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In the Eye of the Storm: Why Climate Change Should be a Top Priority for MENA
About this event
The IPCC climate change report released in August sent shock waves through the world with its stark warnings of the all but irreversible impact of accelerating global heating. As if the bleak picture it painted wasn’t enough, the immediate effects of climate change showed themselves in a profound way this summer, with blazing wildfires across the Mediterranean, Nile river flooding in Sudan, and a water crisis in Iran. While some countries have taken steps to mitigate future risks over the past few years, there is a lack of a coherent, proportionate reaction from many governments and civil society in MENA, with sometimes the argument being there are bigger priorities such as conflict, authoritarianism and economic crises.
Our speakers will make the case for why climate change mitigation should be given equal priority, by addressing questions such as: What are the imminent risk factors for countries in MENA? How is it that some states, fragile as they are, have taken steps to mitigate climate change while others remain lagging behind? What is the role of the media and how can we better integrate climate change into regular reporting in the region?
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Speakers:
Dr. Laurent A. Lambert is Asst. Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, in Qatar, and at Sciences Po Paris. He has been working on the Water-Energy-Climate Nexus in the Middle East and Africa over the past 16 years. He is a former representative of the global research community at the United Nations and board member of the UN’s Climate Technology Center & Network.
Lea Kai is the Manager of UNDP’s climate change projects at the Ministry of Environment where she works closely with the Lebanese government on designing and implementing sectoral climate policies and promoting policy reforms. Through providing strategic support, she guided the development and implementation of various programs, laws and regulations in Lebanon.
Lina Yassin is a climate activist and journalist from Sudan. She has been covering climate change issues since she was 18. She is currently the Operations Manager at Climate Tracker, an international non-profit organization aiming to support, train and incentivise better climate journalism globally.
Moderator:
Will Christou is The New Arab’s Middle East correspondent covering the Levant from Beirut. Prior to working at The New Arab, he worked with Al Jazeera and Syria Direct.