MOREP ACTION.

The Movement Of Reform and Environment Program (MOREP) is a Lebanese political movement organization that was progressively launched through the last decade concerning plans of reform and environment program. This environment organization movement based in Lebanon is in the way of expanding environmental issues progressively wherever it is threatening the mankind since environment could not be separated from country to another.

Early initiation and activities

It was initiated originally in Bsharri district, and expended through the Lebanon to save the environment^[1]. MOREP president HH Doctor Sheikh Majid Abi Saab demonstrated his commitment to the Lebanese population^[2] to protect environment and to elaborate political reform plan. In the year 2005, MOREP became a leading political reformist movement concerning environment, juridical, economical, and cultural movement. MOREP identified that Lebanon could not be governed by extreme political ideology, the only way to save the integrity of Lebanese is to adopt a technocratic political system.

Environmental concerns

To reduce air pollution, MOREP launched a series of campaign to help village people to use Biofuel from Vegetable Oil from kitchen oil waste. Biodiesel is recognized by both the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as an alternative fuel, and qualifies for mandated programs under the Clean Air Act Amendments and the Environmental Protection Act of 1992 (EPAct). To make your own biodiesel go to that link. |

Forest protections: Visite de la forêt de Cèdres de Mazraat Bani Saab et de Niha (North of Lebanon) In that Cedars forest MOREP showed up to protect it,  it consists of protecting all the area from quarries, since the oldest cedars there count thousands of trees, there is also rare kinds of mushrooms.

MOREP considers the environment as mankind property supported by a jurisdiction of the Council of State of Lebanon in 2002 after 2 years of juridical debates. It was requested by MOREPISTS activists in 1999 to save the environment.[1999-2003: Activity against quarries in Lebanese mountains and cedars forests, Council of state revision: Our revision against quarries is won in 2002 (click)].

Campaigns concerning methods of making biofuel in villages, Lebanese Cedars plantations and sorting out office and kitchen waste were made during appropriate dates. Sorting out of plastic, glass, metallic, papers, hygienic papers and kitchen waste since the source: MOREP launched such programs: conferences, collaboration with local authorities etc… [ if ready to participate just contact us ]

Medical Waste methods of identification and segregation was elaborated, pushing the medical sector for their participations for realable handling, recycling, incineration depending on medical waste subdivisions.^[3](see table-1).

Studies of Vegetable Fossils in Lebanon by the French researcher Professor Georges Barale and Dr Edouard Makhoul were supported by MOREP President Sheikh Majid Abi-Saab^[4]. [2002-2005: Etude sur les fossiles végétaux du liban Revue de Presse]

Air pollution and Mediterraean sea pollution are some of the hard concerns of MOREP during the last 2 years pushing the public sector and municipalities to find plan adopted from MOREP environment reform to reduce pollution specially from industries.

Another environmental concern is the Arabian/Persian Gulf sea pollution from oil discharge due to the past gulf war. This Gulf is part of deep sea ecosystem which interact together with the ocean. MOREP principles and charts push the public opinion to support that deep sea ecosystem is the property of mankind environment independent of any state jurisdiction.

Table-1 Methods of Identification and Segregation of Medical Waste

The Morepists Press

During the year 2006 MOREP^[5] launched an editorial line for Morepists, a pacific way of negotiation opened for the Lebanese to publish their idea concerning reform planning after theLebanese war. Some of reform plans were discussed for changes proposal.

The Corporate Social Responsibility

To control and prevent corruption the MOREP president suggested the implementation of the so-called Corporate Social Responsibility ^[6].

The project assists the integration of social and environmental concerns in business corporation and in corporate interaction with government, trade unions, business associations, and communities on voluntary basis to fight corruption and to promote economic growth.

Humanitarian actions

MOREP president HH Dr Abi Saab, in 1997 arranged a meeting with Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. The aim of this first meeting was to explain the problem of antipersonnel mines throughout the north of Lebanon. HH Lady Di was working on such humanitarian activity. In the program was her invitation to Lebanon to promote the removal of these persistent antipersonnel mines. The appointment was negotiated to be on the second week of September, 1997. She died prior to that on 31 August. MOREP then launched a campaign in 2002 to remove these antipersonnel mines through the authorities during that period, acting with Lawyer Bassam Sleiman and Lawyer Abdallah Zakhia by pushing the authorities to do so. MOREP still acts in many humanitarian sectors all over the world.

Letter to Secretary General Ban-kee Moon

OPEN LETTER TO United Nations Secretary General Mr. BAN KEE-MOON

Subject: Protection of the marine environment in the Arabian-Persian Gulf.

From The Movement Of Reform and Environment Program (MOREP).
Dr Majid Abi Saab – The President

Dear Mr. Ban Kee-Moon, U.N. Secretary General

After the increasing political tension in the Gulf Area between Iran and surrounded countries involving the international communities and regarding nuclear use that may end to an aggressive war, we ask the United Nations to prevent the Arabian/Persian Gulf pollution from oil discharge.

The Gulf Sea has a natural environment very rich with good fishing grounds, abundant Pearl Oyster and extensive coral reefs. Its ecology has become increasingly under critical conditions from the heavy repeated petroleum spillages associated with the recent war fought in the region. During the Iran-Iraq war each side attacked the other’s oil tankers and ships resulted in 17 years of sea pollution starting from Kuwait to the Strait of Hormuz. Nowadays and after too much suffering the deep sea starts to regain its vitality very slowly. Any coming war in this region might destroy the Arabian/Persian Gulf deep sea ecosystem completely.

