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, 2015

Conference: Great Lakes, Middle East leaders gather for water summit

by Brian Flood, NewsWire. Source: http://www.newswise.com/articles/great-lakes-middle-east-leaders-to-gather-for-water-summit Government officials, organization leaders and environmental experts from the U.S., Canada and the Middle East will convene April 23-24 for a University of Illinois at Chicago summit addressing water issues in the Great Lakes and Jordan River Valley. “Water After Borders: Global Stakes, Local Politics,” at UIC’s Student Center […]

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Israel’s fountain of youth

An entrepreneurial shift among Israeli youth is helping to create a green oasis in a country worried about dependence on oil. by Naomi Buck, March 23, 2015. Source: Corporate Knights: The magazine for clean capitalism   EILAT, ISRAEL – Sagi Giat and Michael Harel are sitting on poolside chaise longues, gushing about the low-friction motor […]

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Record Earth Hour set to unite the world on climate change – WWF

(press release) 26 March 2015, SINGAPORE- On Saturday, 28 March 8:30 p.m. local time, individuals, businesses, cities and landmarks around the world will switch off their lights for one hour to focus attention on climate change. As the lights go out, Earth Hour supporters will also be contributing real climate solutions to combat the globe’s […]

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Report: Israeli control over water a continuing threat to Palestinians – Maan

3/03/2015 12:03 BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinians are suffering from unfair distribution of water resources as Israel is consuming the vast majority of Palestinian water, Palestinian officials said Sunday. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) made the comments in a statement released in honor of World Water Day that […]

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ICRC: Israel offensive has left Gaza water unsafe for drinking – Maan

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Israel’s offensive on Gaza last summer caused lasting and extensive damage to water, sanitation, and energy infrastructure in Gaza, according to a recent report by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Damage caused to water supply systems by successive rounds of fighting have seriously reduced the territory’s water storage capacity, primarily […]

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Israel Orders Demolition of Water Tank near Hebron – WAFA

HEBRON, March 24, 2015 (WAFA) – The Israeli authorities Tuesday handed a local resident of Um Nir, south of Hebron, an order to demolish his water storage tank, according to local sources. Coordinator of the Anti-Settlement Committee in Hebron, Rateb Jabour, said an Israeli army force broke into the village and handed Mohammad Ali Jabour, […]

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Israeli wastewater policy continues to pay off – Haaretz

Israel produces 500 million cubic meters of wastewater every year, more than 90 percent of which reaches the various treatment plants. By Zafrir Rinat | Mar. 23, 2015 Israel continues to be a world leader in the successful exploitation of treated wastewater, and over the past decade it nearly doubled the area in which this […]

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Toxic waste scandal rekindles 20-year-old memories – Daily Star

Mar. 21, 2015 Mazin Sidahmed| The Daily Star BEIRUT: When Speaker Nabih Berri filed a lawsuit Thursday against merchants for importing toxic waste into Lebanon, he made a point of doing it both as a Lebanese citizen, as well as in his governmental role, judicial sources told The Daily Star. The Amal Movement leader did […]

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In rare case, Israeli environmental criminals imprisoned, fined $350,000 – Haaretz

Brothers sentenced for operating unauthorized waste disposal site. By Zafrir Rinat | Mar. 23, 2015 Imposing a prison sentence for environmental infractions is a rare event in Israel, but it happened recently. A District Court rejected an appeal by a person convicted of running an unauthorized waste disposal site, and the offenders were ordered to […]

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Meretz MK: Remove asbestos from demolished Tel Aviv neighborhood – Haaretz

Hazard left behind after evicted working-class homes were demolished to make way for upscale Tel Aviv housing. By Daniel Dolev | Mar. 26, 2015 MK Ilan Gilon (Meretz) called on the Environmental Protection Ministry Wednesday to remove the asbestos left after the demolition of buildings in Tel Aviv’s Givat Amal Bet neighborhood. Gilon’s letter to […]

