- Stopping the Bisri Dam: From Local to National Contestationby Christophe MarounThe Lebanese government has decided to go ahead with the construction of a controversial dam in the Bisri Valley ignoring criticism of the project’s impact on the environment. Examining water management and the politics behind dams in Lebanon, this paper sheds light on environmental activists’ local resistance to the project and outlines how it became interlinked with a wider national contestation seeking to renegotiate what the public good means in Lebanon.
- The Litani River, Lebanon’s main artery, is facing an environmental crisisby Christophe MarounIn July 2016, tests done by the South Lebanon Water Establishment showed that the Litani’s muddy waters contained bacteria that cause a multitude of diseases, including typhoid and salmonella. Even the land surrounding the river was not spared, as 37 per cent of the area has been infected with salmonella, according to the SLWA (the accepted “safe” level is two per cent).
- Three years on, Lebanon’s ‘You Stink’ movement finds fresh reasons to protestby Christophe MarounNew protests by Lebanon’s “You Stink” movement erupted in Beirut after authorities announced they will move ahead with incinerator plants in order to solve the city’s chronic trash crisis.
- Lebanon’s historic Anfeh salt marshes threatened by yet another resortby Christophe MarounAfter Beirut’s Ramlet el Bayda, Batroun’s Kfarabida rocky beach and the ancient port of Adloun, the historic salt marshes of the northern town of Anfeh may become the latest casualty of Lebanon’s long history of coastal privatization.
- In Lebanon, Civil Society Groups Are Launching a New Waste Management Coalitionby Christophe MarounThe following was first published on Global Voices on December 19, 2017. Just over two years after the country was halted by an uncontrolled waste crisis, a new waste management coalition has been announced in Lebanon which aims to pressure the government to find sustainable solutions for the still unsolved trash problem. The coalition, which will goContinue reading “In Lebanon, Civil Society Groups Are Launching a New Waste Management Coalition”
- Animal Carcasses, Tires, and Medical Waste: A New Report Highlights Health Risks of Lebanon’s Trash Crisisby Christophe MarounWritten with Hassan Chamoun, the following article was first publish on Global Voices on December 5, 2017. Lebanon’s ongoing garbage crisis was the subject of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) study entitled “As If You’re Inhaling Death: The Health Risks of Burning Waste in Lebanon” released on December 1. HRW’s study included 104 interviews with stakeholdersContinue reading “Animal Carcasses, Tires, and Medical Waste: A New Report Highlights Health Risks of Lebanon’s Trash Crisis”
