Libya’s environmental crisis is due to neglect and and conflict

The Libyan Environment Minister for the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, Ibrahim Al-Arabi, highlighted in an interview the “catastrophic” environmental situation of Libya, blaming government neglect, according to the Libya Review on August 11th.

In the interview, Al-Arabi explained that biodiversity in Libya has had a “serious decline” over the last 30 years, blaming governments for having neglected the protection of the environment, which has left it open to being affected by the armed conflict going on in Libya.

A combination of factors, including coastal erosion, unregulated construction, and habitat loss, was emphasized by the minister as having created a threat to ecosystems and species.

In 2011, the Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and subsequently killed, and since then, the governing of Libya has been split into two rival administrations with multiple armed militias fighting for power.

Al-Arabi highlighted that the fighting since 2011, in particular, has caused significant environmental damage.

He explained that “In any armed conflict in the world, you find a clear deterioration in the environmental situation,” and that “we have seen assaults on the coastlines, expansion at the expense of vegetation cover, and even peaceful wildlife has been harmed by the war.”

The ongoing armed conflict in Libya has also created challenges in addressing environmental issues, although the minister expressed optimism that Libya could address the issues with regional cooperation and stronger national policies.

The minister revealed in his interview that the 20th session of the African Ministers’ Council on the Environment was originally planned to take place in Tripoli, where the Government of National Unity is based.

However, due to security concerns, the session was moved to Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.

Al-Arabi stated that “The arrangements were in place for Libya to host, but after a security breach in Tripoli, we were informed the meeting would be relocated.”

Steps already taken to address the environmental problem by Libya include the National Oil Corporation’s commitment to an initiative for long-term sustainability by planting one million trees across Libya by 2026. This effort has already seen thousands of trees planted to restore biodiversity, improve air quality, and absorb carbon dioxide at oil sites.

Libya Review/Maghrebi