By Najib Saab

September 2006

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon was in one of its many facets a war against the environment. If the huge oil spill that leaked to the sea due to the bombing of Al- Jiyyeh power station was the apparent manifestation of the environmental aggression; what lies hidden may be greater. Air strikes on electricity and water networks, the destruction of tens of thousands of households, roads and bridges, and the forcing of hundreds of thousands of people into displacement, will cause a severe deterioration in the conditions of environmental health. The remains of the cluster bombs and undetonated explosives in fields will impede agriculture and food production for years to come.

Economic deterioration caused by the war will have the most detrimental effect on the environment. It is hard to convince the displaced who have lost their houses and livelihoods to care for the environment and protect resources. The last few years have witnessed an increase in the level of environmental awareness, especially amongst students, that was linked to a period of economic stability in the country. Efforts for raising environmental awareness will not be easy after this catastrophic war. How can we ask someone who is not sure that next morning he will still have a roof to protect him and a bite to eat to plant a tree that will provide fruits in ten years?

Accordingly, efforts to treat the economic and livelihood problems left behind by the war will remain of utmost priority. However, there should be regulations to govern the process of reconstruction in such a way to protect the environment, so that we do not create another problem while we work to solve the one at hand.

One of the main findings exposed by the war is the lack of a contingency plan to tackle environmental disasters. When thousands of tonnes of oil were discharged to the sea, the Ministry of Environment prepared a comprehensive preliminary report about the situation. This report that was published on the Ministry's website was the main source of information for international organizations and regional environmental bodies, which has assisted in the mobilization of assistance. It was required to start an immediate rescue operation to limit the dispersal of the oil and clean the polluted sites, based on a readily available contingency plan and not leaving the spill to increase in size for weeks waiting for the outcome of international meetings, expert reports and foreign assistance. To be honest, the global and regional response was rapid. However, while waiting for support from abroad, it was necessary to start an initiative with a trained team. What happened was restricted to experiments and impulsive attempts, with evident lack of a workable contingency plan in cases of disasters.

Weeks after the disaster, people still wait for an answer from the concerned authorities on whether the fish is polluted or not. Is it edible? Can they swim in the sea away from the oil spills? Until today the answers are still speculations and no announcement was made based on scientific analysis on fish and water samples.

No reliable public announcement has been made so far on air quality after strikes and the burning and evaporation of oil. Reports circulating so far are mere estimations based on smelling, tasting and simple observations. Apparently no air quality measurements were taken in the time of the war and beyond. It is ironic that the only fixed air quality station that started to operate in Beirut few months before the strikes, was withdrawn during the war based on concerns that it might be destroyed by air strikes. Three weeks after the ceasefire, no measurements for air quality were conducted, thus no data is available about impacts of the war on air quality, especially with the dust resulting from strikes on residential areas, and thousands on tonnes of debris which had to be transported to makeshift dumps, including asbestos and other dangerous material.

People have the right to know the quality of the air they breathe, the water they drink the sea in which they swim and the fish they eat. It is indispensable to conduct detailed scientific studies on the impact of war on the environment. The demand for holding the culprits for terrorism and environmental crimes responsible requires data. It is essential to develop contingency plans for environmental disasters, in times of war as well as in peace.

Lebanon does have the necessary expertise and capacities. What is required is effective management to make sure that the environment does not continue to be the victim during peace, because of our own inaction, as it was the victim during war, because of aggression.