Israel’s investments in transportation reflect a preference for private over public transportation. By Zafrir Rinat The Environmental Protection Ministry and the central bank have put together an index to help measure economic growth, taking the spotlight off gross domestic product, which does not factor in environmental damage. According to the index, Israel is behind in […]

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The EU-funded projects Energy Efficiency in the Construction Sector in the Mediterranean (MED-ENEC) and the Euro Mediterranean Energy Market Integration (MED-EMIP) are co-organising the Arab Forum on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency on the theme “Building Financing Partnerships”, to be held in Cairo on 23 and 24 April. The Arab Forum on Renewable Energy and […]

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by Taylor Luck | Mar 08,2012 | 00:11 Flames rise from a gas pipeline explosion in Al Arish, Egypt on Monday. Militants again blew up the pipeline in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to Jordan and Israel. The attack on the pipeline was the 13th since the popular uprising that ousted Egyptian leader Hosni […]

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The company hopes to receive $70 million to $80 million for its share in the Gaza coast field, Bloomberg stated. It intends to sell $5 billion in assets over the next two years. By Avi Bar-Eli BG intends to sell its 90% holding in the Gaza Marine natural gas field because Israel won’t let it […]

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by Laila Azzeh | Mar 07,2012 | 23:51 AMMAN — Jordan is on the right track in linking population issues with development when enacting population policies and following up on national progress towards taking advantage of the demographic opportunity, experts said on Wednesday. However, the Kingdom’s development process “suffers from a lack of coordination and […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Mar 10,2012 | 23:34 AMMAN — Work on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Programme is expected to be completed in May, according to the World Bank. Key draft studies will be subject to broad public consultation before any decisions are made about the feasibility of the Red-Dead project, the […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Mar 08,2012 | 22:35 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is evaluating the technical and financial offers of two consortia competing to serve as the master developer of the Jordan Red Sea Project (JRSP), a ministry official said Thursday. A technical committee received the technical and financial offers from […]

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Education minister honors pair for lifetime achievement. By Yair Ettinger and Zafrir Rinat Rabbi Haim Druckman, a leading religious-Zionist rabbi who until last month headed the Conversion Authority, and Azaria Alon, one of Israel’s earliest environmental activists, are the winners of this year’s Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced yesterday. …. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/06/2012 03:12 Appeal argues the project would cause irreversible damage to the area at the expense of future generations. Timna Valley’s Sasgon Valley By Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel The Environmental Protection Ministry, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and Mayor Yehiel Zohar of Netivot submitted […]

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By BEN HARTMAN 03/09/2012 04:10 Demonstration targets business ‘supervillains’ at Azrieli Mall in central Tel Aviv. demonstrators protest against consumerist culture By Ben Hartman Is it a man, a plane, or a once-nationwide protest movement marking Purim with a bit of street theater? If you answered the third, you may be right. A few dozen […]

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March 06, 2012 01:46 AM By Georges Pierre Sassine The Daily Star Lebanese are thrilled about the prospect of tapping their recently discovered offshore oil and gas reserves. However, examples from other countries show this could easily turn into a curse. Economists have a name for this negative phenomenon, namely the “resource curse.” Countries with […]

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Decision makers and the public need pertinent scientific input in order to balance planned development with environmental concerns. By Zafrir Rinat It is hard to exaggerate the importance of scientific research on environmental problems such as climate change, water shortages and the development of clean energy. That is why many international environmental organizations are concerned […]

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Lawyers for the Palestinian land owners are demanding that the committee reject solution proposed by IDF planning and building subcommittee. By Zafrir Rinat A decision is expected in the coming weeks on the legalization of a sewage-treatment plant built on private, Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank. The plant belongs to the settlement of Ofra. […]

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Wednesday, 07 March 2012 12:28 Sergio Yahni Sergio Yahni (AIC) The local Salfit government and Al Quds Open University organized on March 6 a conference on the impact of environmental hazards created by settlements on the governorate. Speaking at the conference, the head of Salfit’s ministry of health office, Jamil Daraghma, said the situation had […]

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“Ecoweek” is an association for the promotion of green design and architecture. This year, the annual convention took place at the Technological Institute in the city of Holon, in the center of Israel. Designers from Europe, North America and the Middle East have come together with the purpose of designing affordable housing in a sustainable […]

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by Khaled Neimat | Mar 08,2012 | 00:02 AMMAN — The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is the best option for the capital to resolve its growing public transportation dilemma, but the project needs public support to win the “political” battle against it, according to local engineers. In a seminar held on Tuesday to discuss the […]

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Substance in Beirut River nontoxic: Greenpeace March 07, 2012 01:40 AM BEIRUT: Greenpeace Lebanon said Tuesday that materials dumped in the Beirut River last month – turning the water red – were likely nontoxic, echoing the government’s findings on the case. Greenpeace said it had dispatched two of its activists to the river on Feb. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/07/2012 23:39 Delay despite pressure; exposure to chemical could cause skin burns and sudden death, activists say. Boy watches as mom is fitted for a gas mask By Jim Hollander / Reuters Environmental activists launched a “Haifa Gulf War” on Wednesday morning outside the city’s municipal court, where a judge was leading […]

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March 06, 2012 02:09 AM By Rakan al-Fakih The Daily Star QAROUN, Lebanon: The heavy snow and rain over the past week is bringing smiles to farmers in the south and east of the country, since there is more water to irrigate fields and fuel hydroelectric plants. But more rainfall for Lebanon’s biggest lake is […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/07/2012 23:42 Energy and Water Minister sign 23 new licenses for 62 megawatts worth of solar production facilities. Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau sent a request to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Eli Yishai, asking that they declare the future photovoltaic power plant for Gaza evacuee communities a national […]

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