Green group’s inspection of 10 facilities in Western Galilee’s industrial zone finds record levels of pollution. Authorities says inspections performed according to law Alphi Shauli Published: 02.12.13, 07:25 / Israel Environment A new report by the “Citizens for the Environment” green group has found abnormally hazardous levels of contamination in the air and soil surrounding […]

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February 12, 2013 11:21 PM By Michael Casey DOHA, Qatar: A NASA study found that an amount of freshwater almost the size of the Dead Sea has been lost in parts of the Middle East due to poor management, increased demands for groundwater and the effects of a 2007 drought. The study, to be published […]

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Toxic material contamination in one of northern city’s middle school draws attention to conflicting directives given to schools on hazardous materials’ storage; safety guidelines Amir Ben David Published: 02.10.13, 07:30 / Israel Environment The Education Ministry has formed a special taskforce to investigate the mercury contamination in a Nazareth middle school, last week. The school […]

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YNET Environmental Protection Ministry imposes highly unusual and hefty fine on military for failing to remove hazardous material from southern base Yoav Zitun Published: 02.13.13 The Environmental Protection Ministry intends to impose a NIS 3.8 million (about $1 million) fine on the IDF over its failure to remove asbestos boards found near Nathan Base, which […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/14/2013 Mayor Bibas pledges to preserve possible ancient site ahead of a decisive district housing committee meeting on Monday. A group of Modi’in residents have banded together to protest a prospective housing project on their botanical oasis of Titora Hill, ahead of a decisive district housing committee meeting on Monday. The residents […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/11/2013 Adam Teva head: Government continues to act against Environmental Protection Ministry. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan for leading a green revolution, environmental experts slammed the government for acting against so many of the ministry’s policies. “If you look back at the data from 2009 and […]

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February 11, 2013 By Carole Nakhle There is a lot of excitement in Lebanon about the country’s oil and gas potential. Seismic surveys carried out since the 1990s have indicated the likely presence of offshore hydrocarbon accumulations. Gas discoveries in neighboring countries further strengthen the case. With the appointment of the board of the Petroleum […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Feb 07, 2013 | 22:24 AMMAN — Climate change will affect the Kingdom’s biodiversity and ecosystems as the region is witnessing less precipitation due to droughts, according to a microbiologist. Detailed knowledge of how climate change affects biodiversity is still very limited, but recent studies have identified a number of areas […]

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by Muath Freij | Feb 07, 2013 IRBID — Every day, Nour Obeidat’s family members have fresh vegetables and fruit on their table — the product of their very own roof garden, cultivated with enthusiasm and irrigated by stored rainwater. “I have my own greenhouse on the roof of my home. My children are very […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 02/08/2013 Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel calls protection of the country’s dwindling salt marshes. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has called for the country’s policymakers to save the special habitats that make up the country’s dwindling salt marshes, in a newly released 30-page report titled […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/08/2013 Railway will be destructive to nature and landscapes that have thrived since the biblical era, says Parks Authority. The government’s planned route for the Eilat railway will be destructive to nature and landscapes that have thrived since the biblical era, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced on Thursday. Ecological reports […]

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Study warns of long-term environmental ramifications of small communities in the Negev desert. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb.07, 2013 Are single-family ranches harming biological diversity in the Negev? According to a new study, they may well be doing so in the long run. In recent years, having been approved by a special zoning plan, single-family […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/07/2013 In Tel Aviv’s Tel Baruch neighborhood, local activists say they hope to save the rare landscape from commercial projects. By staging an amateur photography competition in northwest Tel Aviv’s Tel Baruch neighborhood, local activists say they hope to save the rare flora and fauna there from commercial building projects. Residents have […]

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Ministry joins chorus of critics who back an alternate proposal by Israel Nature and Parks Authority to declare the area a nature reserve. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb.07, 2013 The Defense Ministry has come out against a controversial resort planned at Palmahim Beach, joining the chorus of critics who back an alternate proposal by the […]

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Internal dispute between Environmental Protection Ministry, Industry Ministry over NIS 30 million project hinders selection of contractor for long-awaited move Amir Ben-David Published: 02.07.13 The much awaited construction project of an alternative location for the ammonia depository currently held in the Haifa Bay industrial zone in tangled in government bureaucracy, Yedioth Ahronot has learned. The […]

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RAMALLAH, February 4, 2013 (WAFA) – The Japanese development agency, JICA, and the Ministry of Local Government signed Monday a $10 million agreement on developing solid waste treatment plants in the West Bank, according to a Local Government statement. The three-part agreement calls for purchasing special tools to operate solid waste plants, expanding the Jericho […]

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7 Changing the facts will change the figures (editorial by Najib Saab) 16 Population, consumption and sustainability options in the Arab region astonishing figures in the Gulf countries (cover story) 24 Doha climate gate: could it clear the road to a binding agreement in Poland? 30 The role of Arab business in the transition to […]

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Farmers from the Palestinian village of Wadi Foquin asked the staff of the field school in the West Bank settlement of Kfar Etzion for their help in stopping the sewage flow from Betar Ilit. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb.05, 2013 The Environmental Protection Ministry has instructed the Betar Ilit municipality in the West Bank to […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/01/2013 Medical farming, sheep and goats on the way. In the arid plains of the northeast Negev Desert, the Beduin village of Hura is one step closer to becoming home to a blossoming eco-village rife with flora and fauna, as well as renewable energy. All those involved with the Wadi Attir Project […]

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After seven years, Water Authority lifts Israel’s ‘severe drought’ advisory; says growing desalination industry has brought water market back from the brink Amir Ben David Published: 02.04.13 After seven dry years that sent Israel into somewhat of a water austerity regiment the Water Authority announced last week that it was lifting the “severe drought” advisory […]

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