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Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
Thank you Dr. Steiner for joining us for this live dialogue today.
Can you please give us a short account about the current environmental situation in Lebanon?
Answer
The situation environmentally here is certainly in need of improvement -- the war has taken a heavy toll not just on human / social issues, but on the Lebanese environment as well. The oil spill is one of the most significant environmental impacts, but there are many others as well.
Name
Tarek
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
My understanding is that there are alot of unexploded objects remaining in Lebanon now that the war has seemingly ended. Is there some sort of work being done to find out where these objects are exactly, and how they might be cleared away? What kind of impact can unexploded objects have on the environment in Lebanon? Are animals in danger? Plants? Marine life? Are there any facts available to date on what the status quo is regarding these kinds of objects?
Thank you.
Answer
Yes -- there is a great deal of unexploded ordinance, and it is being located and disposed of. There are still many questions regarding this risk, but apparently this problem has already cost several more lives.
And certainly, any animal that comes in contact with these objects, if the detonate, would be seriously injured or likely killed. They are usually much better at sensing dangerous ordinance though than us humans.
There is an active program to locate and disarm these ordinances...
Name
Alam
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
What is the extent of the damage resulting from the oil spill on the shores of Lebanon?
Answer
We are in the early stages of our assessment, but it appears there is extensive injury to the shore environment - much of the spilled fuel oil came ashore, and some areas are very heavily polluted. Some of the intertribal areas have shown predictable response, with most of the organisms killed (mostly invertebrate fauna). The offshore assessment has yet to begin, as we have not been allowed to get offshore due to the Israeli military embargo.
But there is certainly very serious shoreline damage. Whenever you spill 15,000 tons of a toxic fluid substance into a near shore environment, you can expect extensive injury.
Such as the Tasman Spirit spill off Karachi in 2003...
Name
Josh
- United States
Profession
Question
Could you highlight the people's efforts, and to tell us if there are initiatives from the Lebanese people to solve this environmental problem?
Answer
Thanks Josh -- yes, there are many efforts from Lebanese citizens, and government, and the military to respond...environmental NGOs, such as IUCN and Greenline, are responding, and Greenline volunteers were on a beach cleaning up manually this morning.
The government, as you might imagine, is very involved. We are working on behalf of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment, which has the overall authority for the environmental damage caused by the war, including the oil spill.
Name
Mahmoud
- Saudi Arabia
Profession
Question
If it is proved that Israel bombed the power station on purpose to cause this catastrophe, is there any international organization to condemn this crime, and obligate Israel to clean up the damage?
Answer
That is an excellent question, and one we are all looking at. Normally, if there is an oil spill, the Responsible Party must pay compensation to the government and citizens to cover all lost income, response costs, damage assessment costs, and restoration. In this case, because it was an act of war, it will be a different scenario.
Regardless, the Government of Lebanon is considering presenting a claim for full damages, and it will be up to the international community and perhaps international court of criminal justice to resolve the issue...
Name
Maged
- Algeria
Profession
Question
I have heard reports that the marine life and coral reefs will be affected by this crisis for three years. Is that true? And is there something that can be done to decrease that time?
Answer
Well, oil spill damages can last for decades, but we are hoping that the environmental injury here will not last that long. It is easily possible that full recovery could take 3 years, or more. For example, the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska (where I live and work) is still far from recovered - 18 years later. Some spills take even longer to recover...
We are just now trying to get a handle on damage, and recovery time...
Name
Jaques
- France
Profession
Question
Lebanon had some of the best beaches ever, will they ever be the same again after this oil spill?
Answer
My prediction is that yes they will...some are not impacted now, but many are. I agree that these are beautiful beaches, and even the ones that were heavily oiled, we can get most of the oil off them in the next couple months, and they should be good again next year. The rocky beaches will take a bit longer, because it will be harder to get the oil off them...but the other issue is that sea turtles laid their eggs in the sand just before and during the war, and they have just begun hatching, and heading out into oiled waters...we are working on that issue as well.
