The Lebanon Climate Act: Engaging the private sector to enhance climate action in Lebanon

Lebanon is extremely vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, which is expected to cause significant costs to the economy. The huge economic loss estimates have led the government to realise that the active involvement and support of the private sector will be crucial to build a climate resilient future for Lebanon and to meet the country’s climate targets set out in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The idea to effectively engage the private sector was first put forth through the enactment of the Lebanon Climate Act in June 2016, which aims to address climate change in a way that maximises benefits for businesses and communities. To steer the process under this initiative, a guidebook has been prepared to enable and guide Lebanese businesses in understanding the climate impacts on their operations, creating strategies to mitigate these impacts, identifying key stakeholders for enabling action, and sharing their experiences with the wider stakeholder group and community. More than 100 companies and several non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been associated with the LCA in the initial two years, providing their critical inputs and insights and setting a strong precedent as climate leaders for other companies to follow.

The Lebanon Climate Act constitutes a good practice because of its robust stakeholder engagement, its ability to align climate change strategies with business objectives, business engagement and assistance platforms, and transparent monitoring, reporting and verification procedures.