Environment and Climate in the Middle East

news, conferences, policy discussions and academic publications on environmental issues and climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean

Environment and Climate in the Middle East

Archives for March, 2014

Foul sewage flooding raises Palestinian ire – Al Jazeera

Egypt’s military has begun pumping wastewater into Gaza’s tunnels with deadly effect in order to wipe out smuggling. Mohammed Omer Last Modified: 09 Mar 2013 09:47 Gaza Strip – Gazans are crying foul after Egypt stepped up its campaign to wipe out an underground network of transportation tunnels by blasting raw sewage down them, sometimes […]

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Environmental Peacemaking – FOEME March 2014

WEDO / Friends of the Earth Middle East finalize Baseline Report for the Regional NGO Master Plan for the Lower Jordan River Valley Submitted to WEDO / FoEME by Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV) in partnership with CORE Associates (Palestine), MASAR (Jordan) and DHVMED (Israel), the now completed Baseline Report describes the current situation in the Lower […]

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Soil, groundwater contamination persists at military sites, charges state comptroller – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 03/12/2014 Air force base in Lod and Rafael defense institute near Acre cited for inaction by report. Citing issues of possible land and groundwater contamination, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira criticized the inaction of various government bodies at a former air force base in Lod and on the grounds of Rafael Advanced Defense […]

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Planners limit high-rise construction in Israel’s south – Haaretz

Environmentalists win dispute over two 44-story buildings planned for Ahdod. By Zafrir Rinat | Mar. 9, 2014 High-rise residential towers will not be allowed to be built in every urban residential neighborhood, according to a decision last month by the southern district Regional Planning and Building Committee. The committee made the decision after accepting objections […]

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KKL, Council for Green Building launch sustainable design competition – Jerusalem Post

by SHARON UDASIN 03/11/2014 Israel’s first internal green building competition launches in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, in collaboration with the Israeli Council for Green Building, launched the country’s first internal green building competition in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. The object of the competition is to increase awareness about green building […]

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Rainfall facts and figures – Daily Star

March 13, 2014 BEIRUT: The Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute sent text messages via mobile phones to farmers Wednesday informing them that the country had seen 20 millimeters of rainfall over the last three days, bringing the total this year to 181 millimeters. Last year between Jan. 1 and mid-March, Lebanon had already had 650 millimeters […]

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Bank of Israel: Green car taxes have positively influenced consumer purchase behaviors – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 03/11/2014 Reforms in tax rates according to vehicle pollution rankings have prompted consumers to purchase more environmentally-friendly cars. Charging higher tax on cars that pollute more has prompted consumers to buy greener cars, the Bank of Israel says. Environmental reforms in tax rates on vehicle purchases have revealed that “economic incentives have […]

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Taking aim at Lebanon’s water shortage – Daily Star

March 03, 2014 By Elias Sakr BEIRUT: The nearly rainless months of January and February have hit Lebanese farmers hard, and if the drought persists, experts warn it could further dry up groundwater wells and reservoirs increasing the water deficit for both household and agricultural use. While the government has done little except to warn […]

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One of Israel’s driest winters ever – Haaretz

Despite a major storm in mid-December, the amount of rainfall and the number of rainy days since have been unprecedentedly low. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 28, 2014 This winter is one of the driest Israel has known since meteorologists first began measuring local rainfall, the Israel Meteorological Service announced on Thursday, a day before […]

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‘Turkish-Cypriot conflict ultimate obstacle to Eastern Mediterranean energy development’ – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 02/27/2014 EU expert: Natural gas potentials of Cyprus, Israel could strengthen ties with neighboring countries by forging partnerships. The question of Cypriot sovereignty presents an obstacle that inhibits energy advancements in the entire Eastern Mediterranean region, a Greek-German expert on European Union integration and enlargement issues said Wednesday. Dr. Angelos Giannakopoulos, an […]

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Black day for green movement as leader dies – Haaretz

Amit Shapira, one of Israel’s most prominent planners, died in a critical moment for the industry. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 27, 2014 Friday will mark the end of the 30-day mourning period for Amit Shapira, a long-time senior official at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and later one of the […]

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Long-eared owls stage comeback in man-made Israeli forests – Haaretz

JNF staff find that the owls, which had become rare, are proliferating. By Zafrir Rinat | Mar. 3, 2014 A group of long-eared owls has established itself in part of the forest in recent months, say Jewish National Fund wardens in the Mishmar Ha’emek Forest area. The owls are among several species of birds that […]

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In nod to region’s unique landscape, minister pauses building at Ramon crater – Haaretz

In suspending planned neighborhood, Uri Ariel cites desire to prevent damage to ‘unique landscape’ of the Negev. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 27, 2014 | Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel this week suspended a plan to build a residential neighborhood on the edge of the Makhtesh Ramon crater, because it would damage the region’s […]

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Activists propose alternative to Fouad Boutros highway – Daily Star

March 03, 2014 By Venetia Rainey BEIRUT: Activists and residents are calling for the funding planned for the Fouad Boutros Highway in Ashrafieh to be spent instead on improving urban planning and public transport, after protests against the controversial project over the weekend drew hundreds. More than 2,300 people have signed an online petition against […]

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Controversial landfill promises to become model of waste management – The Daily Star

March 01, 2014 M By Dana Khraiche AIN IBL, Lebanon: A landfill in a south Lebanon village where illegal practices have forced residents to rally in protest is promising to become a model for environmentally friendly waste management, thanks to an invention developed by a Lebanese professor. The controversial landfill acquired a device called the […]

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New York follows Tel Aviv’s lead, turns mountain of trash into eco-park – Haaretz

New York, which is rehabilitating a mountain of trash just like Israel is doing, has signed a cooperation deal with the Ariel Sharon Park. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 20, 2014 About 10 years ago, another reporter and I were invited to the offices of Hazera, where company executives and consultants told us there was […]

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E-Waste: Jordan and Israel – Jordan Times / Jerusalem Post

Planned campaign to raise awareness on electronic waste disposal – Jordan Times by Hana Namrouqa | Feb 27, 2014 AMMAN — The Ministry of Environment will launch a campaign within a week to raise public awareness on ways of handling electronic waste, according to officials. The campaign seeks to guide people on how to dispose […]

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