Al-Zein: Implementing Environmental Plans Until 2035 Requires $13 Billion in Funding

Environment Minister Tamara Al-Zein confirmed that the war on Lebanon has left environmental and climate damages that hinder national efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. She noted that emissions related to the war and reconstruction are estimated at the equivalent of nearly 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide, excluding the climate cost of manufacturing and supplying weapons to Israel, given the lack of necessary data from manufacturers. She stressed the necessity of mobilizing international support for Lebanon's demands for environmental and climate compensation, and securing the funding needed to address damages and support recovery and reconstruction.

Al-Zein's remarks came during a meeting she held with a European Union delegation, at their request, which included the EU Ambassador to Lebanon, the Ambassadors of Sweden and Poland, and representatives from the embassies of France, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The meeting was dedicated to discussing priorities for climate action and clean energy, in light of the UN Climate Conference "COP31" scheduled to be held in Antalya next November, and upcoming discussions on climate and energy at the UN General Assembly, alongside determining priorities for cooperation between Lebanon and the EU.

Al-Zein pointed out that Lebanon's contribution to global emissions does not exceed 0.04%, while it is considered one of the countries most affected by the repercussions of climate change, necessitating enhanced international support, particularly from the countries most responsible for climate change.

She explained that implementing Lebanese plans until 2035 requires funding estimated at around $13 billion, distributed among state contributions, private sector investments, and international funds, an amount difficult to secure given current economic conditions and global challenges.

She affirmed that Lebanon continues, despite its intertwined crises, to keep pace with international climate action, and even advances in some aspects, but the main challenge remains transforming commitments and plans into actual implementation, given the limited available resources and capacities.

In this context, she indicated that citizens raise legitimate questions about the impact of climate policies and plans on their daily lives, while the implementation of mitigation and adaptation plans depends on the readiness of relevant ministries, their capacity to execute, and the availability of funding. She added that these questions gain double importance amidst accumulated crises, where the priority is the need to fund reconstruction and recover from the effects of war, imposing an approach that considers citizens' needs and available capabilities, allowing continued climate work in parallel with responding to urgent needs.

Al-Zein expressed regret over the slowness of multilateral climate financing mechanisms, noting that launching projects may take years, during which countries' priorities and needs change between submitting applications and starting implementation. She stressed the need to develop faster and more flexible financing mechanisms that respond to the reality of countries facing accumulated crises, especially in the post-war recovery phase.

Al-Zein outlined the steps Lebanon is working on to enhance its ability to respond to climate challenges, emphasizing the importance of institutionalizing climate action within the state. She referred to the inclusion of a general directorate for climate within the updated structure of the Ministry of Environment, enhancing its capacity for planning, coordination, and monitoring the implementation of climate policies.

She noted that Lebanon was among the first countries to submit, in 2025, its third version of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and the Long-term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS), in addition to beginning work on drafting a climate law and establishing the legal and regulatory frameworks necessary for joining carbon markets.

She clarified that Lebanon's priorities intersect with several EU objectives, particularly in the energy, transport, and agriculture sectors, which form key axes in climate change adaptation and mitigation plans. She indicated that the use of solar panels in Lebanon increased twelvefold over three years of crisis, between 2019 and 2022, reflecting the transformations imposed by the economic and energy crises, and the importance of building upon them within an integrated climate policy.

Al-Zein thanked the European Union for its support to Lebanon over the past years, affirming the importance of continuing cooperation in a way that serves national priorities. She called for supporting government plans and encouraging Lebanese and European private sector investments in Lebanon, and enhancing international support to allow addressing environmental damages and raising the country's resilience and recovery capacity.

For his part, the European delegation, led by the EU Ambassador to Lebanon, praised the progress Lebanon has made in climate action despite the circumstances and crises it faces, congratulating Minister Al-Zein on the achievements realized by the Ministry of Environment within a few months.

The delegation presented the main forms of support provided by the European Union to Lebanon in recent years, and expressed interest in learning about Lebanon's priorities and climate directions, aiming to identify common goals for cooperation.

It also presented the EU's priorities in the fields of clean energy and climate action, stressing the enhancement of international cooperation and accelerating the transition to clean electricity and away from fossil fuels, reducing methane emissions, strengthening the role of science in shaping climate policies, and developing cooperation in clean technology, including the "Electrify Now" initiative.

The delegation affirmed that the clean transition constitutes a pillar for enhancing energy security, competitiveness, and resilience against geopolitical disruptions, energy price fluctuations, and worsening climate change impacts, stressing the importance of concerted international efforts to advance climate action.