Its a guarantee that whenever a war breaks out, the natural environment takes a back seat to just about everything. The fighting in the Middle East (Lebanon and Iraq) has created an immense pool of environmental tragedies that will continue to fester until long after the fighting stops and people are forced to deal with the second-hand impacts of war.

The Galilee region of northern Israel has, for the past 50 years, become the deep forest in the middle of one of the world’s more arid landscapes. An aggressive re-forestation project in the early 1950s has created new forest plots around the country, helping conserve water, clean the air and provide shelter and foundation for a decimated ecosystem. But with the constant barrage of Katuysha rockets from Hezbollah many of these forests are burning to the ground setting the program back almost 60 years. Once on the path to restoration and re-growth, while helping to bring back a lush portion of the Middle East, Israel’s northern forests are now threatened with forest fires on all sides. Over 12,000 acres have been damaged or burned thus far. A secondary effect of any large forest fire is of course the smoke and air pollution, which is currently encompassing communities all over the Lebanon, Syria and Israeli borders.

But its not just within Israel that environmental degradation is occuring as a result of the conflict. Israeli warplanes bombed a major Lebanese power plant just off the Mediterranean Sea yesterday causing 30,000 tons of heavy fuel oil to dump directly into the ocean. The effects of the spill, being called the worst environmental disaster in the history of the Mediterranean region, will last for up to a century. Just to put it in perspective, the Exxon-Valdez spill in 1989 dumped over 40,000 tons into the ocean (and the state of Alaska is still waiting for Exxon to clean it up) and the UN hasn’t yet given a rock-solid estimate as to how much more may leak into the Med over the coming weeks.

By no means am I saying that these disasters are of more concern than the current loss of human life on all sides of the conflict. But, I am wondering how much these disasters, that seem of no consequence amidst such human violence and degradation, will claim their own victims at some point soon down the road.

I think much of it has to do with perception. Right now, the citizens of Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine (and the rest of us watching from afar) are not as concerned about an oil spill or burning forests as much as we’re concerned about fellow human lives being ended. But this perception will change when the violence fades away. How will we deal with it? Already, the UN is asking for companies who have the skills and tools to come and help clean up the oil slick before it spreads to Turkey and Cyprus. This spill will severely impact the fishing industry and tourist industry. Are we able to deal with an environmental crisis amidst a human rights crisis?

Regardless of what the answers are, keeping an eye on the overall conflict is on everyone’s daily radar and the environmental impacts of war will always be of no consequence until after both sides have put down their guns.