About

What is Citizens’ AssemblY

A citizens' assembly (CA) is a gathering of members of the public from different walks of life to learn about, deliberate and discuss an issue, to produce recommendations for future solutions. It is a particularly useful method for longer-term or contested issues that tend to fall through the cracks of political cycles.

This pilot assembly on electricity is designed to enable participants to consider the evidence presented from experts and to form small groups for deliberative activities and conversation across groups. This is to facilitate the co-production of electricity generation systems that serve the public interest and deliver tangible community benefits, such as better health outcomes, decent and stable employment, public space and transportation, and new public, private and civic institutions.

RELIEF has been convening a 'community of practice' of academics, experts, activists, municipal workers, UN agencies and government officials. Together they have been exploring renewable energy transitions in Lebanon through two high-level expert workshops in partnership with Chatham House and the UN ESCWA in London and Beirut in January and September 2019. The two workshops focused on decentralising energy systems, the role of municipalities, the role of education, future scenarios for Lebanon's energy supply in the context of the climate emergency. Read the reports from these two workshops here

One of the key recommendations to emerge is the need to develop more democratic and deliberative methods to accelerate the renewable energy transition. And it is from here, the idea of a pilot citizen assembly was conceived.

About Energy in Lebanon

Lebanon suffers a chronic energy supply shortage with daily power cuts. There is an estimated 1GW power shortage, equalling three-hour power cuts in Beirut and up to 12-hour cuts daily in other parts of the country. During power cuts, residents rely on their own methods of electricity generation through expensive, private diesel generators which are incredibly damaging for both the health of populations and the environment. In refugee camps which, are not officially connected to the grid, electricity is appropriated by residents from the grid, causing a dangerous web of wires.

On the supply-side, an ageing infrastructure left damaged by the country's civil war has led to weak capacity and efficiency. On the demand side, the burden of recurring waves of people displaced as a result of regional conflicts, most recently in Syria, has led to increasing water and energy stress. Imported fossil fuels still account for 98% of all energy supply provision and an unreliable grid leaves many depending on alternative, informal, unregulated and costly forms of energy, the environmental and financial consequences of which are significant. For displaced and other vulnerable communities, the impact of this is even higher.

The energy transition has been given further urgency following the eruption of mass protests in October 2019 in which inequality and energy equity has emerged as one of the key demands. Also, the recent devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, as well as destroying lives, homes, livelihoods and dreams, has propelled Lebanon into deeper political and economic abyss. One of the key facilities that was damaged severely was the iconic building of Electricy du Liban, and key figures in the organisations were killed or injured. As with many other public services, electricity is a key sector that needs deep reforms to be able to meet energy demands of the country. EDL became a lynchpin of the state’s inability to meet the basic needs of its citizens.

Several accumulated and intersecting problems have brought Lebanon to the brink; inequality, climate and migration crises need urgent action, but data on these crises are severely lacking. The challenges ahead are huge, and the mood in the country has returned to one of despair, disappointment and scarcity. It is a difficult environment to be and do, and as researchers and activists and citizen scientists from these communities the value of our work is tied our ability to affect change, as well as tending to the needs of our staff on the ground.

To set Lebanon on a trajectory towards energy justice, we must address SDG7 by utilising the understanding and expertise of the communities themselves that are facing these crises, and those who are already benefitting from innovative, decentralised energy projects.