Benghazi – The thesis committee at the Libyan Academy’s Benghazi branch approved Manal Kamel Mohamed Al-Iskandarani’s master’s thesis on Wednesday without requiring any revisions. Members of the House of Representatives, Youssef Kamoud Al-Fakhri and Ibrahim Al-Zagheid, attended the session.
Al-Iskandarani, a political activist and Director of the Office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs in the Libyan government, submitted her thesis to the Department of Environmental Engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The thesis is titled “The Impact of Air Pollution on Climate Change – A Case Study of the Cement Factory in Benghazi.”
The committee included Prof. Dr. Yaqoub Mohamed Mohamed Al-Barasi as the first examiner, Dr. Marwan Abdelkarim Ramadan Bouma’louma as the second examiner, Dr. Hayam Abdelrazaq Mohamed Najm as the main supervisor, and Prof. Dr. Sabah Mohamed Abdelrahim Adam as assistant supervisor.
The study aimed to assess air quality around the factory, identify key pollutants related to industrial activity, examine their relationship to climate factors, and analyze the spatial and temporal variation in their levels.
Methodology combined a descriptive approach and analysis of environmental data collected from June 2024 to May 2025, along with historical records to analyze long-term trends and distinguish them from seasonal changes.
Key indicators studied included nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. The study also examined temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction.
Data showed monthly variations in some pollutant levels. The study highlighted the importance of wind patterns in explaining how pollutants move and disperse around the area.
The research found that pollutant concentrations in the surrounding air are influenced by weather conditions and different sources of pollution. The results did not alone establish a direct causal relationship between factory emissions and climate change.
The study recommended strengthening continuous air quality monitoring, maintaining emission control and filtration systems at the factory, and considering the use of cleaner energy and fuels.
It also called for stronger industrial regulation, enforcement of environmental laws, expansion of awareness programs, and investigation into establishing suitable green belts around affected areas.