by Matthew Holt, Madeline Elmitt and Lucy Mooring
As the climate and ecological crisis worsens and the structures of occupation are intensified, Palestinians face an increasingly difficult day-to-day struggle. ‘Occupied Environments’ is an online project aimed at educating students in the UK about the environmental impacts of Israeli occupation in Palestine. With a focus on three key themes – Water, Afforestation, and Waste – we aim to raise awareness and understanding of the range of environmental consequences of the occupation on Palestinian people and their land. In doing so, we hope to use an environment-centred education as a means for promoting peace and dialogue in Palestine and Israel from the UK.
Our project uses a variety of multimedia resources, including videos, images, articles, and interactive maps, to provide students with a comprehensive and engaging learning experience that can be integrated in classrooms, online learning environments, or as independent study materials. By exploring different facets of the issue in diverse ways, students will learn about the historical, political, and social factors that have contributed to the current situation in Palestine.
Our project is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different learning styles and needs. As such, ‘Occupied Environments’ engages the increasing numbers of environmentally interested students across the UK in the topic of Palestine and Israel by adopting an ecological lens on the issue. In parallel, our project offers a possibly nuanced angle into Palestine and Israel conflict for those already engaged in the issue.
In the interest of creating a diverse, lasting, and publicly available educational tool, ‘Occupied Environments’ will feature a co-created library of multi-media resources. This library, or archive, will point to an extensive range of further multi-media educational sources relating to the key themes. We invite users to explore ‘Occupied Environments’ and join us in our mission to promote environmental justice and peace in Palestine and Israel.