Human health between climate change and the Corona pandemic

About a third of the death rate in the Arab region is attributed to environmental factors, according to the Arab Forum for Environment and Development report for the year 2020. In this week’s BBC Extra episode, we cover the environmental risks surrounding people, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, and whether the Corona pandemic has had a positive or negative impact on the environment? The Arab Forum for Environment and Development released its report “Health and Environment in Arab Countries” last year, in which it mentioned four areas for improvement, namely water, air , waste and the marine environment. To shed some light on these issues, we host Dr. Rima Habib, Director of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the American University of Beirut, is the co-editor and researcher of the report.

Captain Abdel Moneim Janahi, director of the Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Center (MEMAC), is also invited on the episode via a video call from Bahrain, to talk about the Arabian Gulf marine site and the consequences the Corona pandemic has had an impact on the movement of ships and tankers in Gulf waters.

The seminar will also welcome Omar Shushan, president of the Federation of Environmental Associations of Jordan, to shed light on the current reality of the Azraq Oasis after a previous visit of the program team to the oasis site and documenting the impact of climate change on its water resources.

The Extra TV program highlights unique human stories from our lives, which we experience and tell Arab youth, every week Tuesdays and Thursdays on BBC Arabic at 5.30pm GMT.

To watch previous episodes of BBC Extra please visit this link