The teenage activists bringing the climate crisis to Middle East
In a country where neighboring wars and local political problems affect daily life, these Lebanese activists are hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change.
“Climate change isn’t a big concern in the Middle East,” explains Joelle Zgheib, a 17-year-old student from Byblos, a city on the coast of Lebanon. “Instead, here we talk about cliches like war, religion and corruption.”
“But we’re all nothing without the earth,” she continues, “and I want to save it.”
Zgheib is the founder of Extinction Rebellion Lebanon, the country’s branch of the Extinction Rebellion initiative — an environmental group pushing governments around the world to act on the climate crisis.
The group has three demands: Governments must tell the truth about the situation that we are in; they must act to reduce gas emissions; and they must consult citizens on the steps we take. The initiative began in the UK, where it hit the headlines in April for shutting down parts of central London for five days by sitting, sleeping — and sometimes dancing and singing — on major streets and bridges.
