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 December 4th, 2014

Oil spill near Eilat is ‘one of the worst environmental accidents in Israel’s history’ – Jerusalem Post / Haaretz

JEUSALEM POST Thousands of cubic meters of oil spill near Kibbutz Ketura; representative of Ministry of the Environment says will take months if not years to rehabilitate the area. Millions of liters of crude oil have gushed out of a pipeline to flood 200 acres of a desert nature reserve in southern Israel, officials said […]

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Gas well explosion spreads H2S in Aqaba – Jordan Times

An explosion in a gas well in the Israeli town of Eilat sent strong emissions of gas all over Aqaba late Wednesday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The agency quoted an official source as saying that concerned parties were following up on the incident, pointing out that different amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) had […]

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The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies Statement on the Oil Spill in the Arava Valley – Arava Institute for Enviromental Studies

David Lehrer The disastrous oil spill which occurred Wednesday night in the Arava valley was caused by maintenance work on the Eilat Ashkelon Oil Pipeline in preparation for the building of the new international airport outside of Eilat. The pipeline brings oil from the port of Eilat to the refineries and power stations in the […]

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Food Security in Arab Countries: Challenges and Prospects – AFED report

Food Security is the seventh in the series of annual reports on the state of Arab environment, produced by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED). The report highlights the need for more efficient management of the agriculture and water sectors, in view of enhancing the prospects of food security. This report comes after […]

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The problem washing up on Israel’s coastline – Haaretz

Times and policies have changed, and this week’s decision to turn part of Palmahim beach into a national park instead of a vacation resort marks a major change. Yet threats from tourism to Israel’s open beaches and coastline remain By Zafrir Rinat | Dec. 3, 2014 The peaceful hill at the northern end of the […]

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Ministries bicker over health risks from planned phosphate mine – Haaretz

Planning commission debates consequences of proposed Sde Barir project near Arad. By Zafrir Rinat | Dec. 3, 2014 Currently in Israel, the Clean Air Law is being exploited to sanction air pollution and appropriate testing is not being conducted to gauge the impact of this pollution – so said the Health Ministry Tuesday at a […]

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Morocco heats up with 16 new solar energy plants worth 25 gigawatts – Environment and Development

The recent breakup of the solar power consortium Desertec has been a huge disappointment to the renewable energy community. The idea was to create a pan-European North African, even Middle East energy grid with solar energy collected in the MENA region which could then be shipped via cables to Europe. Despite the Desertec collapse, Europeans […]

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For Israeli birds, people aren’t all bad – Haaretz

The 35th Annual Birding Lecture Day is dedicated to the changes to Israel’s bird populations in the last 130 years, including the somewhat controversial Palestinian sunbird. By Zafrir Rinat | Dec. 4, 2014 Nature in Israel has seen many upheavals since Jewish immigration began in earnest in 1882. The Society for the Protection of Nature […]

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AFED Conference on Arab Food Security Recommendations for Transition to New Production and Consumption Patterns – Environment and Development

editor’s note: The full report is available at http://www.afedonline.org/en/inner.aspx?contentID=1076 Amman, 27 November 2014 The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) concluded its seventh annual conference on Arab food security. Held in Amman under the patronage of his majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, the conference brought together 750 delegates from 54 countries, representing […]

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Opposition builds against proposed ban on free disposable grocery bags – Haaretz

Lobbying by manufacturers and importers of the plastic bags is impeding the proposed legislation’s passage. By Avi Bar-Eli | Nov. 27, 2014 The highly publicized Knesset bill that would ban free distribution by supermarkets of plastic bags seems to have little prospect of passing in its current form. The proposed legislation was touted as an […]

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