One of the most unfortunate aspects of Lebanon's repeated brushes with crises has been the relegation of environmental issues to the bottom of agendas both public and private. Even during periods of relative stability, it has been difficult to focus sufficient attention on "green issues," a situation that has grown even worse at times of political violence or even high tension. There is an argument to be made, of course, that looking out for the environment is a luxury that small countries cannot afford, especially when their very existence is threatened by domestic discord and/or foreign meddling.
Much of that logic evaporates, however, when one considers that preserving one's natural surroundings is less a matter of what a society does that of what it does not.
To be sure, there are plenty of activities designed to protect the environment that involve considerable investment and/or inconvenience. In the affluent West, many governments at all levels are now required to spend enormous amounts of taxpayers' money to be - or to appear - "green." In addition, many of the citizens of those countries are directly penalized for indifference if they, for example, fail to return a bottle on which they have paid a deposit. In some jurisdictions the rules are even more draconian, allowing for heavy fines for individuals who fail to separate their household trash according to specific guidelines (recyclable and not, wet and dry, etc.). It would be unreasonable to expect Lebanon to adopt these kinds of steps, at least for the foreseeable future. This does not mean, though, that the state and its citizens should simply throw up their hands and wait for financial wealth or environmental collapse, whichever comes first. On the contrary, there are simple and very affordable means of improving environmental protection that require nothing more than bare minimums of personal, governmental and corporate responsibility.
Take littering, a stubborn problem that continually blights virtually all of Lebanon, from densely populated urban areas to almost empty rural ones. Even if one accepts the notion that this country is not yet ready for enforcement measures like fines on those who carelessly discard their refuse, there are less ambitious steps that could be taken overnight. Awareness campaigns, for instance, are a proven tool in getting people to change their habits, especially if they are reminded of the costs that their own polluting imposes on them and their children. One group is especially useful in this regard: public servants. Every branch of the state has means of regularly communicating with its employees, making them the easiest audience to reach with information and/or reminders. And within this group, one is especially influential: members of the law-enforcement community. Much of their work involves being seen, so when they are seen tossing garbage into the street, the impact is multiplied may times over. Getting them to stop doing so should be elementary.
Lebanon has plenty of problems beyond its control. This is not one of them, but some degree of political will is required. If it cannot be summoned for a purpose so plainly useful and for measures so easily implemented, what does that say about more controversial, complicated and/or expensive policy issues?
