural heritage. To do this, the World Heritage Convention (WHC) was developed, after the First World War, the Rio Summit was a milestone, which witnessed the birth of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and WHC became the first international legal instrument to recognize and protect Cultural Landscapes.
Cultural Landscapes & Diversity: Definitions & Snapshots To understand how Cultural Landscapes and Biological diversity affect our lives greatly, and constitute
as an integral part of our social, cultural and economic growth, we must first define them. “Cultural Landscapes”embrace a diversity of manifestations of the interaction between humankind and its natural environment. “Biological diversity” is defined as the variability among all living organisms. The first “cultural landscapes” in the Mediterranean region appeared more than 9000 years ago in the Middle East among the Neolithic societies. Landscape is defined as the area of land as perceived, experienced and lived by people, therefore the selection for the arrangement,style and materials of the features reflect the distinctive lifestyle of societies. Landscape encompasses visual properties of the environment including the natural and built-up environment, in addition to physical and biological resources, either visually and non-visually identified. Historically, the Mediterranean basin has witnessed the world’s earliest development of social complexity and urbanism. For many centuries, agro-sylvo-pastoral practices have dominated the region. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the basin results from the confrontation of numerous phylogenetic lines and cultures over time. Lately, new sociocultural conditions are causing the abandonment of agricultural land and the migration to urban areas. The world is currently experiencing changes in its natural environment ❮
A series of lectures ran from May27, 2013. The topics included: - “Cultural Landscapes” by Dr. Leon Telvizian (Lebanese University); - “World Heritage Convention and Cultural Landscapes” by Dr. PierreMarie Tricaud (ICOMOS International Expert, France); - “Wadi Qannoubine World Heritage Site” by Mrs. Samar Karam (Department of AntiquitiesMinistry of Culture); - “Geopark As A Tool For Sustainable Management” by Mrs. Soumaya Ayadi-Maasri (African Geoprak Network in Lebanon); and - “The Contested Cultural Landscape of a Lebanese Border Town: Marja’ayoun” by Dr. Christine Mady. The winners are as follow: - Category I: Existing & Potential World Heritage Sites 1st Prize: Ms. Haneen Khadaj, Ms. Marianne Khalaf, and Ms. Marianne Kortbani 2nd Prize: Mr. Joseph Hajal and Mr. Naji Sadaka 3rd Prize: Mr. Lateef Abboud and Mr. Georges Mounayar - Category II: Impact of Construction Sector & Restoration Practices 1st Prize: Ms. Theresa Chidiac and Mr. Elie Hobeika 2nd Prize: Mr. George Hamoush and Mr. Michel Hamoush 3rd Prize: Mr. Julien Merheb, Mr. Leba Zrour, Mr. Jonnhy Saber, and Mr. Tony Sarkis - Design Competition 1st Prize: Ms. Suzane Aboul Hesn 2nd Prize: Ms. Carla Hage 3rd Prize: Ms. Gina Saleh - Photography Competition 1st Prize: Mr. Tony Faysal 2nd Prize: Mr. Majed Michael 3rd Prize: Ms. Jinane Abi Khalil 157
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
sustainable land-use and can maintain or enhance natural values in the landscape including biological diversity.
International Day of Biodiversity 2013 Competitions & Seminars: A Visionary Approach
Raising Awareness about biodiversity and understanding cultural landscapes, empowers communities to participate publically and protect the natural and built environment. One approach aimed at widening students’ vision and strengthening their problem-solving and critical thinking skills through a poster competition while adopting interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. On May 22, every year the UN and the rest of the world highlight the importance on the International Day for Biological Diversity Over the years, the international community has noticed the important need to preserve natural and cultural heritage. 158
that were unheard of in historic times. Population growth and urbanization are the major reasons for the alteration of both biotic and abiotic ecosystem properties, even at distances from developed areas. These factors resulted in habitat fragmentation and rapid species decline. Thus, urbanization is causing a drastic decline in the cultural identity of the landscapes which were formed over thousands of years of human interaction with nature. The protection of cultural landscapes can contribute to modern techniques of
The aim of this initiative was to cultivate participatory practices, and bring together students and lecturers, to work in union on a special theme through the sharing of knowledge. It was centered on the importance of protecting biological diversity, within the context of the existing close relationship between ecological and social systems. The interaction between both these systems is what we term “Cultural Landscapes.” Cultural Landscapes embrace a diversity of manifestations of the interaction between humankind and its natural environment, as defined by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. One approach aimed at widening students’ vision and strengthening their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, was through a poster competition while adopting interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. Another concept was to use artistic expressions through design and photography competitions to invite students to learn more about the importance of cultural landscapes and the role we play in shaping our natural and built environments. The competitions were launched in November, 2012, in close partnership with the Faculty of Architecture, Art & Design (FAAD) and the Faculty of Engineering (FE). Orientation sessions for those participating in the poster competitions were held between January and April, 2013.
FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS January
February
March
20/22 January 2014 World Future Energy Summit www.worldfutureenergysummit.com
2 February 2014 World Wetlands Day www.environment.gov.au
20/22 January 2014 EcoWaste Conference www.ecowaste.ae
17/18 February 2014 World CSR Day www.worldcsrday.com
5/7 March 2014 Smart Buildings - South-East European Exhibition on Building Automation and Management Systems www.eea.europa.eu
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi, UAE
20/22 January 2014 International Water Summit www.iwsabudhabi.com
Abu Dhabi , UAE
Australia
Mumbai, India
25 February 2014 Business Clean Up Day www.cleanupaustraliaday.org
Australia
28/30 January 2014 Green Building Expo www.greenbuildingexpo.org
Sofia, Bulgaria
5/7 March 2014 Save the Planet - Waste Management, Recycling, Environment www.eea.europa.eu
Sofia, Bulgaria
5/7 March 2014 10th Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Congress and Exhibition for South-East Europe www.eea.europa.eu
Doha, Qatar
Sofia, Bulgaria
April
May
June
22 April 2014 Green Mind Award www.greenmind.me
17/20 May 2014 Climate Ride California 2014 www.climateride.california
Dubai, UAE
California, USA
2/5 June 2014 Sustainable Brands '14 www.eea.europa.eu
24/25 April 2014 Sustainable Brands Rio www.sustainablebrands.com
21/22 May 2014 Sustainable Brands Istanbul www.eea.europa.eu
3/6 June 2014 International Water Forum, "Water, Ecology and Technology" www.ecwatech.com
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Istanbul, Turkey
22/23 May 2014 International Conference on Renewable Energy Gas Technology, Regatec 2014 www.eea.europa.eu
Skåne, Sweden
28 May / 1 June 2013 Health Care & Environmental Health Event www.thewellnessproject.me
Beirut, Lebanon
San Diego, CA, USA
Moscow, Russia
23/27 June 2014 Open Science Conference “Future Oceans – Research for Marine Sustainability: Multiple Stressors, Drivers, Challenges and Solutions” www.imber.org
Bergen, Norway
159
WORLD ENVIRONMENT.TV
MAGAZINE
URL BLUE GOLD www.bluegoldlebanon.com facebook: bluegoldlebanon BOTSWANA TOURISM ORGANIZATION www.botswanatourism.co.bw CEDAR ENVIRONMENTAL L.L.C. www.cedarenv.com CREATIVE LOUNGES www.creativelounges.com DIEGO FERNANDEZ GABALDON PHOTOGRAPHY www.diegofgphoto.net ERIKA SIMMONS www.iri5.com INTERNATIONAL GAS UNION (IGU) www.igu.org LEBANON MINISTRY OF TOURISM www.mot.gov.lb MADA www.mada.org.lb MARTIN ZOLLER www.martinzoller.com NDU www.ndu.edu.lb www.cbd.int OLIVIER ERVYN www.olivierervyn.com RAIDY PRINTING GROUP www.raidy.com SENDAVERDE www.sendaverde.com UNESCO www.unesco.org ZIMBABWE TOURISM AUTHORITY (ZTA) www.zimbabwetourismauthority.com 160