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Recycling Lebanon’s tires instead of burning them – Daily Star

Mar. 03, 2015 Mohammed Zaatari| The Daily Star SIDON, Lebanon: Remember the rubber playground floors where countless childhood days were spent playing? Well, these tiles were manufactured from recycled tires, and one Sidon activist is making sure the production keeps going. Tires in Lebanon are infamous for another use: They are often burned by demonstrators […]

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Zahle cement factory to be relocated: Bishop – Daily Star

BEIRUT: A controversial cement factory that was set to be built in Zahle will be relocated to another area, Bishop Issam Darwish announced Wednesday. The planned cement factory, which has been met with widespread opposition for Zahle residents and officials over health and environmental concerns, will now be relocated after an agreement was reached with […]

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It’s tough to be green: Parties outline their platforms – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 03/06/2015 ‘The Jerusalem Post’ looks at how the major political parties perceive their physical environment. As Israelis prepare to head for the polls in just 11 days, The Jerusalem Post looks at how the major political parties perceive their physical environment – their thoughts on cleaning up the air we breathe, renewable […]

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Israel firm loses major gas deal with Palestinians – Al Arabiyah / WAFA

Al Arabiyah/ AFP, Jerusalem Thursday, 12 March 2015 An Israeli partner in the Leviathan offshore gas field said on Wednesday the Palestinians had cancelled a $1.2-billion supply contract, citing delays by Israel’s Antitrust Authority. Delek said it had informed the Tel Aviv stock exchange that a 20-year contract it had signed with the Palestine Power […]

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SPNI files High Court petition against Agriculture Ministry demanding fishing reforms – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 03/01/2015 “We must save the ecological system of the Mediterranean Sea from collapse – 100,000 protected animals die every year in the sea, as a result of uncontrolled fishing,” a statement from SPNI said. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel demanded that Agriculture Ministry officials take immediate actions to […]

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Norwegian firm seeks Israeli partnership in wastewater treatment, desalination barges – Jerusalem Post

by SHARON UDASIN 03/04/2015 EnviroNor operates floating treatment plants to offer a cheaper solution to purifying the globe’s water supply. A Norwegian company aiming to convert secondhand oil barges into floating desalination and wastewater treatment plants is recruiting Israeli expertise to furnish the water-processing technology necessary for the ships. According to Sigmund Larsen, the founder […]

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Akron, Ohio to partner with Israeli wastewater treatment firms – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 03/04/2015 For three years, the Advanced Waste Water Treatment Demonstration Project will bring cutting edge water technologies developed by Israeli academics. Aiming to further collaboration with Israel and solidify its position as a wastewater treatment hub, the city of Akron, Ohio, is partnering with a consortium of Israeli private and public industry […]

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National Residents lament environmental impact of planned central Israeli town – Haaretz

A 914-acre patch is considered extremely important because it abuts a forest and the Alexander Stream. By Zafrir Rinat | Mar. 11, 2015 The government is reviving plans for a new town near Kochav Ya’ir that would comprise thousands of homes, but local people say it would harm the environment, damage their rural way of […]

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Environmentalists object to gas by-product storage in Haifa – Haaretz

Activists fear increased air pollution if proposed condensate facility is built. By Zafrir Rinat | Mar. 5, 2015 The Energy and Water Resources Ministry is seeking to permit the storage of fuel by-products from natural gas production in a large storage facility due to be built in the Haifa Bay region. Environmentalists reject the plan […]

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Q&A: ‘We want to avoid an ecological disaster’ – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera spoke to the leader of the anti-fracking movement in Algeria’s Ain Salah. Djamila Ould Khettab | 11 Mar 2015 Ain Salah, Algeria – On February 28, the first violent clashes between the anti-shale gas protesters and police forces erupted in the Saharan city of Ain Salah, located about 1,200km south of Algiers. The […]

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