Mr. the Secretary General, The preambles of the “UN Convention on the Law of the Sea” states that “the problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be considered as a whole” and by this Convention a development of the principles embodied in resolution 2749 (XXV) of 17 December 1970 in which the General Assembly of the United Nations solemnly declared inter alias that the area of the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, as well as its resources, are the common heritage of mankind, the exploration and exploitation of which shall be carried out for the benefit of mankind as a whole, irrespective of the geographical location of States. The Part IX, Art. 122 concerning gulf as a semi-enclosed sea and Art. 123 clearly mentioned that states bordering a gulf area shall coordinate the management, conservation, exploration and exploitation of the living resources of the sea with respect to the protection and preservation of the marine environment (paragraph (b)).

“The international convention for the prevention of pollution of sea by oil” ended environmental treaties in London 1954 with consecutive Amendments in 1962 and 1969, entered into force in 1978 together with the sixth Assembly of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization on 21 October 1969 (Resolution A. 175 (Vl)) for regulation of oil transport hence decreasing the risk of environmental catastrophes and sea pollution. The signed agreements was made for this main reason, while extrapolating to the pollution caused by war the concerned countries will not respect this principle which they signed previously for.

Neutral countries and concerned ones have the obligation to observe the requirements of UN Conventions and what follows in other international agreements. The statements of the First Protocol of Geneva Convention protect victims of international conflicts, and by jurisdiction is to be extended to environment which is a victim that should be protected.

Therefore, we hope from you to take action by common agreement to prevent pollution of the Arabian/Persian Gulf Sea from oil discharge during any war that might happen and considering that this end may best be achieved by your direct intervention against infringement on its environment. We have accordingly presented what should be agreed between conflicting countries to prevent this area from oil discharge, and this to be achieved as soon as possible before any environment disaster happens.

Open letter to COP15 president Connie Hedegaard

Mrs. Connie Hedegaard,
COP15 president,
Minister of Climate and Energy, Copenhagen.

Dear COP15 president,

After the increasing tension regarding climate change and CO2 emissions, we appreciate your great work of hosting the COP15 on climate change.

Since the Earth is very rich in living natural environment, the industrialism participates in putting an end to this precious life without any control of CO2 emissions by any nation. The fossil fuel and its resources have become indispensable to our life knowing that oil reserve will definitely finish in 40 years; the last 100 liters will be so expensive that it will be ridiculous to buy it. What we are seeing since the era of industrialism is a war against the environment for economical purposes and this is considered against “Human Rights” and “Geneva Convention” to maintain life on Earth.

Mrs. the minister, we would like to share with you these concerns; raise in global temperature of 2 degrees Celsius is considered a threshold after which social, environmental and agricultural disasters may happen. Fossil oil reserve is also in decline. What are we preparing for the next generation before the catastrophe takes place? Actions taken by some countries to reduce CO2 emission to a limited target without any coordination (17% by USA, 30% by EU for the next 10 years) remain not enough, knowing that 75% of CO2 emission is beyond consumer control. “If everyone does a little, we’ll achieve only a little,” a fair reduction of CO2 emission should not be less than 85% reached in 3 years. The action taken by Iceland as prototype is the most adequate till the moment.

According to studies led by the French CNRS (NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH), on oceans well of global carbon, the absorption capacity of CO2 of the southern ocean, previously estimated at 500 million tons a year, would be ten times less. Every year, 10 billion tons of CO2 are injected in the atmosphere by the human activities, against 6 billion in the 90s. While the ocean loses of its absorption capacity, its efficiency as a well of carbon, estimated previously at approximately 30 %, falls to less than 20 %.

The problems of CO2 emissions and oil use are closely interrelated and need to be considered as a whole. Budgets directed for the purpose of free renewable energy productions are limited; even some countries prohibit full private production of free energy in a consumer home.

Mrs. the president, the environment is a property of mankind. Global warming is under the responsibility of the United Nations which has the obligation to put an end to this problem, issuing a signed protocol, considering this problem as a whole and to act accordingly. We urge the international community to solemnly declare that the air, as the ocean and seabed thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, is the common heritage of mankind, irrespective of the geographical location of states.

Therefore, we hope from you to take action by common agreement to prevent air pollution and CO2 emissions considering that this end may best be achieved by UN direct intervention against infringement preventing the climate warming and environment destruction. We have presented what should be agreed between industrial nations and this to be achieved as soon as possible before any environment disaster happens

Regards

FROM MOREP
The movement of reform and environment program.

http://morep.org

morep@morep.org

Dr Majid Abi Saab
The President

References

1. ^ http://www.lorientlejour.com L’orient Le Jour September 6, 1999
2. ^ http://annahar.com Annahar 19 May 2005 (ملحقات انتخابية صفحة اثنين)
3. ^ http://announcexpress.com/Morep.htm Medical Waste
4. ^ http://www.lorientlejour.com L’Orient-Le-Jour January 15, 2004: Recherche Scientique sur les fossiles VEGETAUX du Liban
5. ^ The Morepists Press
6. ^ CSR, The Corporate Social Responsibility. The Morepists Press January 16, 2007

External links

• The Morepists Press
• MOREP News
• Cedars forest in Abi Saab Valley