Name
Raouf
- Tunisia
Profession
Question
How many nature reserves and protected areas are there in Lebanon in general? Have they been affected by the war? How?
Answer
I believe there are seven, and several have been affected by the war....
The one most affected is a coastal one up in the north in Tripoli. It was affected by the oil spill; it is called Palm Island Nature Reserve,
We are going to inspect Tyre Nature Reserve down in the south and we know from the Ministry that Qammoua in the Bekaa and Shouf Cedar Reserve were bombed.
Name
Medhat
- Egypt
Profession
Question
What are the steps being done to encompass the damage from the oil spill?
Answer
If by 'encompass' you mean 'assess' the damage, we are organizing a scientific natural resource damage assessment program that will begin sampling Monday. It will coordinate at the National Center for Marine Science, and report to the Ministry of Environment.
We will have studies on where the oil went offshore, sediment and water sampling of hydrocarbons, invertebrate communities on shore, birds, fish, sea turtles, and marine mammals offshore. The idea is to get into the field very soon to get a preliminary idea of the injury, and then we'll have a longer-term damage assessment in 2007. But we should have preliminary results by Nov. 2006.
Name
Susan
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Can you give us more details about the environmental situation now?
Answer
That would take some time, but in general there was extensive environmental damage from the war:
Oil Spill
Protected Areas Injury
Rubble Disposal
Waste some maybe hazardous because of unexploded ordinates and oil spill
You might go to the Ministry of Environment website at: www.moe.gov.lb and www.iucn.org/wescana
But in general, war and environment do not mix....
Name
Ola
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Dear Dr. Steiner
Thank you for your precious work to save this delicate part from this environmental crisis.
Can you please tell us the extent of the damage on the neighboring countries to Lebanon?
Answer
Thanks - an excellent question...we do know that the Syrian coast was hit by the oil spill - about 10 km of beach on the southern part of the Syrian coast was oiled (which was 150 km or so from the bombed Jiyyeh power plant), and the Syrian folks mounted a cleanup pretty quickly. They were not under the air / sea military embargo as was Lebanon....
Name
Steven Orr
- Canada
Profession
Question
Can this disaster be compared to the Exxon Valdez oil spill of '98?
Answer
I have worked a lot on the Exxon Valdez spill, and it was a larger volume spill - Exxon Valdez was at least 45,000 tons (12 million gallons, and crude oil), and the Lebanon spill was about 15,000 tons (4 million gallons), and heavy fuel oil rather than crude.
It is my early sense that the Lebanon spill will not be nearly as damaging as the Alaska spill for several reasons - 1. This is a warmer environment, and degradation will be faster here than in Alaska. 2. The timing of the Alaska spill was very bad - right at our biological spring...the Lebanon spill may have been worse had it been in spring or fall, with migrating birds, and different currents, etc..
But regardless, this spill has caused significant injury -- they all do.
Name
Wild_Rose
- Palestine
Profession
High school student
Question
How big is the damage caused by the Israeli battleships? How will it affect the naval animals? And how long will take to clean up the oil? And in future after the cleaning, will the damage end there or are there some after effects??
Thanks
Answer
I think the offshore injury will be mostly from the oil spill, but also some bombs dropped into the water, and there were large fish kills from that.
This spill may take several months to be "cleaned up", but we should all remember that once the oil is spilled, most of the damage has been done, and even in the best responses, only say 10% can be recovered from the sea or beaches....
I think the injury from this will take several years to recover...
Name
Samira
- Morocco
Profession
Question
I was wondering, how is the oil cleaned? I keep hearing that it takes huge amounts of money but I don't understand why it is so hard...
Answer
There are high-tech methods - skimmers, pumps, high pressure spray hoses, booms, etc...and offshore response can take many vessels...but there are also low-tech methods, such as people on beaches using rakes and shovels and buckets...we will be doing a little of each here...
Name
Breathe
-
Profession
Question
Apart from the oil spill, are there other environmental crises affecting Lebanon after the war?
