Lebanonupdated 18m ago3 min read
Nawaf Salam Warns Israeli Attacks Drove Over $512M Environmental Losses at COP31
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Environmental damage from Israeli attacks on Lebanon exceeded $512 million in 2023-2024. Salam said climate challenges tie to wars and Lebanon's reconstruction at COP31.
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Salam links climate and war
Lebanon Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the COP31 United Nations Climate Change Conference that climate adaptation is inseparable from Lebanon's reconstruction, saying, "for Lebanon, climate challenges cannot be separated from the repercussions of wars and the economic collapse." Salam said he was addressing the conference as he warned that years of financial crisis had weakened Lebanon's institutions and public facilities while successive wars caused widespread destruction affecting infrastructure, agricultural lands, forests, and ecosystems. Salam said he had quantified environmental losses from Israeli attacks at more than $512 million during 2023 and 2024, and he added that additional losses were incurred during 2026.
Salam argued that the environmental impacts of war would remain deep in ecosystems, livelihoods, and local communities for many years to come, and he said recovery could not be limited to rebuilding homes and roads. Salam concluded that Lebanon affirms the need to make environmental restoration and enhancing climate change adaptation capacity an integral part of the reconstruction process, alongside achieving stability, restoring sovereignty, and respecting international law.
COP31 setting and demands
Salam told the COP31 summit in Antalya, Turkey, that Lebanon's climate challenges are inextricably linked to ongoing geopolitical and economic struggles, citing the environmental impacts of the Israeli war on south Lebanon. Salam said he was urging that recovery include reclaiming agricultural lands, rehabilitating ecosystems, and reviving livelihoods, and he framed environmental restoration as essential to the next phase of reconstruction. Salam said he called for increased public financing, enhanced role of grants, and simplified procedures for accessing existing financing mechanisms, taking into account the specific circumstances of countries affected by crises.
Salam warned that national efforts cannot alone overcome the structural and financial constraints facing a country striving to rise from long and consecutive crises and wars. Salam said COP31 opened in Antalya on Monday and runs through November 20, bringing together world leaders and negotiators to discuss climate financing, adaptation and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Environment minister warns of targets
Lebanon's Environment Minister Tamara El Zein told The National that Israel's military campaigns and occupation of the south were threatening Lebanon's climate targets, and she said, "If we don't take environmental recovery into consideration, some of our targets will not be reached." El Zein said a report by Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research described years of Israeli warfare as leaving farmland unusable, destroying crops, forests and marine life, contaminating soil with phosphorus, and releasing toxins into the air over wide areas. El Zein said she had described the damage as an "act of ecocide" in the report's foreword, and she said, "From October 2023 until September 2026, we have already lost 16,000 hectares – completely burnt".
El Zein said she told The National that the Israeli occupation makes it difficult to monitor and fix environmental damage, adding, "We cannot reach all the areas because it is still occupied by the Israeli army." El Zein said Lebanon’s national adaptation plan needs $11 billion to the year 2035, while she said damage and losses from conflict since 2023 are estimated at more than $20 billion, and she said, "So priorities are, as you can see, shifting,".