Plan ahead to protect the environment

Lebanon’s progress to cultivate wealth from its offshore oil and gas resources has left us with more questions than answers. While the country will not extract any resources for at least five years, the agreements being negotiated in the next 12 months will determine whether Lebanon gets a good deal or not. Over the course of five days, seven leading thinkers will discuss different aspects of the resources — from avoiding environmental destruction to how to spend the new wealth — each with the aim of helping provoke awareness about what is going on in this crucial period. For our fourth segment, Ricardo Khoury argues early planning can protect Lebanon from environment catastophe.  See also: Lebanon's Petroleum Administration makes a positive start Avoiding a regional war over hydrocarbons   The launching of the prequalification process for Lebanon’s first oil and gas licensing round is a significant step towards the development of