Lebanon's Environment Minister Warns Israel's War Jeopardizes Climate Goals Amidst Ecocide Concerns

Lebanon's climate objectives are under threat due to the environmental devastation caused by Israel's military operations and its occupation of southern Lebanon, according to Environment Minister Tamara El Zein. "If we do not factor in environmental recovery, some of our targets will remain out of reach," Ms. El Zein stated in an interview with The National at the Cop31 climate summit held in Turkey. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is scheduled to address the summit on Thursday.

Years of conflict with Israel have rendered farmland unusable, destroyed crops, forests, and marine ecosystems, contaminated soil with phosphorus, and released airborne toxins across extensive areas, as detailed in a report by Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research earlier this year. Ms. El Zein, in her foreword to the report, characterized the damage as an "act of ecocide." While annual forest fires can lead to some loss of tree cover, the scale of these losses has dramatically increased due to Israeli attacks since 2023, Ms. El Zein informed The National in Antalya, where world leaders convened for the annual climate summit. "From October 2023 to September 2026, we have already lost 16,000 hectares – completely incinerated due to phosphorus bombardment or conventional munitions," she reported, noting that a loss of 1,500 hectares per year would be more typical.

In addition to the burning of forest cover, which serves as a vital carbon sink and aids in emission reduction, Ms. El Zein highlighted that the uprooting of trees during Israeli operations and the application of glyphosate, a controversial herbicide, in southern Lebanon are inflicting severe environmental damage. The ongoing Israeli occupation also impedes efforts to monitor and rectify environmental harm. "We are unable to access all regions because they remain under Israeli army control," stated Ms. El Zein, who has a background as a physical chemist. She emphasized that Lebanon is not starting from a neutral position but from a significantly negative baseline when striving to meet its climate commitments, describing it as "minus, minus, minus."

Hostilities between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah erupted in Lebanon in 2023 and persisted through 2024 before a ceasefire was established. Further conflict reignited in Lebanon in March 2026, following a war initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran. Lebanon faces immense rebuilding requirements and a severely weakened economy, leaving insufficient funds for environmental initiatives.

Lebanon is a signatory to the Paris Agreement, a 2015 treaty aimed at curbing global warming. The nation has set targets to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to increase its renewable energy generation. As part of its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement, Lebanon aims to reduce carbon emissions by at least 22 percent and source a quarter of its electricity from renewables by 2035. Ms. El Zein acknowledged that the war has exacerbated existing environmental challenges but affirmed Lebanon's "full commitment" to its climate goals. Nevertheless, its leaders confront substantial difficulties in allocating their budget following the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Lebanon's national adaptation plan to address climate change challenges requires an estimated $11 billion by 2035. However, the damage and losses incurred from conflict since 2023 are estimated to exceed $20 billion, according to Ms. El Zein. "So priorities are, as you can see, shifting," she observed. While it may be feasible to integrate Lebanon’s climate change adaptation efforts with post-conflict reconstruction, this will necessitate significant funding. "We can somehow link between the two priorities, as we can consider that even reconstruction might be within a kind of concept of ‘build back better’ where environmental and climate resilience are included," she suggested. "But still, as long as we don't have enough investment to move forward, it will be very, very difficult to implement."

An additional challenge lies in balancing environmental protection and climate change mitigation with the immediate needs of war-affected Lebanese citizens. The UN reported late last month that over 300,000 people remain displaced, and tens of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed. The conflict has generated an estimated 26 million tonnes of rubble since 2023. Ms. El Zein noted that villagers seeking to return home "will not be waiting 'til you are doing sustainable rubble management." Lebanon is endeavoring to approach reconstruction in an "environmentally and climatically compliant" manner, she added. "It will be complicated because also it requires additional funding. It requires maybe more time. So we need to find the good balance between all these factors."

Lebanon's delegation at the Cop31 conference intends to advocate for "special treatment" in climate financing for war-affected nations like Lebanon, whose circumstances can change rapidly while awaiting application approvals. "For all these multilateral funds, there must be a specific treatment for fragile countries like Lebanon, mainly after wars," Ms. El Zein urged. "They should put also some kind of accelerated track, because our priorities are shifting from year to another, while any application will take at least two to three years to be approved."