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 February, 2018

Iran makes further arrests of environmentalists – middle east eye

Three environmentalists have been detained in Iran, a conservative-linked news website reported late Friday, the latest in a series of arrests of wildlife campaigners in the Islamic republic. “Members of the Association for the Protection of Nature in Lavardin were arrested by a security agency. The allegations against them are unknown,” Tabnak reported. The environmentalists […]

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Iran: national land areas defenses reduced – ENN IRAN

TEHRAN — The controversial directive from the Supreme Council of Environment on revision of national protected areas will definitely leave such regions in an exposed position. Under the new directive, issued on February 21 during a session headed by President Hassan Rouhani, the protected areas which have caused difficulties (!) for different sectors will be […]

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Berri Says Israel Bid to Share Lebanon Gas ‘Categorically Rejected’ – Naharnet

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized Wednesday that Lebanon will not allow Israel to seize control of parts of its offshore oil and gas fields. “Lebanon’s stance is unified and coherent in terms of defending our sovereignty, oil resources and maritime and territorial borders,” Berri said during his weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting with lawmakers. “The Israeli […]

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Gas pipeline not only politically rejected, but also jeopardises agricultural land — landowners’ lawyer – Jordan Times

By Raed Omari – Feb 26,2018 AMMAN – “They do not want Israeli gas,” the lawyer of a northern region residents whose lands have been acquired by the government to build a pipeline to bring Israeli gas to Jordan, said on Monday. “I was assigned by several owners of the lands acquired by the government […]

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Sisi: Egypt govt not a party on gas deal with Israel – Al Arabiya

Wednesday, 21 February 2018 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that the Egyptian government is not a party to the recent gas agreement with Israel. Sisi said during his opening of a number of service centers for investors, on Wednesday, that the Egyptian government is not party to a private company’s deal to import quantities […]

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Egyptian, Israeli firms sign $15bn natural gas deal – Al Jazeera

February 18, 2018 Israel to export $15bn worth of natural gas to Egypt over 10-year period. Israeli company Delek Drilling has announced it will supply Egypt with $15bn worth of natural gas in the biggest export deal to date for Israel’s natural gas industry. Egyptian company Dolphinus will buy 64 billion cubic metres of natural […]

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Study: Israeli Water Desalination Advances Lends to Dramatic Boost for Farmers – Haaretz

The use of desalinated water for irrigation around the country has increased from 32 to 80 percent, says Israel’s Water Authority Zafrir Rinat Feb 26, 2018 The use of desalinated water has significantly improved the quality of effluent (treated wastewater), leading to a dramatic increase – from 32 percent to 80 percent – in the […]

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Energy Minister calls for banning diesel, gas-based cars in Israel by 2030 – Jerusalem Post

Such a move would put Israel on the map of eco-innovation. By Max Schindler February 27, 2018 Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz called on Monday for Israel to cease using fossils fuels by 2030 in powering vehicles and generating electricity, a move that could jump-start Israeli green technology. Addressing the Israel Energy and Environment Institute’s National […]

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Several bus-based projects under way to improve public transport – Jordan Times

By Renad Aljadid – Feb 21,2018 AMMAN — Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) on Tuesday organised a panel discussion titled “Towards an Equitable, Innovative, and Inclusive Public Transport”, as part of its second annual event “Transportation in Jordan: Are we serious about a solution?”, which seeks to address the problem of public transportation in Jordan through […]

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GAM plans to reduce reliance on private cars — Shawarbeh – Jordan Times

Feb 25,2018 AMMAN — One major objective of the capital’s public transportation strategy, currently under implementation, is to reduce reliance on private vehicles, Amman mayor said on Saturday. Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh said that the “comprehensive strategy” also seeks to address citizens’ declination to use public transportation through increasing the number of […]

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Disputed Gas Fields, Lebanon and Israel – Naharnet

Satterfield Meets Israeli Minister over Gas Row with Lebanon by Naharnet Newsdesk Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz met Sunday with a senior United States official seeking to defuse an escalating oil and gas dispute with Lebanon, his office said. A statement from his spokesman said Steinitz held talks with Acting Assistant Secretary of State David […]

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Could natural gas in the Mediterranean spark the Third Lebanese War? – Jerusalem Post

By ODED ERAN 02/18/2018 “Lebanon will not hesitate to avail itself of its inherent right to self-defence if an armed attack occurs against the economic activities carried out in its maritime areas.” Speaking about border issues between Israel and Lebanon at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) annual conference (January 31, 2018), Defense Minister […]

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Egypt Turkey to explore oil and gas in East Mediterranean, rejecting Egyptian-Cypriot agreement – Egypt Independent

Al-Masry Al-Youm February 6, 2018 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey intends to explore the East Mediterranean for oil and gas, in an interview with Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Cavusoglu considered the 2013 Egyptian-Cypriot agreement on utilization of natural sources in East Mediterranean’s economic zone to be invalid. He explained that his […]

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Family of Iran environmentalist demand post-mortem – Egypt Independent

AFP February 13, 2018 The family of an environmentalist who died in an Iranian prison have called for a post-mortem, their lawyer said Tuesday, rejecting claims by officials that they had accepted the explanation of suicide. “The family has put in a request for a post-mortem,” Arash Keikhosravi, lawyer for the family of Iranian-Canadian Kavous […]

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Cairo among 11 cities most likely to run out of drinking water due to pollution: BBC – Egypt Independent

February 12, 2018 Cairo is among 11 cities across the world that are most likely to run out of drinking water due to untreated agricultural and residential waste, according to a BBC report published on Sunday. Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), figures show that Egypt ranks high among lower middle-income countries in the number […]

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Environment Benban’s solar program wins Global Award for Multilateral Project Finance Deal of Year – Egypt Independent

Egypt’s solar power complex Benban, located near Aswan, set to become the largest solar park in the world, won on Wednesday the Thomson Reuters’ project Finance International Award for “Global Multilateral of the Year,” Zulficar & Partners, a law firm that advised the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) on the project agreements, said in a […]

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Government to tackle waste problems by imposing garbage collection fees – Egypt Independent

February 15, 2018 Egypt’s Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy said on Thursday that garbage collection fees, or ‘Service Fees, are to be imposed across Egypt’s governorates following new legislation approved by the cabinet seeking to increase recycling and make garbage disposal more sustainable. Fahmy’s statements came at a press conference held by the cabinet following a […]

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Israel Approves New Treatment Plan for Polluted Yarkon River – Haaretz

The Yarkon is the largest river in Israel that flows into the Mediterranean; a rehab plan designed by the Water Authority is set to save it from running out of natural water resources Zafrir Rinat Feb 18, 2018 A project to rehabilitate the Yarkon River is approaching its final stage, after the Israel Water Authority […]

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Widespread Water Treatment Hasn’t Lifted Threat to Natural Sources – Haaretz

A report by the Environmental Protection Ministry also warns that Israel’s coastal waters are being used for energy production and infrastructure, which could damage the ecology of the Sea of Galilee Zafrir Rinat Feb 13, 2018 Israel’s natural water sources remain under threat despite the increased use of desalinated water and purified sewage, a new […]

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Despite some improvement, Israel’s estuaries remain seriously polluted – Haaretz

Increased levels of pollution reported in the Poleg and Alexander rivers from sewage and agricultural fertilizer Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 9, 2018 | 2:06 AM The pollution in Israel’s rivers has been decreasing overall, but many coastal estuaries are polluted by flows of sewage and agricultural fertilizer, according to national monitoring reports of Israel’s coastal […]

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