19-09-2012 by the EU Working Book.   Twenty decision makers from more than a dozen Palestinian municipalities and central government recently took part in a three-day workshop in Ramallah on “Developing Sustainable Pro-poor Financing Strategies for Municipalities”, organised in the framework of the Horizon 2020 Capacity Building/ Mediterranean Environment Programme (H2020 CB/MEP). The course, also […]

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20-09-2012 by EU Neighborhood info centre The European Commission has approved new funding of €10 million to improve access to drinking water and sanitation for over 15 million people in Egypt. This comes as a first contribution from the €303 million European Water Initiative led by top European Financial Institutions to support Egypt’s water supply […]

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by Adam Lane, published on Sep 20, 2012 source: http://www.utilities-me.com/article-2113-saudi-water-sector-set-for-huge-near-term-growth/ New research by Frost & Sullivan has found that market earned revenues from Saudi Arabia’s water and wastewater sector were US $1.94 billion in 2011, and have forecast that this will grow to $3.66 billion by 2015. Saudi Arabia is currently considering substantial investments to meet […]

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Nature and Parks Authority reneges on prior consent, claiming ecological peril and political interests. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep.13, 2012 The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has reneged on its consent to construction of the separation fence near the Palestinian village of Battir, south of Jerusalem. It is the first time a government agency has […]

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The use of alternatives to petroleum and coal-based energy could save Israel from dependence on Arab oil, increasing air pollution and worries over finite energy sources. So why isn’t the government offering more support? By Neta Ahituv Sep.14, 2012 On the outskirts of Kibbutz Ma’aleh Gilboa stands one of the few wind turbines in Israel. […]

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editor’s note: There are presently no second or third party reports similar to this one. Al-Shabaka Policy Brief 21 August 2012 Victor Kattan * Economic Issues Overview A Freedom of Information request with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by Al-Shabaka has led to the release of new documents on Gaza’s gas fields, and […]

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by JT | Sep 16, 2012 | 23:12 AMMAN — The Kingdom’s oil bill rose by 34.1 per cent in July this year, reaching JD2.75 billion, compared with around JD2.047 billion at the end of the same period in 2011. The cost of imported oil derivatives accounted for 53 per cent of the Kingdom’s energy […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/14/2012 05:31 By enabling high-volume exports, gov’t would effectively be “granting private consortiums astronomical profits,” party says The Green Movement Party is calling upon government officials to reject the recommendations of the Zemach Commission to allow for export of over 50 percent of Israel’s natural gas. Such a decision would “cause unprecedented […]

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By Reuters Once the mainstay of the local economy, Palestinian agriculture in the rocky West Bank is in decline, with farmers struggling to protect both their livelihoods and their lands. Deprived of water, cut off from key markets and held back by hidebound traditions, farmers in Beit Ummar town can only look on with a […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Sep 16, 2012 | 22:51 AMMAN — Considered environmental and health hazards as well as eyesores, 300 abandoned vehicles scattered across the capital’s streets will soon be towed away as part of an ongoing effort to clean up the city, according to a Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) official. The cars, which […]

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New car purchase taxes put a dent in fuel-efficient small cars market Ynetnews Published: 09.16.12 The Treasury’s new tax reform introduced several articles that have to do with green taxes applied to the import and sales of cars, but some say they might deal a blow to the smaller cars market. The reform has set […]

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Environmental Protection Ministry to fund 26 new eco-friendly structures nationwide Billie Frenkel Published: 09.14.12, he Environmental Protection Ministry has approved a NIS 10 million (about $2.5 million) grant for 26 new buildings that are part of 19 green building projects, Ynet has learned. The grant, provided via a special government fund, was allocated as part […]

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by JT | Sep 16, 2012 AMMAN — The UNESCO Amman Office on Sunday launched a campaign in partnership with several supermarkets to combat the excessive use of plastic bags in the Kingdom. The aim of the campaign is to reduce the use of plastic bags by major supermarkets in Jordan and to empower consumers […]

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Community Based Problem Solving on Water Issues: CROSS-BORDER ״PRIORITY INITIATIVES ״ OF THE GOOD WATER NEIGHBORS PROJECT This publication describes the efforts of the Good Water Neighbors project team to identify environmental challenges and provide feasible solutions for “Priority Initiatives” in the participating communities. Project Briefs outline the current state of affairs with respect to […]

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Public Announcement August 30, 2012 Water and Environment Development Agency (WEDO)/ Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), together with consortium partners, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and Global Nature Fund (GNF) are pleased to announce the award for the development and publication of a NGO master plan for the Lower Jordan River Valley […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/13/2012 Plant in Be’er Tuviya will be able to provide electricity equivalent to the consumption needs of more than 6,000 homes. Local and national government officials in Be’er Tuviya on Monday evening inaugurated Israel’s largest biogas plant, which will produce usable electricity from dairy and chicken farm waste. In addition to providing […]

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Jordan’s king claims Israel put pressure on countries to disrupt cooperation with Amman AFP Published: 09.12.12 King Abdullah II on Wednesday accused Israel of disrupting Jordan’s nuclear program which is aimed at meeting its dire energy needs and powering water desalination plants, in an exclusive interview with AFP. “Strong opposition to Jordan’s nuclear energy program […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/13/2012 Environmental Protection Ministry granted NIS 10 million in support for green construction in public, private sectors. In an attempt to spread a green building trend across Israel, the Environmental Protection Ministry granted NIS 10 million worth of support for such construction in both the public and private sectors. The money has […]

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Environmental Protection Ministry releases ministries’ performance report for pilot program aiming to see government adopt eco-friendly operational practices Billie Frenkel Published: 09.11.12 The Green Government Project, recently ratified by the cabinet, has saved the government NIS 12.3 million ($3 million), a recent report by the Environmental Protection Ministry revealed. As part of the project’s pilot […]

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