The environmental dimensions of Libya’s flood disaster
Initial analysis of some short and long environmental dimensions of the flood disaster in Libya, with an assessment of how the conflict has made its people more vulnerable to climate disasters.
The fragmentation of Libya and its descent into civil war, which began following the 2011 uprisings and NATO intervention, has had as yet unquantified consequences for its environment. Islamic State targeted oil infrastructure and urban areas have seen severe damage with governmental collapse resulting in the loss of environmental oversight and basic services. Read the Libya briefing.
Publications
Country brief: Libya
A brief introductory overview of the environmental dimensions of Libya’s conflict, with facts, figures and further reading.
Blogs
Libyan offshore oil spill worse than claimed
In this post Dr Eoghan Darbyshire uses satellite imagery to examine claims made by the Libyan National Oil Corporation than an offshore oil spill has been controlled. What he finds underscores the importance of independent scrutiny of the oil industry in insecure and conflict settings.
Oil spills from Libya’s Derna power and desalination plant
Using satellite imagery, Eoghan Darbyshire identifies recurring oil spills from Derna power and desalination plant in Libya, examining their threat they pose to its biodiverse coastline and the wider context of the country’s decaying infrastructure.
Watching the world burn: Islamic State attacks against Libya’s oil industry
Contrary to other armed groups in Libya, the strategy behind the Islamic State’s attacks on oil facilities this week is not purely military. It is also part of a wider strategy calling for the disruption of the oil industry, not only to affect opposing regimes but also western society and the global economy.
External content
CSEN | Climate-fragility risk brief on Libya
CSEN find that climate change poses an existential threat to Libya, that if left unaddressed, threatens basic state functionality and stability. The risk brief also discusses potential entry points for addressing the climate-fragility risks in Libya.
SIPRI | A confluence of crises: On water, climate and security in the Middle East and North Africa
The impacts of climate change are particularly complex in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The region suffers from violent conflicts and severe water scarcity, while climate models show more serious scenarios here than in other regions. This paper explains how the security of the MENA region is inscribed in a new climate reality.
Bellingcat | Fuel to the fire: Satellite imagery captures burning oil tanks Libya
In June 2018, social media and OSINT were used to identify damage caused to an oil storage site in Libya caused by fighting between the LNA and a former PFG commander.
IOM Libya | Accessing Water in One of the World’s Driest Countries
How the needs of conflict-affected communities in Southern Libya are being addressed. Communities in southern Libya crucially rely on water wells to extract water, which through the connection to the water well network, reaches peoples’ individual homes. Over the past few years, many wells have fallen into disrepair or were not connected to the electricity…
Libya Herald | Only 40 hospital beds to treat 400,000 in Zuwara
Communities living in proximity to the Abu Kammesh and Melittah Oil and Gas complex are concerned over rates of health problems linked to pollution from the sites.
ana.cat | Un Txernòbil al mar Mediterrani
Coverage of the health and environmental risks posed by the abandoned Abu Khammash chemical plant in northern Libya.
Middle East Eye | Gaddafi’s toxic legacy: The abandoned chemical plant poisoning Libyans
How a former chemical plant has been abandoned due to the conflict and now poses risks to the environment and local communities.
USAID | Climate change risk profile Libya
This profile provides an overview of climate risk issues in Libya, including how climate change will potentially impact agriculture, water resources, human health and coastal zones.
Middle East Eye | Trouble ahead for Gaddafi’s Great Man-Made River
The Great Man-made River is a remarkable feat of engineering but the whole scheme could collapse if the mayhem in Libya continues.
European Environment Agency | ENPI-SEIS project country report Libya
This report focuses on environmental governance in Libya and was prepared as part of an EU project intended to create a shared environmental information system in the European neighbourhood.
Environment General Authority | Libya: The urgent transition to environmental sustainability
This book offered signposts towards achieving Libyan environmental sustainability, finding that Libya was poised to become a world leader in sustainability should it have chosen to.
Harvard International Human Rights Clinic | Explosive Situation: Qaddafi’s Abandoned Weapons and the Threat to Libya’s Civilians
This report focuses on the impact on civilians of weapons that were once part of Qaddafi’s arsenal, but were not used in the conflict and are now held by various parties.
IUCN | Towards a Representative Network of Marine Protected Areas in Libya
This report contains a compilation of information from national and international experts and from documentation available on marine and coastal biodiversity in Libya. It proposes and describes sites of conservation interest along the Libyan coast.