Earlier this year, we saw members of the Lebanese group IndyACT trek out into the snowy wilderness to protect Lebanon’s snow from catastrophic climate change.
This week IndyACT members, along with their friends in the Association for Forest Development and Conservation (AFDC) were back in action, putting the heat (so to speak) on decision-makers to protect another important natural resource.
Over 120 activists from both organizations gathered to draw a “human chain” in the Chouf Cedars Forest, Lebanon’s biggest cedar grove.
Lebanon’s iconic cedar trees are seriously threatened by climate change. Significant changes could turn Lebanon into an arid desert or replace forests with grassland, creating a new, inhospitable environment to which the cedars will not be able to adapt.
A changing climate could also contribute to the spread of insects like the Cephalcia Tannourinesnsis, which destroyed cedars in a swath of northern Lebanon several years ago.
Recently, Lebanon has seen increasing instances of forest fires, which activists also attribute to climate change, even though they say most Lebanese do not yet see the connection.
“Forest fires are not only increasing in intensity, but are also the forest fire season is expanding”, said Karine Al-Zoughby from AFDC, “last year was the first year on record, where we see forest fires in the month of December.”
“Our forests will never be able to adapt to climate change impacts. The only solution is to stop these impacts from happening all together”, added Wael Hmaidan, Executive Director of IndyACT.
“If we don’t then Lebanon will lose both our national symbols, the cedars and the snow, and thus ending with a red square as our flag.”
IndyACT and AFDC demanded strong action against climate change from Lebanese government officials and parliamentary candidates. Gearing up for the December 2009 global climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, they called on the Lebanese government to memorize the target of 350 parts per million.
Most climate scientists agree this is the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the international community must reach in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change. They also called for Lebanese officials to prioritize climate change on the agenda, and to actively participate in the international negotiation process.
:: IndyAct
For more on climate change and the environment in Lebanon:
Can the Cedars of Lebanon Survive Climate Change?
Lebanese Activists Mobilize to Protect Snow from Climate Change
Lebanon Pours the Country’s Sewage to the Sea Costing Millions and Harming the Environment
Author: Rachel Bergstein
When her vegan summer camp counselor explained to a fifteen-year-old Rachel how the dairy industry pollutes the groundwater in poor rural communities and causes global warming, there was no turning back. Her green fire lit, Rachel became increasingly passionate about the relationship between human societies and the natural environment, particularly about the systemic injustices associated with environmental degradation. After snagging a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of Maryland, where she wrote an undergraduate thesis on water injustice in Israel/Palestine and South Africa, Rachel was awarded the New Israel Fund/Shatil’s Rabbi Richard J. Israel Social Justice Fellowship to come and spread the green gospel in Israel for the 2009-2010 academic year. She currently interns for Friends of the Earth Middle East in their Tel Aviv office. When Rachel is not having anxiety about her ecological footprint, carbon and otherwise, she can be found in hot pursuit of the best vegetarian food Tel Aviv has to offer. She also blogs about her experience as an NIF fellow and environmentalist in Israel at organichummus.wordpress.com. Rachel can be reached at rachelbergstein (at) gmail (dot) com.
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