Once a niche environmentalist investment, solar panels have become part of the landscape, cluttering roofs, balconies, windows and even Beirut’s already-crowded sidewalks. The Public Source investigates Lebanon’s “solar revolution” which, within the country’s laissez-faire capitalist economy bereft of any government regulations, has become less of a collective green transition and more of “a hyper-individualised, privatised

In 2013, tonnes of ammonium nitrate were stored at the Beirut Port, where seven years later it would explode, destroying large parts of the capital. However, this was not the first time Lebanese authorities had welcomed dangerous cargo. In this two-part investigation, the Public Source tell the story of how 35 years ago, over 2,000

In 2022, two years after the publication of the investigation, the State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau, which is the highest supervisory authority in Palestine, issued a report in August on the poor control procedures applied on the use of pesticide in the West Bank, where the results confirmed the conclusions of the investigation. The

Once considered one of Tunisia’s food baskets, producing abundant olive, orange, watermelon and tomato crops, Sidi Mahmoud, a rural town in central Tunisia, is slowly turning into a desert. “I have been investing in these trees and when they finally reach an age where they can produce regularly and abundantly, there is no more water

Stretching across 1,300 kilometres, the Tunisian coastline is one of the country’s most treasured riches. Now pollution threatens to destroy it. Every year, the Ministry of Health publishes a list of beaches where swimming is prohibited, and water analyses indicate the presence of significant levels of fecal matter in the sea. But the government’s laissez-faire

Water is a necessity for life, but local residents living by the Wadi Shbooka river in Morocco saw it slowly drying up. Influential farmers had built dams and water pumps depriving herders and small farmers of their livelihood and destroying recreational areas by the river. Following the publication by ARIJ, the regional authorities in the

The Tunisian Ministry of the Environment describes Cleanup-Month as a “grassroots awareness-raising initiative that aims to diffuse a culture of environmentalism, and an engaging approach to promoting a clean and beautiful Tunisia.” Critics blame the Ministry for focusing on an initiative that results in “a handful of individuals cleaning up plastic” instead of dealing with

The Public Source profiles a collective of beekeepers developing and protecting the profession. Started as a grassroots initiative, By Bee brings together Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian professional and amateur beekeepers working in South Lebanon.By The Public SourceOn a little hill north of Tyre, in the village of Mazra’at Jemjim, tens of thousands of bees and

The Public Source profiles foragers and environmentalists who work to preserve local ecological heritage and ancestral knowledge in Lebanon. Many of them lead initiatives that reintroduce cultural practices around growing, foraging, cooking and plant medicine into daily life.By The Public SourceWe follow forager Rianna Tassabehji, 25, down a pastoral path she has always been curious

The Tunisian government has ignored all the warning signs. Now, rising water levels are threatening to submerge Kerkennah, the archipelago off the east coast of Tunisia. The Mediterranean region is one of the primary zones affected by climate change, where warming is taking place at a rate 20 percent faster than anywhere else. Nawaat visits

In the Kerkennah Islands, life revolves in the orbit of fishing, which is more than just an economic activity; it is rather the backbone of the archipelago. Faced with the threat posed by exploitation and global warming, Inkyfada photographer Dureid Al-Suweisi explores the island’s world and its uncertain future.By Douraïd Souissi and Nissim GasteliThe ferry makes

Due to climate change and uncleared mines, thousands of acres have been lost in Egypt and Iraq. Farmland and animals are being killed by global warming in both countries.By Asaad Zalzali – Salah LabanAli Al-Nawfali, 65, stands in the middle of a dry area, remembering how this used to be the Ezz river supplying the Al-Hawizeh

This investigation examines the impact of the war in Syria in a region that still represents a conflict zone extending from the countryside of Aleppo to the eastern countryside of Idlib.In addition to the serious impact of the war on the lives and daily routines of civilians, this investigation tracks and monitors the environmental impact

Mohammad Hifzi gave up his life and moved to northern Egypt – 245 kilometres away from his home – to take part in a government backed national investment allowing farmers to reclaim 1.5 million acres of land. Soon, Hifzi realised that the land he was meant to cultivate was infertile due to high salinity of

Exporting the Tunisian sun to Europe has been the ambitious vision of the Tunisian-British company TuNur for the past ten years, as it plans to develop a mega solar power plant in southern Tunisia. This project will, however, inevitably have an impact on local communities and resources. Mounting demands for a just transition model are

Inkyfada tells the story of the oil tanker that sank off the coast of the Tunisian industrial city Gabes, reigniting concerns over oil spills in an already heavily polluted region. The immediate danger has supposedly passed, but this does not necessarily reassure the local fishermen: their working conditions have been steadily deteriorating for years due

“An oil spill is undermining marine life in Ras Ghareb and threatening the health of its residents.Egyptian Ministry of Environment Stands Powerless While Oil Companies Evade Responsibility”By ARIJOriginally published 27 August 2020.Watch a 2-minute summary of the investigationPlease accept marketing cookies to see this video.The state of this beach is no different than the other coasts