A new light trapping technique has enabled more than 30% power enhancement of an ultrathin solar cell, according to BGU and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers. The method was developed for hematite (iron-oxide, Fe2O3) cells meant for hydrogen production via water splitting, but could achieve its goal for other types of cells as well. In […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/29/2015 The decision impacts the country’s two power plants that still operate predominantly on coal. The Israel Electric Corporation must immediately slash the amount of coal used for electricity generation by 15 percent at all power plants, National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Minister Yuval Steinitz ordered on Tuesday. In practice, the decision […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/29/2015 Hope is that expected weekend storm will boost the basin above the lower red line. Three months into the country’s rainy season, but with little rain at all in the North, Lake Kinneret’s water level has dropped to a dramatic 4 cm. below the basin’s “lower red line,” the Water Authority […]

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Climate change, illicit dumping, and a two year drought are gravely affecting Tunisia’s landscape. ST McNeil, Radhouane Addala | 27 Nov 2013 The island of Djerba – an important tourist location – is now covered in garbage dumps [ST McNeil/Al Jazeera] Tunis, Tunisia – Arifet Mohammed stands in the rolling dunes of the Jaffara Plains […]

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A team of 52 divers and 22 volunteers removed six tonnes of rubbish in Fujairah on Friday. They did so under the Fujairah marine life conservation initiative, which was organized by the Fujairah International Marine Club, the Barracuda Diving Centre, the UAE Divers’ Centre and the UAE Falcons Diving Centre. “Organizing such initiatives is part […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/23/2015 Just two weeks ago, the David Unit stopped and confiscated seven vehicles carrying smuggled waste. Men unload trash from a pick-up truck as scavengers sift through garbage at a temporary dump/ During its first two years of operation, the Environmental Protection Ministry’s David Unit has thwarted some 300 attempts to illegally […]

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Published: 18:25 December 22, 2015 Gulf News Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer Beirut: The latest joke in Lebanon concentrates on accumulating garbage that probably broke every single Guinness Book of World Record. It goes something like this: “It’s not the politicians who want to export the trash, but the trash has had enough of this […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/29/2015 The area, which is largely under the ownership of KKL-JNF, contains ecologically sensitive and serves as a green lung for the region. Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee called upon the Housing Cabinet to put an end to building plans that they say will threaten the sanctity of the Jerusalem region’s […]

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Jordan is making good on its policy to increase reliance on renewable sources of energy, basically solar and wind, by embarking on projects designed for that purpose. It recently signed deals with the Greece-based Sunrise Photovoltaic Systems and Saudi Oger Ltd. whereby each will build a 50-megawatt solar plant in the country. The Ministry of […]

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Is a 40 to 70 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by 2050, which would help limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, possible? Yes, but it is not simply about calculating numbers and waiting, wishing, that they actualise. Action ought to be taken quickly and collectively, […]

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The cabinet held Monday a long-awaited session dedicated to the thorny issue of garbage exportation. “The atmosphere is negative in the cabinet session and (Prime Minister Tammam) Salam will likely make a statement about the garbage file after the meeting,” MTV said. “During the cabinet debate, Salam intervened several times, demanding decisiveness and criticizing the […]

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AFP, Tehran Saturday, 19 December 2015 Iran is to close schools for two days in Tehran, state media said Saturday, following air pollution three times the acceptable level that has blanketed the city in smog. Air quality in Iran’s capital was the worst in at least nine months this week, media said, and floating particles […]

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University scraps plans for $200 million ‘peace university’ in Nazareth, and is launching Haifa research center instead. Dec 14, 2015 AP – Texas A&M University has scrapped plans for a $200 million campus in the Israeli city of Nazareth and instead is launching a $6 million marine research center that’s expected to contribute to critical […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/15/2015 The Red Sea dive will be the first in a series of such protests around the world. About 100 Israeli and international divers will plunge into the Red Sea on Friday as part of a mass underwater demonstration to save sharks around the globe. The Red Sea dive will be the […]

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Study says trend may have serious consequences for water quality, amount of greenhouse gas emissions from water. Zafrir Rinat Dec 20, 2015 Lakes, including Lake Kinneret, are quickly warming worldwide, according to new research, a trend that may have serious implications for water quality and the rate of greenhouse gas emissions from the water. The […]

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Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the Renaissance Dam do not seem to be leading toward a resolution of the issue. Resorting to international arbitration should be Egypt’s immediate option Ahmed El-Sayed Al-Naggar , Monday 21 Dec 2015 Once again the Renaissance Dam occupies the forefront in the water issues and Egypt’s foreign relations […]

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Dec 16,2015 AMMAN — Three workers from the Irbid District Electricity Company have been attacked by a property owner in Jerash after they discovered that the electricity meter at his building was tampered with, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday. The incident is the second this month. In Irbid, a similar attack took […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Dec 17,2015 The Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna) started replacing regular water meters with the smart gauges this week AMMAN — By winter next year, Amman households will be equipped with new smart water meters which provide accurate readings and detect tampering attempts, according to the Jordan Water Company (Miyahuna). The company […]

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Basel Burgan The Disi Water Conveyance Project was set to be the dream saviour for Jordanians until the middle of the next decade. Before 2011, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation had announced several times that with the Disi project there would be a complete shutdown of aquifer water usage until 2024, after which aquifer […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Dec 20,2015 In its following phases, the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project entails transferring up to 2 billion cubic metres of seawater from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea AMMAN — The Water Ministry on Sunday signed the engineering services agreement for the first phase of the Red Sea-Dead […]

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