Implementing Sustainable Development in Postwar Lebanon

Abstract

Sustainable development has been a topic of global interest for the past few decades. In 2015, the United Nations launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to improve the quality of life of this generation and future generations. Particularly, SDG 15 titled “Life on Land” calls on member states to preserve biodiversity and protect the environment. Developed countries are finding it easier to achieve this goal, while developing countries are mostly prioritizing other challenges. Lebanon, a developing country that is politically and religiously divided, has been grappling with many internal and external conflicts resulting from its 15-year civil war that ended back in 1990. To answer the key question of the extent to which Lebanon was able to effectively pursue sustainable development, specifically SDG15, this thesis examines the work of the two entities responsible for the attainment of SDG15 which are the Ministry of Environment and local environmental groups in Lebanon. The Ministry of Environment and environmental groups have been working on protecting biodiversity and providing reforestation techniques to farmers in the country which is in line with sustainable development. However, they have both fallen behind in critical areas such as stopping land excavation (for querying stones) and building dams without due consideration to their effectiveness and environmental consequences. The thesis contends that the close relationship between the political and business elites and insufficient governmental accountability were behind these failures. Despite these structural obstacles, the Ministry of the Environment and environmental groups have been able to make some progress towards meeting SDG 15.