By MATTHEW KALMAN Kibbutz Ketura, Israel Deep in a desert in southern Israel, more than a hundred miles from the nearest city, a tiny academic flower is growing. The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is a small place with big ambitions: to help end the conflict between Israelis and Arabs by training a new generation […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By AFP Darkush / Syria Beset by a freezing winter and stifling fuel and electricity shortages, Syrian civilians desperate to stay warm in a northern forest have no choice but to cut down trees for firewood. Once a tourist destination for Syrians and other Arabs across the Middle East, the formerly pristine national park to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Study, conducted by Italian and American researchers, warns land grabbing could cause environmental, economic damage. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan.29, 2013 Wealthy countries, and private companies from those countries, have been increasingly buying up land in poor areas for their own economic purposes, a new study says. And Israel turns out to be one of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Jewish National Fund said over 600,000 new trees planted over holiday weekend; expects week-long events to see a million more new saplings Ynetnews Published: 01.27.13 The Jewish National Fund reported that a new record has been set this Tu Bishvat, as over 600,000 new trees were planted over the holiday weekend. According to JNF World […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Two employees of Paz Refineries in Ashdod exposed to toxic fumes while fixing hazardous material pipe sans protective gear Neri Brenner Published: 01.26.13 Michael Beliakov, 35, and Moshe Tal, 38, both employees of Paz Refineries in Ashdod, died Saturday as a result of hydrogen sulfide poisoning. An initial investigation revealed that the two were exposed […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Mohammad Ghazal | Jan 31, 2013 AMMAN — The Jordan River Foundation (JRF) will hold a series of meetings with community-based organisations (CBO) in the country as part of a nationwide project to facilitate the installation of solar panels in households. “We will meet with all CBOs to inform them about the initiative and […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 30, 2013 AMMAN — The Dead Sea and its unique environment will witness continued deterioration if stakeholders of the Red-Dead project adopt a “no action alternative approach”, a recent study concluded. The World Bank-led study of alternatives, part of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Programme, warned of the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by SHARON UDASIN 01/30/2013 In 18 months, desalination will provide enough water for 80% of Israel’s urban drinking needs, experts say at CleanTech symposium. As the Israeli water management and treatment industries continue to grow, it is crucial to ensure that all facilities operate with maximum efficiency, to prevent the loss of valuable energy, experts […]

Read the rest of this entry »

IRBID — A team from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on Tuesday examined the possibility of carrying out a heating and cooling project using solar energy at the Irbid Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The environmental project is one of several that the GIZ is planning to implement in Jordan in cooperation with the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

January 31, 2013 12:41 AM By Osama Habib BEIRUT: As Lebanon prepared to invite oil companies to pre-qualify for bidding on upcoming tenders, a 3-D survey showed that gas reserves off its southern coast may be larger than previously thought, a senior executive at energy company Spectrum said Wednesday. “We have re-assessed the data we […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmental Protection Ministry slaps several top car importers with fines totaling NIS 1.5 million over lacking information given to consumers Ynetnews Published: 01.28.13 The Environmental Protection Ministry has slapped fines amounting to NIS 1.5 million (roughly $400,000) on several leading vehicle importers for publishing car advertisements that were either lacking or presenting inaccurate air pollution […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Israel’s main metropolitan area is way behind in public transportation compared to European cities, and traffic is expected to worsen significantly in the coming years. By Zafrir Rinat, Jan. 24, 2013 Among the environmental crises to confront Israel in the coming years, the transportation crisis might be the worst. At a recent conference held by […]

Read the rest of this entry »

In this guest-article, Dr. Christopher S. Clarke of the Osprey Foundation describes the Foundation’s work in Palestine and Israel to address the most pressing environmental needs of communities impacted by growing inequality and access to resources, and how such an ecological approach might be a means of overcoming despair. Source: National Geographic News Watch: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/19/ecological-healing-in-the-holyland/ […]

Read the rest of this entry »

The UfM-labelled project “Jordanian National Railway Project as Part of a Regional Railway Network”, will allow for the integration of the Jordanian railway system with the regional network. Source: Union for the Mediterranean Easy and safe mobility of flow of goods and people on land and sea is essential for maintaining peaceful relations and enhancing […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Between Ruin and Restoration: An Environmental History of Israel Edited by Daniel E. Orenstein, Alon Tal, & Char Miller, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013 http://www.upress.pitt.edu/BookDetails.aspx?bookId=36317 The environmental history of Israel is as intriguing and complex as the nation itself. Situated on a mere 8,630 square miles, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, varying […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Poll by Society for Protection of Nature in Israel finds that majority of Israelis want new government to promote an environmental agenda Billie Frenkel Published: 01.22.13 A new survey by the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel found that an overwhelming majority of the public would like to see the new government promote an […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 01/20/2013 Labor, Tzipi Livni Party, Meretz slam PM for privatizing public land; 75% of Israelis say environmental issues essential to quality of life. As the country’s leading parties spar over two-state solutions and who must serve in the army, one issue that nearly all have declared crucial to the state’s survival is […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmental Protection Ministry commits to following UN protocol on air pollution; pledges to grant public access to transparent emissions data 01.25.13 Israel has joined the UN’s Kiev Protocol on air pollution, the Environmental Protection Ministry said. The Kiev Protocol, also known as the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR), was introduced and enacted […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmental Protection Ministry issues several bids with aim of turning neglected bodies of water into prized natural resource 01.23.13 The Environmental Protection Ministry has issued several bids for the rehabilitation of polluted rivers and streams across Israel, Ynet has learned. The ministry said that is has been able to secure NIS 8 million (roughly $2.14 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Developers say they have lost NIS 100 million because they have been unable to start building a planned vacation village on the shore, after objections by environmentalists led to the government shelving the project. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan.20, 2013 The Planning and Building Law does not assure that an area with approved plans is […]

Read the rest of this entry »