Environment and Climate in the Middle East

news, conferences, policy discussions and academic publications on environmental issues and climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean

Environment and Climate in the Middle East

Archives for September, 2014

Wars for Heaven Destroy Earth – Environment and Development

Wars for Heaven Destroy Earth NAJIB SAAB 9/9/2014 Reports of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) have repeatedly warned that demand on resources and nature services by Arab countries is double what the region’s natural systems can provide. Key challenges include food security, water and energy. Arab countries today import more than half […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Looking back on 5774: A year of environmental triumph and tragedy [Haaretz]

In this holiday season of retrospection, we would do well to consider the wisdom of Israel’s mad race forward, where development and population growth are paramount social objectives. By Alon Tal     | Sep. 24, 2014 | Source: http://www.haaretz.com/life/nature-environment/.premium-1.617233 Tradition holds that our planet was fashioned on Rosh Hashanah. This period, as we prepare to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Peretz Calls on Israelis, Palestinians to Make Climate Cooperation a Bridge to Peace [JSpace News]

by Tamar Auber, 25 Sept. 2014. Source: JSpace news Tuesday, Sept. 23rd 2014, in New York City, over 125 world leaders gathered at the United Nations to talk about the need for international action to help stop climate change. In his mid-day talk with the press, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the importance of the historic […]

Read the rest of this entry »

EU-Egypt water talks: water scarcity at the centre of the discussions

23-9-2014. Source: EU Neighbourhood Info Centre The issue of water scarcity has been at the centre of the EU-Egypt Water Talk co-hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt and the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in Alexandria. In all, 150 experts, academics, senior civil officials and project managers from donor […]

Read the rest of this entry »

New guidebook to help Southern Mediterranean cities develop Sustainable Energy Action Plan

Published: 22.9.2014 // Source: EU Neighbourhood Info Center The European Commission has published a guidebook on ‘How to develop a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) in South Mediterranean Cities’. The purpose of this guidebook is to make energy efficiency and climate change mitigation measures relevant, achievable and compelling to local authorities in the southern Mediterranean […]

Read the rest of this entry »

EcoSpirit Middle East Initiative – interview with Ilana Meallem

EcoSpirit Middle East Initiative – interview with Ilana Meallem recently posted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gOTvyZfDXwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gOTvyZfDXw for more Arava Institute youtube vidoes:

Read the rest of this entry »

Afaq-el-Bee’a wa El-Tanmiya

We have been asked by the editor of Afaq-el-Bee’a wa El-Tanmiya to advise our readers of the e-magaine. The editor writes as follows: “Afaq-el-Bee’a wa El-Tanmiya is a leading Palestinian environmental e-magazine that discusses important environmental and developmental issues in the oPt. The magazine addresses environmental issues and phenomena within Palestinian and the Middle East, […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Sewage solution gives Galilee stream something to burble about – Haaretz

Aquatic ecosystem near Mount Meron headed toward recovery from 30 years of contamination. By Eli Ashkenazi | Aug. 26, 2014 For three decades, the Galilee’s Nahal Kziv has been contaminated by sewage from a village on Mount Meron. But now the effluent from Beit Jann is being directed toward a recently built sewage-treatment plant, giving […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Israel building up Mitzpeh Ramon despite promise to preserve nature – Haaretz

Green groups argue that further construction would mar the view at the tourist attraction. By Zafrir Rinat | Aug. 25, 2014 The Housing and Construction Ministry is pushing plans to build more housing on a hill in Mitzpeh Ramon despite its pledges to preserve the landscape. The hill, known as Har Gamal, overlooks the Ramon […]

Read the rest of this entry »

UAE: A hazard to the environment? – Environment and Development

According to the Global Footprint Network, the UAE consumes 12.3 times its resources. The UAE has one of the world’s highest per capita ecological footprints on the entire planet. While the nation has a multitude of reasons to be proud of its achievements, this is certainly not one of them. Residents and citizens of the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Edible Oil: Food Security in the Gulf – Environment and Development

Rob Bailey The era of cheap food is over. International food prices have spiked repeatedly in recent years – first during the 2008 global food price crisis which saw prices of key agricultural commodities more than double, then again in 2011 following a heat wave in the Black Sea breadbasket, and once more in 2012 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Green tourism certification in the UAE – Why to Implement? – Environment and Development

Szilvia Bartalos and Dr Edith M Szivas, SeaStar Consultancy Sustainability is on everybody’s mind and tourism professionals are searching for ways to develop their business in a way that is both competitive and sustainable. One of the questions often asked is whether to subscribe to a green certification scheme and if so which scheme to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

GGC award for Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi – Environment and Development

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi has become the latest luxury hotel in the UAE to be accredited with the internationally renowned Green Globe Certification (GGC) in recognition of its efforts toward achieving sustainability. The hotel was awarded 85% in the initial GGC audit, which also praised the property for having a good sustainability […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Green groups laud collapse of oil shale project, IEI’s plans uncertain – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN \ 04/09/2014 Pilot rejected because fundamentally flawed; no answers to uncertainties that required improved knowledge, understanding. A day after blueprints for an oil shale pilot project crumbled in the hands of a district planning committee, environmentalists celebrated a sweeping victory, while developers expressed uncertainty about their future steps. On Tuesday, after 10 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Israel signs 15-year natural gas deal with Jordan [Haaretz]

An industry official who asked not to be identified said the deal was worth about $15 billion. By Steven Scheer and Tova Cohen     Sep. 3, 2014 REUTERS – Israel will sign a deal to supply natural gas from its Leviathan field to Jordan for 15 years, Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom said on Wednesday. […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmental Peacemaking, September 2014 – FOEME

Emergency Appeal for Abasan Municipality, Gaza Water and Sanitation Needs The tragic events of this past month have led to a horrific loss of life and destruction throughout parts of Gaza and southern Israel. EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) staff and communities have been directly affected at all levels including two communities that […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Israel’s energy horizon – Jerusalem Post

By advancing Israel’s development and production of energy in a safe and responsible manner, the Israeli government will stimulate economic growth. The conflict in Gaza is estimated to have cost Israel’s economy nearly $3 billion in damaged property, diminished manufacturing, loss of tourism, and a drop in consumer spending. And while Israel’s economy has fared […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Geologists warn: Oil shale project may pollute West Bank groundwater – Haaretz

The pilot site inside the Green Line will produce the oil, which involves heating to 350 degrees Centigrade the layer of rock containing the shale 200-300 meters underground. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep. 2, 2014 The plan to produce oil from shale in the Judean lowlands is missing important information about the environmental impact of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Environmentalists, Golan residents submit petition against drilling plans – Jerusalem Post

Overseeing committee says exploratory drilling would not involve any fracking, production of oil that is not in liquid form. Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and a group of Golan Heights residents submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice on Monday morning, demanding the repeal of exploratory oil drilling plans for […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Fate of oil shale pilot will likely be determined next week – Jerusalem Post

Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building to reconvene to determine program’s future. At long last and after many delays, the fate of the Shfela basin oil shale pilot drilling project will likely be decided next Tuesday, when the Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building reconvenes to determine the program’s future. The project in […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Page 1 of 2:1 2 »