I stand on the balcony searching because the sun sets over the horizon. I can see the Dead Sea six miles to my left and, almost straight ahead, over the hills where the sun is popping orange, is Jericho within the West Bank.
Swifts wheel overhead, their cries piercing the nice and cozy sky. I attempt to deal with their beautiful call and ignore the persistent low hum of the bus down below, whose driver has frustratingly refused to show off the ignition, despite us being settled here for a couple of hours.
As I look down, throughout me I see green lush vegetation. Tall trees, bushes, flowers and vegetables, low plants spreading along the bottom – it’s all in stark contrast to the encircling area of harsh desert rock. Further out, I can see a couple of trees however the courtyards of the homes within the village are mostly devoid of greenery, just bare sandy brown.
I’m on the Greening the Desert project in Jordan, a pioneering centre using permaculture principles to reverse desertification, tackle climate change and encourage us to live in harmony with nature.
Jordan is a rustic suffering deeply from desertification and climate change, and from the impacts of many years of abusing the earth, clearing forests, draining wetlands, depleting aquifers, poisoning and overgrazing the land. But the Greening the Desert project offers a distinct way by which we are able to interact with the natural world and enable ourselves and nature to thrive together. And from what I can see around me, it really works!
This visit to Greening the Desert is an element of a workshop I’m attending on climate justice, biodiversity conservation, and creation care, organised by Act Alliance, and bringing together Christian organisations and churches taking motion on the climate and environmental crises we face. I’m very aware of the climate cost of coming to Amman and so am capable of mix it with an overland trip into Israel and the West Bank to fulfill our partners there.
The environmental challenges within the Middle East
The Middle East faces terrible environmental challenges. Many areas, reminiscent of Jordan, are actually running out of water, and climate change is meaning less rainfall. Arable lands have been badly managed, resulting in decreasing crop production. Air pollution is high and plastic pollution is all over the place. Biodiversity loss is heart-breaking, on the land and within the air and seas, resulting from climate change and other human activities, and coastal ecosystems are degraded. Exacerbating and weaving through so lots of these issues is the continued tragedy of conflict.
Environmental motion – how Christians are responding
The challenges are immense, nevertheless it is inspiring hearing from the 20 or so organisations and church denominations on the conference as they share what they’re doing. Many are working on climate programmes with impacted communities, helping them learn learn how to adapt to recent realities in addition to change practices to forestall things from getting worse. Some are involved with environmental justice movements, working with young people to answer damage being done by occupation or conflict, whilst others are engaged theologically with helping churches and theological colleges discover how they’ll get engaged. One organisation is working to tackle plastic pollution in a specific city, while one other is involved with ringing and protecting migratory birds.
Two things are clear throughout the gathering: firstly, that climate justice, social justice, and ecological justice are intrinsically linked and have to be tackled together. Secondly, that environmental motion is a very important a part of the Christian faith and we must see it integrated into our understanding of the gospel and discipleship.
Embrace’s projects – tackling water shortages in Iraq
At Embrace the Middle East I’m proud that we’re bringing this stuff together in among the work we support. I used to be privileged recently to have the option to go to villages within the north of Iraq, near the Syrian and Turkish borders. Every Mukhtar (village leader) we spoke with told us their biggest challenge is water and the dearth of rain. Into this context Embrace partner, the ecumenical Christian Aid Programme, is running programmes with the young people within the villages, training them to guide campaigns and motion on climate change and water conservation, and providing recent opportunities for income generation because the crops suffer. One group of villages has benefited from a water tank we were involved in funding.
Later on, as we drove between cities, it was shocking seeing the quantity of plastic strewn all over the place as Iraq has no recycling facilities and using and throwing away plastic is now embedded in society. In response to this, AHC (Ankawa Humanitarian Committee, linked to the Chaldean Catholic church) is working in schools, providing drinking water stations and giving each child a reusable bottle. They are working with the kids and young people to boost up environmental leaders, supporting them as they undertake different initiatives.
Embrace’s projects – promoting sustainable agriculture in Lebanon
Meanwhile, just over 500 miles to the west of Ankawa, within the Akkar region of Lebanon, Embrace is supporting MERATH (Middle East Revive and Thrive), a well-established partner, as they work with a Baptist church on a recent ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ project, cultivating previously fallow land owned by the church. The project promotes environmentally friendly farming techniques and produces good quality, organic food that’s distributed to vulnerable families struggling to make ends meet. It began as a small pilot project, but every year they’ve been capable of increase their harvest and now it goes from strength to strength. Some of the food produced is now sold and the profits are reinvested to assist sustain and construct the project. The rest is distributed without cost.
After a difficult start, this project is now thriving and yields are increasing every 12 months. One of those involved within the project said to Embrace’s Programmes & Partnerships Lebanon manager, Sophia recently: ‘I feel this land is an example of something spiritual: we was so harmful to the land, but we have now reconciled it with what God intended it for. We are reconciling with the land.’
Reconciliation with God. Reconciliation with the land. And reconciliation with one another. This is the vision we work for together.
Dr Ruth Valerio is Programmes, Partnerships & Advocacy Director at Embrace the Middle East.
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