Sociocultural Influences on Green Transition : Community Resilience and the Solar Energy Shift in Lebanon

Al Amine, Nadine (2026) Sociocultural Influences on Green Transition : Community Resilience and the Solar Energy Shift in Lebanon. In: FEJLŐDÉSI PÁLYÁK ÉS ÚJ TÖRÉSVONALAK A FENNTARTHATÓSÁGI ÁTMENET IDŐSZAKÁBAN : Nemzetközi tudományos konferencia a Magyar Tudomány Ünnepe alkalmából. Soproni Egyetem Kiadó, Sopron, pp. 241-253. ISBN 9789633345795

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Abstract

Since 2019, Lebanon has endured several crises, starting with an economic collapse with all itsconsequences, health challenges (COVID-19), the Beirut Port explosion, and most recently, thewar in South Lebanon and the escalation to other regions. Lebanese people struggle daily withtheir basic needs and seek alternative solutions to the limited services provided by thegovernment, with a primary focus on green energy. In the absence of government electricity,the adoption of solar energy has gained popularity among Lebanese citizens. This paper aimsto explore the sociocultural aspects of Lebanon’s solar energy transition, social resilience, andadaptation to crisis. Using secondary analysis, it highlights how the solar boom during the crisisreflects more than a technological change. It shows how the adoption of energy is a type ofsocial adaptation, focused on local needs and people’s dignity and solidarity with one another,rather than state planning or environmental policy. Using Fran Norris’s community resilienceframework and focusing on the four adaptive capacities: Economic development, social capital,information and communication, and community competences, this paper identifies community-based initiatives and non-state networks adopted to secure and sustain energy access. Thus,as the sun becomes an actor in Lebanese everyday life, it also redefines attitudes regardingresilience, autonomy, and responsibility at large. Findings suggest that Lebanon’s shift towardrenewable energy demonstrates that green transitions in unstable settings represents social efforts, reflecting cultural values, collective coping strategies, and new forms of social organization that emerge beyond the state.

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