by Mohammad Ghazal | Feb 14,2012 | 23:09 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation will select a consortium to serve as the master developer of the Jordan Red Sea Project (JRSP) in April, a ministry official said Monday. The ministry has so far received technical and financial offers from two consortia and will […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/14/2012 03:57 Agriculture Ministry’s Fisheries Department confiscates a smuggled shipment of illegal predator fish. SPOTTED GAR predator fish By Hagai Neuberger Inspectors from the Agriculture Ministry’s Fisheries Department confiscated a smuggled shipment of illegal predator fish on Sunday in a delivery that was supposed to contain ornamental fish, the ministry reported. Inspectors […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Shark fishing is illegal in Israel since 42 percent of the 70 shark species in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of extinction. By Zafrir Rinat In the past three weeks, Israel Nature and Parks Authority personnel have netted three men who illegally caught sharks off Israel’s shores. In most cases the shark meat is […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Scientists believe comparing data measured on land with those from space will enable more effective monitoring of algae concentrations and the pollution they cause. By Eli Ashkenazi Scientists have been studying the possibility of monitoring the algae in the Kinneret from space, in a bid to map the water quality in the lake more effectively. […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 31,2012 | 22:53 AMMAN — Pumping stations across the country will be revamped starting this year under a Jordanian-German project designed to reduce energy consumption by 25 per cent, officials said on Monday. The project seeks to improve energy efficiency at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation’s stations and wells, […]

Read the rest of this entry »

JERUSALEM, February 9, 2012 (WAFA) – Head of the Palestinian Water Authority Shaddad Attili and French Minister Henri de Raincourt Thursday discussed ways of cooperation between the two countries and preparations for the water forum. Spokesman of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bernard Valero said, in a statement issued by the Consulate General of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Show’s anchors set out to investigate the mineral water industry in Israel and found that the big mineral water bottling companies bottle water pumped from wells dug by the water utility Mekorot, not only spring water. By Adaya Fiterman Some mineral water bottles contain regular water from the Mekorot water utility’s drills, as opposed to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Says move will allow him to continue his activities for social justice and the protection of nature. By Zafrir Rinat Former MK and Agriculture Minister Haim Oron has been chosen to head the executive committee of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and over the weekend held meetings with his colleagues at […]

Read the rest of this entry »

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Palestine has been accepted as a full member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Palestine Wildlife Society said on Sunday. Executive Director Imad al-Atrash said the Bethlehem-based group was notified of Palestine’s entry to the global body, founded in 1948 as the world’s first international environmental organization. Since […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Mohamed El-Ashry Dr. Mohamed El-Ashry is vice-chairman of AFED board of trustees and former CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) The conventional wisdom that “markets know best” has been undermined by reality, and skepticism is growing about continuing a business-as-usual strategy where GDP growth is the overwhelming priority. Economic growth in the 20th […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By: Andrew Stee Keynote speech delivered by Dr. Andrew Steer, Special Envoy of the World Bank on Climate Change, at the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the Arab Forum of Environment and Development (AFED), on 27 October 2011 in Beirut It is a great joy for me to be here. It is hard […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By: José Maria Figueres Keynote speech delivered by José Maria Figueres, former president of Costa Rica and Chairman of the Carbon War Room, at the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the Arab Forum of Environment and Development (AFED), on 27 October 2011 in Beirut. Amigos y amigas buenos dias. Thank you all for […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish Director-General, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Member, AFED Board of Trustees Energy poverty is at the heart of OPEC Fund for International Development’s mission. Today, all OFID financial windows contribute to the alleviation of energy poverty. Indeed, OFID has developed a wide spectrum of financial tools ranging from grants to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Study examines the quality of water Mekorot supplies, only 0.07 percent of the samples were found to contain disease-causing bacteria and parasites. By Zafrir Rinat and Adi Dovrat Meseritz Less than half a percent of drinking water supplied by the Mekorot water company exceeded allowable pollution limits in 2010, according to a report released on […]

Read the rest of this entry »

February 09, 2012 02:55 AM The Daily Star Press Conference For Minister Gebran Basil Monday, January 23, 2012. (DalatiNohra/ The Daily Star) Press Conference For Minister Gebran Basil Monday, January 23, 2012. (DalatiNohra/ The Daily Star) BEIRUT: The Lebanese government signed Wednesday a $200 million World Bank loan to finance a $370 million project aiming […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmental activists say the city is doing little when it comes to protecting its arboreal treasures. By Zafrir Rinat The Tel Aviv Municipality is marking Tu Bishvat, celebrated on Wednesday, with the publication of a book describing 29 trees in the city which are outstanding due to their size or age. However, environmental activists say […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Viney The mismanagement of medical waste has been a problem in Egypt over the past two decades, and despite periodic efforts on behalf of the government and private bodies, it remains largely unresolved, says Ezzat Naiem, founder and director of the Spirit of Youth for Environmental Services NGO. Medical waste consists of products that […]

Read the rest of this entry »

A dump site on prime real estate in Yavneh is getting bigger and uglier as bickering officials block each other’s plans to remove it. By Zafrir Rinat A plan to construct a residential neighborhood in Yavneh on what is now a large dump site for building waste has been delayed as a result of disagreements […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmental Protection Ministry warns of extreme levels of pollution; dust is expected to remain in the area until Wednesday. By Zohar Blumenkrantz Two Israeli airports were shut down Tuesday due to extreme weather conditions across the country. Both Tel Aviv’s Sde Dov Airport as well as the Eilat Airport were shut down after Israel’s Environmental […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By REUTERS 02/04/2012 08:42 Reuters ABU DHABI/DUBAI – Talk of a Middle Eastern green energy boom is likely to prove no more than a mirage with little hope of the region saving clean technology companies from the shrinking project pools of Europe. Instead India, China and Latin America offer some hope for green energy companies […]

Read the rest of this entry »