Beirut; 9 Dec 2007 – Today and yesterday, six Arab countries participated for the first time in the ‘International Day of Action against Climate Change’ to demand Arab countries to take stronger action against this global problem. NGOs, governmental institutes and individuals from Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and UAE joined citizens from more than 80 countries who participated in this International event.

In Beirut, and despite the tense political situation and bad weather, more than 2000 individuals went down to the streets to participate in a symbolic 3km walk against climate change. The number of participants is similar to having 150,000 individuals participating in the United States, if we take the size of the population into account. The crowed held signs and banners reading “Act against Climate Change” and “NO MORE OIL”. The occasion was also attended by ambassadors, celebrities and other prominent figures of society. The day included the distribution of awareness material, as well as, the signing of a petition calling the Arab League to make climate change a priority issue. IndyACT, the organizers of the walkathon in Beirut, declared the event as the biggest environmental action in the history of the Arab World.

Wael Hmaidan, executive director of IndyACT said: “This huge turnout is only proof that Lebanese are concerned about the future impacts of climate change and consider it as a priority issue. The number could have been much bigger if not for the tense political situation crippling the country. We only hope that the future president and government reflect the concern of the public, and prioritize issues that directly affect their livelihood like climate change.” Climate change is described by the United Nations as the biggest threat facing the planet in the coming century. It will threaten our livelihood to the extent that some compare its impacts to the impacts of a global nuclear war (1).

This global action day came at the same time when thousand of delegates from almost 200 countries meet in Bali, Indonisia, to discuss future actions against climate change. The summit, which is considering how to cut greenhouse gas emissions after current Kyoto Protocol targets expire in 2012, is seeking progress towards a new global climate treaty. According to the United Nation’s International Panel on Climate Change, the world has only 10 years to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions if we want to avoid extreme climate change impacts (2). “Unlike the rest of the World, Arab countries do not give the issue the

attention it deserves. Climate change is already heavily impacting our region (3),” added Hmaidan. “Unfortunately, some oil-rich Arab countries like Saudi Arabia have been actively hindering climate negotiations in Indonesia. They do not want the World to stop being addicted to their oil.”

In 2008, an extraordinary Arab summit will occur focused on economical and developmental issues. IndyACT sees this as a great opportunity for the Arab League to take urgent action against climate change and support a new global treaty by 2009.

For more information please contact:

Wael Hmaidan, IndyACT Executive Director: Tel/Fax: +961-1-362592, mobile: +961-1-506313, email: whmaidan@indyact.org