The Effects of Rebel Environmental Governance on Vulnerability: Evidence from Hezbollah in Lebanon

Abstract:

Millions of people live in places that are controlled or contested by rebel groups. Many of these people are also subject to the compounding vulnerabilities of climate change and conflict. Recent work has found that some rebel groups engage in environmental governance, however it is not yet known what impacts rebel environmental governance has on civilians, nor if it can reduce their climate vulnerability. This paper explores this topic through the case of Hezbollah in Lebanon between 2007 and 2017. By drawing on NGO, government, and media sources, it applies a comparative sequential method to analyze changes in climate vulnerability across space and time. The study finds that Hezbollah’s environmental governance strategies and activities did not have a significant impact on civilian climate vulnerability at the governorate level. However, the findings suggest that their impact may have been experienced at a community or household level instead, but more research is needed to validate this result. This paper contributes to the knowledge of rebel environmental governance as a means of supporting civilians who live under rebel control and who need urgent climate adaptation assistance.

Authors:

Michaela Peters-Salah