Thomas Farole

The data is clear: Investments in adaptation and resilience deliver high economic returns but remain insufficient and poorly targeted. Evidence shows that targeted, early investments in resilient infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture, and early warning systems can deliver strong economic and social returns and reduce losses, even under uncertain futures.

North Lebanon’s beauty has been tarnished for several decades by an environment of conflict and violence, which has contributed to high levels of poverty and marginalization. More recently, the region’s challenges have been aggravated by a large influx of Syrian refugees —around 1.5 million refugees with a population of just 4.5 million people—, fleeing war in their country and seeking livelihoods in a place where good jobs are scarce for its own citizens.