Environment

At the heart of one of Lebanon's most densely populated regions, thousands of cubic meters of hydrocarbons are currently stored. From Antelias to Karantina, rows of tanks face a vertical suburb that rises up to 900 meters in altitude, yet remains, as the crow flies, dangerously close. It's an unbearable proximity between a highly flammable industry and overcrowded residential areas. Aerial view from 2017. Aerial view from 2024 showing the project's extension. Proximity of Coral and Unigaz facilities to the city. Two of Coral's five gas tanks, comparable to those of Unigaz, located a little further away.

The use by the Israeli air force, on February 1, 2026, of a powerful herbicide, Glyphosate, over vast areas of Lebanese territory, has reignited the question of the deliberate damage inflicted on natural resources in times of war. February 1, 2026: the Israeli air force is observed spraying an apparently toxic substance over large swathes of southern Lebanese territory, in the region of Bint Jbeil. Three days after the incident, on February 4, following analyses conducted on samples collected by the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment announced that the substance in question was Glyphosate, a powerful herbicide. The ministries’ statement reported that the product had been sprayed “at a very high concentration,” denouncing a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty” and an “ecological crime.”

As Pope Leo XIV visits Lebanon — and with the 30th UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, ending with few tangible results — it is worth revisiting the concept of « Integral Ecology », a central idea in Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical « Laudato Si’ ». The document outlines a deeply human and inclusive vision of ecology — one that calls for both spiritual renewal and social justice. The term integral ecology reflects a holistic approach to the relationship between humankind and the environment. It promotes a worldview where environmental, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions are inseparable. As the French Catholic Church site explains, this concept rests on “the conviction that ecological conversion is not confined to environmental issues alone” but also draws on hope, respect for all life, and a commitment to human dignity and fraternity. The Church, in this view, bears a moral responsibility for the care of Creation.