Greenpeace International strongly condemns the ongoing and escalating invasion of Lebanon by Israeli forces, and calls for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities by all parties to prevent further loss of life and avert an irreversible environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.

Since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon came into effect in November 2024, reports indicate that Israel has violated its terms over 15,000 times.[1] This was conducted through both air and land attacks, undermining the diplomatic framework intended to protect civilians. 

On top of the death toll caused by the US-Israel attack on Iran and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the humanitarian toll of this recent escalation in Lebanon is horrific. Official reports cite around one million people displaced, with more than 900 killed, including over 100 children, and more than 2,200 injured to date.[2][3] The large-scale forced displacement of over one million people, combined with illegal mass evacuation orders that fail to ensure adequate protection for civilians, violates international humanitarian law.[4]

Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has expressed deep concern about the threats from Israeli officials of Gaza-level destruction in Lebanon.[5] Similar patterns are already emerging, including strikes on medical facilities and personnel, the targeting of academic and civilian infrastructure, threats to UNESCO world heritage sites and widespread environmental destruction.[6] The documented use of white phosphorus over civilian areas in southern Lebanon violates international bans on the indiscriminate use of incendiary weapons in populated zones.[7] 

Greenpeace MENA warns that this massive scale of forced displacement and explicit threat of widespread destruction goes beyond military strategy and may amount to war crimes, endangering the fundamental fabric of Lebanese society.[8] 

As scorched earth tactics and prohibited weapons devastate residential heartlands, the international community must break its silence to demand the protection of all civilian lives, an immediate ceasefire, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entirety of Lebanese territory.

ENDS

Notes:

[1] MSF update: Southern Lebanon – where is the ceasefire?

[2] IOM: Nearly One Million Displaced in Lebanon 

[3] Republic of Lebanon Ministry of Heath, daily report 17/03/2026: Death toll rises to 912

[4] OHCHR: Amid protection crisis in Lebanon, UN experts warn bombing civilians to force displacement is unlawful

[5] Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 16 March 2026 – ReliefWeb

[6] Destruction like Gaza or civil war? Netanyahu’s warning adds to questions over Israel’s goals in Lebanon – NBC

[7] Human Rights Watch: Israel unlawfully using white phosphorus over residential areas in southern Lebanon
[8] Situation in Lebanon | OHCHR 

Contact:

Hiam Mardini, Communications and Media Manager, Greenpeace MENA, +961 71 553 232,  hmardini@greenpeace.org 

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org 

In the Middle East in general, and especially in Lebanon, we do not experience war only through breaking news headlines or the sounds of shelling, but we also experience it in the details of daily life: in the anxiety about power outages, the fear of fuel shortages, the high cost of transportation, and even in the price of bread.

How the war in the Middle East impacts daily life

War does not remain confined to the front lines; rather, it quickly seeps into homes, kitchens, transportation, generator bills, and the ability of families to secure their basic needs and feel safe and stable.

With each new escalation, it’s not just politics that is affected; the repercussions extend to the daily lives of millions, especially when those lives depend on fragile and centralised energy systems linked to fossil fuels and supply chains that can be disrupted at any moment. This is clearly what we are witnessing today amidst the war raging in our region. 

When shipping lanes are disrupted, oil and gas prices rise, or fears of supply shortages increase, it is no longer a purely economic matter, but quickly becomes a direct burden on people: transportation becomes more difficult, running businesses more expensive, and securing electricity more challenging and precarious, while families find themselves once again facing a new crisis.

Fossil fuels are unsafe and unstable

While some face the full force of airstrikes and attacks, others experience economic contraction and a growing fear of worse to come. But one reality unites us all: the risks facing a global economy overly reliant on fossil fuels, known for its extreme volatility and its close ties to conflict, which makes our societies more vulnerable with each crisis.

The repercussions are not limited to the countries directly affected by the conflict, but extend to the economies of the region, such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, where the cost of fuel, transportation, electricity, and basic commodities has risen significantly. 

The war quickly impacted markets, with oil prices exceeding US$100 per barrel in the early days of the escalation, while the Egyptian pound fell to around 53 pounds to the dollar, and domestic fuel prices increased, further driving up the costs of transportation, electricity, and food. In Tunisia, the rising average exchange rate of the dollar, coupled with soaring global oil prices, threatens to exacerbate pressure on the 2026 budget and the cost of living in an economy heavily reliant on energy imports. In Morocco, which also imports most of its oil needs, domestic prices are under increasing pressure, impacting vital sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.

Energy is a hostage in the war in the Middle East and people are paying the price

Within days of US-Israel strikes on Iran, energy itself became a direct battleground. As the conflict rapidly escalated across the Middle East, fossil fuel infrastructure quickly became a direct target. The Strait of Hormuz became a flashpoint threatening global supplies. Israel cut off gas deliveries to Egypt and Jordan. And gas prices soared by nearly 50% after production was disrupted at a major facility in Qatar. This clearly demonstrates how fossil fuels can be transformed into a geopolitical tool that directly impacts people’s lives.

Renewable energy in the Middle East and North Africa region is no longer merely a postponed environmental or climate issue. For us today, it is a matter of daily resilience, sustainability, and the dignity of our societies. It is a matter of sovereignty, not only in its abstract political sense, but also in the sense of our societies’ ability to secure a greater portion of their basic needs locally and reduce their dependence on market fluctuations, wars, and geopolitical tensions.

