Greenpeace MENA: War Is Harming Lives, the Environment, and the Sustainable Future of Our Region
BEIRUT, LEBANON, March 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Across the region, war is leaving immeasurable human suffering in its wake. Lives are being shattered, communities are forcibly displaced, and the earth itself is suffering destruction. Whether in Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman this war is causing deep and lasting damage to the environment that communities depend on for survival.
“Our lives and the natural world are inseparable, and war is devastating lives, communities, and the environment at the same time. When water is polluted, farmland is destroyed, air is contaminated, and ecosystems are damaged, people’s health, safety, livelihoods, and dignity are harmed too. Across our region, the environmental toll of war is deepening human suffering and threatening the natural systems on which life depends. Protecting people and protecting the environment are not separate causes, but one shared obligation”, said Ghiwa Nakat, Executive Director of Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Ecological warfare as well as attacks on oil infrastructure, tankers, and other infrastructure, are raising concerns about a major environmental disaster in the region.
The continuous targeting of oil facilities and industrial sites in Iraq, Gulf countries, and Iran is releasing toxic smoke and particles that contaminate air, soil, and water across the region. Massive soot plumes that came down as black rain were witnessed, which causes immediate and long term devastating impacts on human health, soil, and water. Air pollution was also compounded by smoke from large refinery fires and its subsequent impact on respiratory health.
In addition, over the past two weeks, Israeli forces dropped white phosphorus on several villages in the south of Lebanon. These weapons are highly incendiary, result in significant civilian harm, and their use is illegal under international humanitarian law. In addition to ravaging large areas of soil and vegetation, white phosphorus toxic residues can persist in the soil and water long after the fighting stops.
Water systems are also particularly vulnerable in the region. Attacks have targeted water desalination plants and coastal infrastructure for drinking water. In several Gulf countries, over 90 percent of drinking water depends on desalination, meaning damage to these systems, whether by oil spills or direct attacks, could threaten water security for millions of people.
Meanwhile, more than 80 oil tankers are currently trapped in the Strait of Hormuz carrying around 21 billion litres of oil, according to an ongoing satellite imagery analysis by Greenpeace. An oil spill resulting from an attack on any of those vessels could be detrimental to the sensitive ecosystems in Hormuz and nearby waters in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. A possible oil spill could suffocate marine life, coating the seabed and contaminating fish stocks. Oil could also drift beyond the Gulf into the Arabian Sea, which connects to the Indian Ocean, expanding the environmental threat to a much wider marine area. Coastal communities whose livelihood depends on the sea for food and income will bear the brunt of this disaster.
Beyond the immediate environmental destruction it caused and continues to cause, this war further exacerbates the climate crisis with its carbon emissions. These emissions are until today unaccounted for in multilateral negotiations such as COPs, yet they make up around 6% of global emissions.
The region is witnessing how the environment has historically and continues to be used as a strategy of warfare, and the deliberate destruction of the environment, similar to what we have seen in Palestine, by making the land uninhabitable for generations to come.
Greenpeace MENA warns against the systematic destruction of the environment and its impacts on our livelihood in a region that is already vulnerable to extreme weather events, water scarcity, and food insecurity. We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and for all parties to respect international law and protect civilians and their lived environments. The natural world cannot be rebuilt overnight. The people of this region deserve a future where the land beneath their feet, the water they drink, and the air they breathe are not poisoned by war.
“Our lives and the natural world are inseparable, and war is devastating lives, communities, and the environment at the same time. When water is polluted, farmland is destroyed, air is contaminated, and ecosystems are damaged, people’s health, safety, livelihoods, and dignity are harmed too. Across our region, the environmental toll of war is deepening human suffering and threatening the natural systems on which life depends. Protecting people and protecting the environment are not separate causes, but one shared obligation”, said Ghiwa Nakat, Executive Director of Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Ecological warfare as well as attacks on oil infrastructure, tankers, and other infrastructure, are raising concerns about a major environmental disaster in the region.
The continuous targeting of oil facilities and industrial sites in Iraq, Gulf countries, and Iran is releasing toxic smoke and particles that contaminate air, soil, and water across the region. Massive soot plumes that came down as black rain were witnessed, which causes immediate and long term devastating impacts on human health, soil, and water. Air pollution was also compounded by smoke from large refinery fires and its subsequent impact on respiratory health.
In addition, over the past two weeks, Israeli forces dropped white phosphorus on several villages in the south of Lebanon. These weapons are highly incendiary, result in significant civilian harm, and their use is illegal under international humanitarian law. In addition to ravaging large areas of soil and vegetation, white phosphorus toxic residues can persist in the soil and water long after the fighting stops.
Water systems are also particularly vulnerable in the region. Attacks have targeted water desalination plants and coastal infrastructure for drinking water. In several Gulf countries, over 90 percent of drinking water depends on desalination, meaning damage to these systems, whether by oil spills or direct attacks, could threaten water security for millions of people.
Meanwhile, more than 80 oil tankers are currently trapped in the Strait of Hormuz carrying around 21 billion litres of oil, according to an ongoing satellite imagery analysis by Greenpeace. An oil spill resulting from an attack on any of those vessels could be detrimental to the sensitive ecosystems in Hormuz and nearby waters in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. A possible oil spill could suffocate marine life, coating the seabed and contaminating fish stocks. Oil could also drift beyond the Gulf into the Arabian Sea, which connects to the Indian Ocean, expanding the environmental threat to a much wider marine area. Coastal communities whose livelihood depends on the sea for food and income will bear the brunt of this disaster.
Beyond the immediate environmental destruction it caused and continues to cause, this war further exacerbates the climate crisis with its carbon emissions. These emissions are until today unaccounted for in multilateral negotiations such as COPs, yet they make up around 6% of global emissions.
The region is witnessing how the environment has historically and continues to be used as a strategy of warfare, and the deliberate destruction of the environment, similar to what we have seen in Palestine, by making the land uninhabitable for generations to come.
Greenpeace MENA warns against the systematic destruction of the environment and its impacts on our livelihood in a region that is already vulnerable to extreme weather events, water scarcity, and food insecurity. We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and for all parties to respect international law and protect civilians and their lived environments. The natural world cannot be rebuilt overnight. The people of this region deserve a future where the land beneath their feet, the water they drink, and the air they breathe are not poisoned by war.
Hiam Mardini
Greenpeace MENA
+961 71 553 232
hmardini@greenpeace.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
X
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.