The first meeting of the Gouv’Airnance project (Governance of air quality in Mediterranean cities), funded under the Cross Border Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CBCMed) programme, took place in Tripoli, Lebanon on 17, 18 and 19 April 2012. The event kicked off a series of concrete exchanges of information as to the current state of both […]

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AFED is jointly organizing, together with the League of Arab States and ESCWA, a round table at the Rio+20 conference on the subject of Food Security. The event is scheduled on 19 June, 15:30 – 17:00 pm, in room P3-F at the conference venue RioCentro . AFED’s Secretary General Najib Saab will present the latest […]

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Palestinian Authority said to be vying for recognition by United Nations’ environmental body; will motion for ‘observer state’ status during June’s Rio+20 meet Ynetnews Published: 05.29.12 The United Nations’ environmental summit in Rio in mid June will undoubtedly discuss various urgent issues, such as global warming, carbon emissions and the growing need to find viable […]

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resolution by Hana Namrouqa | May 30,2012 | 23:23 AMMAN — The Hima global initiative was launched on Wednesday to promote sustainable livelihoods, resource conservation and environmental protection for human well-being. Hima, which stands for Human Integrated Management Approach and also means “protected area” in Arabic, is a community-based natural resources management system that seeks […]

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The Sixth Jordanian Environmental Conference Organized by Jordanian Geologists Association In Cooperation with German Jordanian University Al-Hussein Cultural Center, Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) Amman-Jordan 5-6 June, 2012 Jordanian Geologists Association in Cooperation with German Jordanian University is pleased to announce that the 6th Jordanian Environmental Conference will be held from Tuesday June 5th to Wednesday […]

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1. Deputies vote to suspend nuclear project by Raed Omari | May 30,2012 | 23:32 AMMAN — Deputies on Wednesday approved a recommendation by a parliamentary committee to suspend Jordan’s projected nuclear programme, invoking hazardous consequences of the energy generating project. During a Lower House session, 36 out of the 63 MPs present voted in […]

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By Ramzi Sansur According to many sources, environmental security is defined as “the relation between the environment and the security of humans and nature.” This sounds a little abstract to many people but on close analysis, we find a number of issues that address this vague definition of environmental security. One of the more import […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/30/2012 23:38 ‘What really drives the seed of innovation is the mentality of constantly being unsatisfied,’ says Chinese student at TAU. Israeli clean-tech and agricultural firms should prioritize partnerships with colleagues in Asian nations, where their innovative expertise can be exported to a wider market, several Asian graduate students pursuing degrees in […]

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Fourteen companies featured in Agritech 2012’s side event raise vast interest for foreign investors Ynetnews Published: 05.31.12 The forecast of food and water scarcity was the focus of Agritech 2012, a summit gathering for Agro-technology companies and investors, held in mid May. According to projections, the world’s population is expected to grow from seven billion […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/30/2012 02:48 Environmentalists slamm Public Utility Authority’sdecision to slash solar equity returns from 14% to 7%. Although pleased with the recent government decision to increase the quota of solar rooftop panels for the coming summer, environmentalists slammed the Public Utility Authority’s Monday night decision to slash solar equity returns from 14 percent […]

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GAZA, May 28, 2012 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Contractors Union Monday called on its members not to participate in any tender by UNICEF for projects in the Gaza Strip if Israeli companies are allowed to take part in them, according to a statement issued following a meeting between the union and UNICEF representative to the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/29/2012 High Court officially dismisses petition from green groups against gov’t decision about Dead Sea royalty requirements. The High Court has officially dismissed a petition from green groups against a January government decision about Dead Sea royalty requirements, Israel Chemicals announced on Monday. After a long-time standoff between the Finance Ministry and […]

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May 28, 2012 12:40 AM By Van Meguerditchian BEIRUT: Known for its stunning beaches, the Batroun town of Shekka has a less pristine past that might still be killing its residents. Until 2000, Shekka housed the Eternit Company, the country’s biggest importer of the carcinogen asbestos. In 1998, Lebanon banned imports of most types of […]

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Botanic garden to open next year in Tal Al Rumman by Hana Namrouqa | May 26,2012 TAL AL RUMMAN — The Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) is compiling a list of Jordan’s threatened plant species, which will be published in January 2014. The “Jordan Plant Red List” is meant to conserve the Kingdom’s rich plant heritage, […]

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When Israeli economists contemplate their country’s untapped natural gas finds far out in the Mediterranean, they dream of energy independence and lucrative export deals. Those charged with Israel’s defense, however, worry that the navy — small and long a middling priority in budgets — may be hard put to protect the multinational drilling platforms and […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | May 28,2012 AMMAN — The government and individuals share responsibility for protecting Jordan’s limited water resources by rationing water consumption, experts and officials in the water sector said on Monday. Empowering local communities to address the Kingdom’s water shortage is vital, they said, highlighting that implementing large-scale water projects will not […]

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May 25, 2012 01:27 AM (Last updated: May 25, 2012 09:35 AM) By Stephen Dockery BEIRUT: The country’s air pollution is making our lives shorter, according to findings presented by an environmental research team at the American University of Beirut Thursday. The startling research shows levels of dangerous particles along the country’s roadways are twice […]

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Strong odors emanating from nearby waste separation facility prompt closure By Asher Zeiger May 24, 2012 The pedestrian and commercial crossing at Meitar, south of Hebron, has been closed until further notice. Authorities cited a severe health hazard caused by an sewage treatment facility near the crossing, Ynet news reported on Thursday. Strong odors pervaded […]

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RAMALLAH, May 24, 2012 (WAFA) – The EU Thursday provided equipment worth €7.6 million for the collection and transfer of solid waste to eight Joint Service Councils (JSC) across the West Bank, according to an EU press release. The hand-over ceremony was organized in Ramallah in the presence of the EU representative, John Gatt-Rutter, and […]

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Under new law, local authorities will be responsible for collecting and removing construction-related garbage to proper dump sites. By Zafrir Rinat | May.25, 2012 The Knesset will in the coming weeks complete legislation of a bill banning the dumping of construction waste in open spaces. Such dumping is considered the most widespread form of environmental […]

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