Banque Libano-Française (BLF) held a panel discussing “Green Buildings to Green Neighborhoods: Effective Tools to Fight Climate Change”, during the International Beirut Energy Forum on September 19, 2017, at Le Royal Hotel Dbayeh.

Panelists Nadim Farajalla, Program Director at the Climate Change and Environment at AUB’s Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, Aram Yeretzian, Assistant Professor at Department of Architecture and Design of Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at AUB, Rani Achkar, Senior Programmes Engineer at Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), and Maurice Iskandar, BLF Assistant General Manager, discussed climate change issues in Lebanon and the region, the possibility of building green neighborhoods in the country and the role of the private and public sectors, as well as the solutions they can adopt to lead Lebanon towards energy preservation and sustainability.

Following the panel, BLF and AUB’s Issam Fares Institute launched the annual Climate Change Student Competition addressed to AUB graduates. The theme for the first year, 2017-2018, is “Climate Change and Land in the MENA region”. The top three research proposals will be selected by a jury in December 2017 and will be awarded 3 monetary prizes for the best research proposal on Climate Change Adaptation in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa Region.