What If That Happened To You?

How would you feel if you took your husband discovered that there is mold in your house, but he decided not to tell and he just ignored the problem? Then, one day, you come back from work to find your kid unconscious on the floor. When you take him to the hospital, the doctor asks you,

 “ do you have mold in your house?” And you go, “ What, mold? Of course not,” Then, your husband says, “ Oh, yeah, we do!”  Shocked and frustrated, you will say, “ Why didn’t you do something about then?” A valid question to ask.    

The people of Lebanon woke up today to a devastating blast that ripped the central part of the capital Beirut and registered a 3.3 magnitude earthquake in the Lebanese capital. The explosion radiated all the way to the nearby Cyprus which is 164 miles/264 away. Hundreds were killed and thousands were injured in a country that is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and has a limited medical capacity.

Everyone is wondering what happened and why. Then, the Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr. Diab, explained that 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which is a highly explosive substance used in fertilizers and bombs, had been stored for six years at a port warehouse without safety measures. Furthermore, in his statement, the Prime Minister acknowledged that ignoring safety measures result in “endangering the safety of citizens.” However, the statement failed to clarify what did the Prime Minister do about these highly exclusive materials and why the government never addressed the issue or talked about it.

Whether the government, the port authorities, or the Ministry of Environment filed papers,  filed a claim or suit in front of a local court, the issue remained unsolved. The job of the government is not to shuffle papers, but to take action and resolve the issue.

But where did these materials come from? The General Security chief, Mr. Abbas Ibrahim explained that these explosives had been confiscated years earlier and stored in the warehouse. Yet, Lebanon is a signatory to the Basel Convention of 1989 on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. Lebanon ratified the agreement on 21 Dec 1994. According to Annex. III of the treaty, explosive or flammable materials are considered hazardous waste. In addition to the limitation imposed on the import and export of hazardous wastes, there are stringent requirements for notice, consent, and tracking the movement of wastes across national boundaries. Most importantly, the Convention imposes a prohibition on the exportation or importation of wastes between parties and non-parties. Therefore, Lebanon should have notified the Convention Committee and work with them six years ago to implement the related protocols. Confiscating the materials does not make them the property of Lebanon, and burden Lebanon with storing them. So, why was not the carrier of the materials notified? Did Lebanon offer the warehouse for him to store these explosives for free?  This carrier was favored over the Lebanese citizens and was allowed to store his explosives in the warehouse without worrying about any charge.

What is unacceptable here is the use of the passive voice“ was unacceptable, was confiscated.., etc.” Not to follow the passive voice use, but I think someone should have known, and that someone is the Lebanese government.  Had Lebanon complied with the Convention, then no-one would have been killed or injured.

Even though we all felt frustrated when the husband neglected to take care of the mold in his house, but he admitted that he knew. An acknowledgment after the fact can be ineffective, but still valid. Something the entire Lebanese government failed to do. The Prime Minister statement feels distant as if ensuring the implementation of the safety measures is not his main responsibility. An entire government including the Environment Ministry failed to adhere to simple safety measures. The Prime Minister should have said that “ we failed to implement the safety measures and as such, we endangered the safety of our citizens”.

I am hoping that the U.N and the world will hold Lebanon accountable for endangering the lives of its citizens and the neighboring countries. I call on the U.N. to reject Lebanon’s candidacy to run for any key position in the General Assembly. I call on the Lebanese government to acknowledge, after the fact that they knew about it.

1. Pick up the phone and talk to your representative about it.
2. Talk about it on your social media.
3.  Send a letter or an email to the U. N. or your representative in the U.N.

We are all connected and what happens in one country impacts the environment in another. So, let's stand up for the environment.