RAMALLAH, West Bank — On Sept. 27, 12 Palestinian civil associations launched the Palestinian Coalition for Climate Justice to attend to the climate issue that is a central priority for them and to take measures to curb climate change locally.
The member associations in the coalition are the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON), Agricultural Development Association (PARC), Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), Palestinian Society for Consumer Protection, An-Najah National University, Ma’an Development Center, Land Research Center, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Palestinian Hydrology Group, Palestinian Farmers’ Union and Comites pour le Developpement et le Patrimoine. The interests and fields of work of these members range from agriculture to water, soil, the environment and development research.
Many reasons pushed the civil associations to form this coalition. The head of operations and development at the UAWC, Fouad Abu Seif, told Al-Monitor that several of the associations participated in the Climate Summit that was held in Paris Nov. 30, 2015, but they lacked coordination and showed weakness in reflecting the Palestinians’ suffering due to climate change that has been exacerbating under Israel’s policies.
Director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group Abdel Rahman al-Tamimi told Al-Monitor that the coalition’s importance lies in “uniting Palestinian efforts to face water and environmental crises resulting from climate change. Research expects long years of drought.” According to Tamimi, this united Palestinian body can participate in global conferences dealing with climate change and coordinate efforts with official parties to play an influential role locally and regionally.
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