Answer
Yes -- unexploded ordinance, bomb damage to protected areas, water problems, disposal of huge amounts of rubble from bombing in Beirut and the south, spills of other hazardous substances (chlorine from a bombed refrigeration unit at milk factory, etc.)...
Name
Pamela
- Australia
Profession
Question
I heard claims that this oil spill is the biggest disaster the Mediterranean ever faced...will there be any creatures extinct due to it?
Are there any species in danger extinction in general due to the war?
Answer
It may be one of the largest oil spills, but there was the Haven spill off Genoa Italy a few years ago that was comparable too...but the Mediterranean has had other environmental injury as well of course, mostly from over use.
I do not think there are any species endanger of extinction due to the war, but there are endangered species that were affected - e.g. green and loggerhead sea turtles.
Name
Unbreakable
-
Profession
Question
Apart from the oil spill, what are the drawbacks of the war on the environment in Lebanon as a whole?
Answer
War and society and environment do not mix…period. There are so many effects...the oil spilled, the explosions in the water and on protected areas, the refugee problems, water problems, reconstruction will take a lot of resources, etc...
The Geneva Conventions require that warring nations seek to avoid damage to the environment, but perhaps we need to reinforce that section of the Convention.
Name
Ishtar
- United States
Profession
Linguist
Question
Do you know if any international organizations like the UN, WWF or Greenpeace are going to get involved in the cleanup effort?
Answer
The UN is involved from a distance (Geneva), and Greenpeace has offered their vessel. IUCN sent me here to advise the government's Ministry of Environment...so there is a great deal of international support coming it...OPEC is donating for the response, and Norway has sent some equipment, etc...
Name
Unbreakable
-
Profession
Question
Who is working to save the environmental crises in Lebanon right now? Are they international organizations or local organizations?
Answer
Both -- several local organizations -- Greenline, Cedars for Care, citizens etc. here; and several other countries and international NGOs -- IUCN, etc...
I am convinced we will get a handle on all of the problems, but they are indeed large and it will take time...reconstruction alone will take over a year or two...
Name
Rick
- Canada
Profession
Question
I have seen the Exxon Valdez oil spill...I've lived that horror and I hate to see it happen again. Is there a way that aid can reach the cleanup programs so this can take place as fast as possible?
Answer
You could donate to either IUCN and express that it is for the Lebanon spill response they are assisting with, and/or a local NGO here in Lebanon - Greenline, etc...
And I agree, Exxon Valdez was and still is awful...
Name
Maha
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Is there a way people outside of Lebanon can help to at least decrease the effects of this crisis on the Mediterranean?
Answer
Yes -- contact your government where you live, and ask them to seek stronger enforcement of the Geneva Conventions section that stipulates that warring nations should seek to avoid damage to the environment, and/or let's amend the Convention to be stronger on the environmental protection protocols, and establish clear financial consequences for non-compliance....
Otherwise, more spill prevention and response equipment in Lebanon is needed.
As well, if other governments would get more serious in seeking an end to this 50 year conflict, that would be the best thing we could do here…
Name
Rasha
- Kuwait
Profession
Question
Will this crisis affect the drinking water in Lebanon?
Answer
The war certainly has, as it has damaged much of the water infrastructure here...but the spill will likely not, as it is only on beaches and offshore...if, however, it percolates down into aquifers near beaches, then it could conceivably...but I think the biggest impact of the war on drinking water is from the bombing on the water pipes, etc...
Name
Mervat
- Egypt
Profession
Question
How will this affect the fisheries industry in the country? And how will it affect tourism?
Answer
It will / has affected both fishing and tourism. Fishermen could not fish for the last month during the war, and people are now afraid to eat any fish due to potential oil spill contamination. There are some 30,000 small boat fishermen here who have had significantly loss of income. Tourism of course came to a dead stop...and it seems the losses to both sectors will be large, perhaps in the 10s or hundreds of millions of dollars...
