Climate Change must be in Ministerial Declaration and President in Copenhagen

Climate Change must be in Ministerial Declaration and President in Copenhagen

Beirut – November 12, 2009: Today, the global league of activists, IndyACT, organized a media stunt on the beach of Beirut to highlight the fact that after four month of the endless fight on political gains it is time for Lebanon to engage the global community in the fight against climate change. The activists called for having climate change as one of the new cabinet’s top priority.

Two activists wearing plaster head masks of Prime Minister Hariri and Parliament Member Michael Aoun conducted a short 10 minute play. In this play, the two Lebanese politicians fought for chairs, and when they finished fighting they realized that they are knee deep in seawater. This play symbolized that we have been away from what has been happening globally, but it is time to wake-up. The activists also held a sign that read: “Start thinking, we are sinking. Put climate change in the Ministerial Declaration”.

“Prime Minister Hariri said that the new cabinet will re-engage the world and restore the Lebanon’s position in the international Arena. If the Prime Minister is serious about what he said, he should put the upcoming climate change summit as one of his top priority”, said Wael Hmaidan, head of climate campaign in IndyACT. Currently, governments of the world are negotiating a new climate change agreement, which is supposed to be finalized in Copenhagen, during a global summit in December.

According to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, climate change is the biggest threat to life on earth, and we have less than 10 years to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts. This is why many international organizations consider the Copenhagen summit as one of our last chances to save the human civilization. More than 40 Presidents and government leaders, including those of the US, UK, Germany and France, have committed to attending this historical event. All this year, most governments of the world have had the climate change negotiations as a top priority. Lebanon was not one of them.

Lebanon is very vulnerable to climate change. Potential climate impacts on Lebanon include increased forest, droughts, reduced agricultural output, coastal destruction, and eventually complete desertification. “We do not see any internal or external threat to Lebanon as important as climate change. Every other issue is reversible, while climate change will lead to the ultimate loss of Lebanon’s statehood”, added Hmaidan.

IndyACT suggested that the Ministerial decree to contain the following sentence: “Realizing that climate change threatens human civilization in Lebanon and the globe, this cabinet will use every opportunity to push governments of the world to take urgent climate action, starting with the upcoming summit in Copenhagen”. IndyACT also urged the President of Lebanon to be one of leaders attending the summit.


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For more information please call:
- Wael Hmaidan, executive director of IndyACT; Tel- fax: +961-1-447192; Mobile: +961-3-506313, email: whmaidan@indyact.org