A just transition to renewable energy is key

Energy sovereignty is not simply a matter of replacing one energy source with another; it requires a fundamental rethinking of the entire energy system structure. The more decentralised energy production becomes, the closer it is to people, and the more accessible it is to homes, schools, hospitals, farms, and small businesses, the more resilient our communities will be during times of crisis. Decentralised systems, such as rooftop solar power or small community projects, do not eliminate risks entirely, but they reduce vulnerability and empower people to take greater control of their lives and build resilience.

We have witnessed this clearly in Lebanon. With the ongoing collapse of the electricity sector in recent years, thousands of families and businesses have turned to solar energy, not as a luxury or a green option, but as a means of survival. Many have not turned to these solutions to address the climate crisis, but to obtain electricity that enables them to live with dignity, work, and study.

This reality applies to the entire region. The Middle East and North Africa are among the richest in solar energy, yet our societies remain vulnerable to an energy system that exacerbates their fragility with every war or market disruption. Paradoxically, we have the resources to build a more independent and secure energy future, yet we remain trapped in the same old fossil fuel model. However, it is encouraging that some countries in the region are beginning to chart a transformation. Morocco aims to generate more than half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, while the UAE seeks to triple its renewable energy contribution by the same year.

What we need is system change

But what we need today is not just more large-scale renewable energy projects, important as they are, but also a deeper shift toward a more equitable and people-centered energy model. We need policies that enable households, communities, institutions, and farmers to access affordable, decentralised renewable energy within clear regulatory frameworks and with equitable financing, viewing energy as part of social and economic protection, not just a technical sector.

In times of war, all illusions crumble: energy security is not a matter of technology or figures in market reports, but a matter of daily life, social stability, and human dignity. When electricity, transportation, food preservation, and the operation of schools and hospitals become hostage to conflicts beyond the control of the people, the problem lies at the very heart of the entire system, not just in the supply chain.

Therefore, a just transition to decentralised renewable energy is no longer a luxury, but a fundamental necessity for strengthening communities’ resilience to crises. When these communities possess more stable and sovereign energy systems, they are better equipped to protect their livelihoods and withstand shocks to the economy and daily life.

In our region, energy sovereignty is measured not only by what we produce, but also by our ability to ensure that people’s lives are not held hostage by every new war or crisis.

Ghiwa Nakat is the Executive Director of Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa

This story was originally posted in Arabic exclusively on CNN Economics.

On 16 March 2026, Greenpeace USA held a mobile protest at the opening day of Nvidia’s flagship GTC conference. The message, delivered in the heart of Silicon Valley to expose the semiconductor giant for powering the “AI Revolution” with fossil fuels, demanded that the world’s most valuable company decarbonise its global supply chain through renewable energy.

Shortly before Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote address, a triple-billboard truck began circulating around the SAP Center in San Jose, sending a direct message to the CEO: “Hey Jensen, your GPUs powering the AI boom are overheating. So is the planet.” The installation presented two clear paths for the tech giant: “Powering the Apocalypse” through fossil-fuel reliance, or “Powering the Future” through a transition to wind and solar.

Katrin Wu, Supply Chain Project Lead, Greenpeace East Asia, said: “While Nvidia promises to ‘surprise the world’ with its new AI chips at GTC, the true surprise Jensen Huang left unsaid is the staggering scale of Nvidia’s supply chain emissions. Its supply chain emissions now rival the carbon footprints of some nations, while the company has yet to take meaningful action to address them. A world-class new-generation chip should be produced using wind and solar, not fossil fuels. Nvidia must take action to mitigate the environmental dilemma its business has created.”

This activity follows the release of Greenpeace East Asia’s analysis, “Nvidia’s Green Illusion,” which concludes that the company’s supply chain emissions more than doubled in just three years. The environmental burden is concentrated in manufacturing hubs such as South Korea and Taiwan, where power grids remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels.[1] Despite reporting record-breaking revenue in its earnings report last month, Nvidia received an “F” grade in Greenpeace East Asia’s 2025 ranking of 10 global AI giants for lagging behind its peers in decarbonisation and renewable energy adoption.[2]

The San Jose protest is part of a global wave of resistance by Greenpeace organisations around the world against billionaires who prioritise uncontrolled business expansion over ecological limits and people’s well-being.

Susannah Compton, Civic Resistance and Freedoms Campaigner, Greenpeace International, said:“We can all share a dream for a peaceful, abundant future empowered by technological advancements, but profit-hungry Big Tech companies cannot be blindly trusted to get us there. Nvidia’s chips power the AI boom, but the company’s innovation obsession clearly doesn’t extend to a livable planet because its supply chain is still built on fossil fuels. While Big Tech billionaires like Jensen Huang cash in, people and the planet pay the cost of surging emissions in rising bills and extreme weather. Technology must make our collective future better, not worse.”

Greenpeace urges Nvidia to slash its global supply chain emissions by transitioning to renewable energy, invest directly in new wind and solar projects globally, especially in manufacturing regions, and publish transparent annual supplier electricity and emissions data.

ENDS

Notes:

[1] Nvidia’s Green Illusion, Greenpeace East Asia, March 2026[2] Supply Change: Tracking AI Giants’ Decarbonization Progress, Greenpeace East Asia, October 2025

Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Contacts:

Yujie Xue, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, +852 5127 3416, yujie.xue@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org