Salam from Antalya: Environmental Restoration Essential to Reconstruction and Stability
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam delivered a speech at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) Summit in the Turkish city of Antalya, stressing that for Lebanon, climate challenges cannot be separated from the repercussions of wars and economic collapse, nor from the arduous national task of recovery and reconstruction.
Premier Salam noted that years of financial crisis have weakened our institutions and public utilities, while successive wars have caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, agricultural lands, forests, and ecosystems.
Salam pointed out that the environmental losses resulting from Israeli attacks, which constitute a violation of international humanitarian law, exceeded $512 million in 2023 and 2024, in addition to the further losses Lebanon sustained in 2026.
While stressing that the environmental impact of the war extends far beyond these figures, as its scars will remain deeply embedded in ecosystems, livelihoods, and local communities for many years to come, he noted that recovery cannot be limited to rebuilding homes and roads, but must also include rehabilitating agricultural lands, restoring ecosystems, and reviving livelihoods.
Salam said: Lebanon stresses that environmental restoration and strengthening resilience to climate change must be an integral part of the reconstruction process, alongside achieving stability, restoring our sovereignty, and upholding international law. National efforts, however significant, cannot alone overcome the structural and financial constraints facing a country seeking to recover from prolonged and successive crises and wars. In this context, we call for increased public funding, a greater role for grants, and simplified procedures for accessing existing financing mechanisms, while taking into account the particular circumstances of crisis-affected countries.
