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.