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| Selected Editorials |
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 Green Economy for a Changing Arab World | | by Najib Saab
July 2011
The Arab Spring, which started in early December 2010, has been at the center of global news coverage. The topic of AFED 2011 report is not unrelated to these events. We hope for the Arab Spring to usher in a new direction for economic and environmental sustainability. | | | Water apocalypse, now | | by Najib Saab
June 2010
Taking advantage of astounding Arab apathy, African countries of the Nile Basin met in the absence of Egypt and Sudan to agree on a plan for sharing the Nile water. Ethiopia, which is the source of 85 percent of the Blue Nile, is only able to utilize a small portion of this water for irrigation. | | | Can less be more and small be beautiful? | | by Najib Saab
April 2010
In 1866 Daniel Bliss founded an independent college for higher education, at a small house in Ras Beirut, which accommodated 16 students. This was the first building block of the American University in Beirut (AUB) which became the leading educational institution in the Arab world. AUB is still flourishing after a century and a half, during which time thousands of leaders in all fields passed through its doors. | | | Arab water: reform or perish | | by Najib Saab
February 2010
The Arab world is facing thirst and hunger unless rapid and effective measures are taken to address the water scarcity dilemma. Even if all available water resources were utilized, Arab countries are today under the water stress level, and they will face by 2025 the stage of 'acute water scarcity' which is less than 500 cubic meter per capita per year. In many countries this is already below 100 cubic meters, which can be only described as ‘below thirst level’. | | | China and USA: two giants controlling the World's Climate | | By Najib Saab
January 2010
The main outcome from the Copenhagen climate summit may turn out to be the Chinese-American accord that will probably mark the 21st century. The agreement between the old and new super powers, at the last minutes of negotiations, can be considered as a coup that not only marginalized the developing nations but also sidelined the European countries. In a tone characterized by bitterness, the UN Secretary General and EU leaders attempted to identify some 'positive elements' in this crippled agreement by considering it a 'beginning'. Those who will have enough life might witness how the end will be. | | | Climate Change: from intentions to actions | | by Najib Saab
June 2009
The Arab ministerial declaration on Climate Change issued by the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) at the end of 2007, has placed for the first time the official Arab finger on the climate change wound, but did not evolve yet to an action plan with specific objectives and targets. | | | Energy policies and the nightmares of advisers | | by Najib Saab
May 2009
Renewable energy is a nightmare." I was highly surprised with this statement attributed to Saudi Arabia's Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi, which made center stage in the headlines of hundreds of articles and comments in newspapers and online. | | | The Environment in Lebanese Elections | | by Najib Saab
April 2009
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora launched the discussion about this issue by his speech at the ceremony for the presentation of the annual report of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) in Beirut last month. He considered the facts and figures presented by the report as a "slap on our faces that may awaken us to what we have caused of damage in our environment and the delay in taking corrective measures throughout the years". As he stated that debates and struggles over privileges and positions does not stop people's need for clean air, water and food and the enjoyment of nature's resources, he endorsed the inclusion of environmental accounting as a part of the national budget of Lebanon and other Arab countries. | | | Climate Change: who pays for the dinner? | | by Najib Saab
March 2009
If no drastic measures are taken immediately, global warming will accelerate during the 21st century at a rate that causes severe environmental damage exceeding what was previously anticipated." This warning was issued by the US scientist Chris Field who is a prominent figure in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), only two days before the 25th session of UNEP's governing council that was held in Nairobi last month.
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| Articles |
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 Water Security: Knowing What We Need to Know | | Eye on Earth, Abu Dhabi - 14 December 2011
The report on Arab water, which my organization, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), produced in 2010, showed that as early as 2015, not 2025 as previously thought, the average per capita share of renewable fresh water in the Arab region will fall below 500 cubic meters per year, which amounts to severe water scarcity. | |  | | | AFED Secretary General Talks about Green Jobs at ILO Conference in Kyoto | | Kyoto, 5/12/2011
Secretary General of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) Najib Saab addressed a special session entitled “Green Jobs for a Sustainable Future’, at the 15th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting of the International Labor Organization onvened (ILO), which convened in Kyoto, (Japan) between 4-7 December 2011. The conference was opened by Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihiko Noda. The special session on Green Jobs was moderated by Ashok Khosla, President of IUCN and the Club of Rome. Here are Saab’s main key points in the session. | |  | | | Nuclear reactors or hernia surgery? | | Najib Saab
Article in Perspectives - April 2011
The debate on the use of nuclear power in Europe inspired the Italian cinema company MOROL Productions to produce a documentary entitled, "The Nuclear Question." This documentary was shown at the Rome Film Festival in October 2009, and received awards for presenting the nuclear question from ethical, environmental and economical perspectives. | |  | | | From Cancun to Durban | | by Najib Saab
1/2/2011
Cancun conference on climate change officially adopted what was informally noted in Copenhagen. Main highlights are reducing emissions to limit global average temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius, activating technology transfer, and formalizing the financial pledges announced in Copenhagen by setting the structure of the Green Fund, with management powers equally divided among developed and developing countries. | | | The Environment in Arab Media | | Najib Saab
Chapter 14- "Arab Environment: Future Challenges", Edited by: Mostafa K. Tolba and Najib W. Saab - 2008
It is difficult to talk about a special identity of Arab environmental media in the same way as one may talk, for example, about an identity relevant to Arab political, cultural, economic, or sports media. An information identity requires some fundamental conditions to be considered autonomous and genuine. One such condition is the existence of professional patterns concerning varieties of news collection, presentation and analysis based on a particular theoretical framework pertaining to environmental issues | |  | | | Executive summary Arab Environment: Future Challenges | | Najib Saab
Preface and Executive Summary of "Arab Environment: Future Challenges", Edited by: Mostafa K. Tolba and Najib W. Saab - 2008
Arab Environment: Future Challenges is the first annual report produced by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED). The policy-oriented report is designed to evaluate the progress made towards the realization of sustainable development goals and a good environmental quality. It also examines the Arab contribution to global environmental endeavours. | |  | | | The Lebanese Coast | | Najib Saab
Introduction of "The Lebanese Coast"- 2003
This book of photographs is unique in that it pictures the Lebanese coastal zone from the sea. What we have been used to in similar books was to look from land to sea; here we are looking from sea to land. This turning of the picture outside in is extremely significant since it provides for viewing the coast not only aesthetically but also environmentally, making many beauties stand out in a new perspective. | |  | | | Nuclear Power in the Arab World | | | Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have started constructing nuclear power stations for peaceful power generation purposes; other countries are keen to follow suit. In doing so, they are ignoring the risks associated with nuclear technology. Environmentalists and energy experts are warning about the possible environmental and security consequences. | | | A Plan for Environmental Recovery | | Najib Saab
Chapter in "Options for Lebanon" - 2004
It can be said without hesitation that the environmental crisis in Lebanon is rooted in the weaknesses inherent in the country’s prevailing political system. It is, unfortunately, a structure based on the distribution of profits among those in power, which encourages dealing with public resources not as a national common good, but rather as a milch cow to be shared among influential clan-chiefs, under the pretext of various religious, regional and provincial interests.
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 | | | Green Economy Sustainable transition in a changing arab World | | | Green Economy: Sustainable Transition in a Changing Arab World is the fourth of a series of annual reports produced by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED), following Arab Environment: Future Challenges in 2008, Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries in 2009, and Water: Sustainable Management of a Scarce Resource in 2010. |
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