Drivers and barriers to environmental engagement in the MENA region

Abstract

Environmental engagement in the MENA region is a relatively new field of research. However, environmental activism has been intensifying in the region during the past few decades. This review examines the evidence from 7 MENA countries: Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Key findings from the reviewed literature: there is growing interest in the role Islamic ethics might play in mobilising environmental action, but an Islamic environmental movement has yet to emerge; country context and local dynamics very much shape the drivers and barriers of environmental engagement across the MENA region; successful environmental movements in several countries have key factors in common and there is evidence that public awareness and knowledge of environmental issues in some countries is weak. This report was prepared for the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and its partners in support of pro-poor programmes