Islam & Earth

A collection of voices and conversations on Earth connection, environmental issues, climate action,and sustainable solutions through an Islamic worldview.

Episode 5, Shawwal, 1444

Palestine: A land under illegal occupation, exploitation & climate impacts

In this episode of Islam & Earth in the last Jumah of Shawwal, 1444,  Sr. Abeer Butmeh speaks from over 15 years of experience in environmental work in Palestine.  Sr. Abeer explains how the illegal occupation of Palestine is not only impacting innocent citizens, but the land and the biodiversity of Palestine.
Sr. Abeer provides details about how resource manipulation impacts access and ability to produce agriculture.  She explains how use of illegal chemicals impact the biodiversity of the land and how the limiting of water access points impacts families, children, the land and crops.  Sr. Abeer also discusses how native Palestinian plant species are being uprooted and replaced with non-Native plant species as part of the apartheid
Through all this though, she also shares how Palestinian people, through creativity and resilience are employing renewable resources, solar power, and other methods to address some of these challenges in unique ways. 
Sr. Abeer also shares how Palestinians have been participating on the international discourse on climate change and advocating for land sovereignty.
She provides some practical ways listeners can support the call for justice in Palestine through their consumption choices, through political advocacy, and provides some practical suggestions.

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Abeer al-Butmeh is the Coordinator of Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network - Friends of Earth Palestine. She obtained her B.A. and Masters degree from Ber Zeit university specialising in water and environmental engineering. She has worked in this field since 2006. She leads through campaigning, coordination, communication and facilitation between deferent bodies. She has focussed in institutional development, monitoring and evaluation procedures, financial management, project management, and procurement procedures. She is a trainer in water, waste water and environmental issues.
She also is an active member in many Social and environmental networks at local and international levelShe has participated in local and international conferences related to water and environment, and in many environmental research studies locally. She has written and published on many platforms including Al-Jazeera, she has published in academic outlets through the University of Denver’s school of theology, and many other important climate change platforms.

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More info regarding  Sr. Abeer's work  and PENGON's projects can be found at:
Facebook: Pengon-foe Palestine
Website - www.pengon.org
Book chapter: "Blockade & Climate Change Vulnerability," see ch. 3

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