By Gidon Bromberg and Hilik Bar Israelis and Palestinians often play the blame game on the crucial issue of water. Palestinians scream “water apartheid” and Israelis respond with accusations of a “sewage intifada.” But recently there has been some important progress in the form of an Israeli-Turkish agreement to normalize diplomatic relations signed last month. […]

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Water, air, energy and land are shared environmental resources in the Middle East. As the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis persists and relationships continue to deteriorate at all levels, not only will cross-border environmental problems continue to plague the region, but they will also significantly increase tension among all sides. Water scarcity in the West […]

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Egypt is pursuing closer relations with African states as it seeks to resolve ongoing concerns about the Renaissance Dam, writes Doaa El-Bey “Achieving the interests of all parties and causing no harm should be the governing rule of relations between Nile Basin countries,” Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said in a statement in Kigali following a […]

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AMMAN — Jordan is working to secure 144 million euros in European financing to improve sanitation and access to water in Irbid, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury announced on Monday. The plan is in line with the outcomes of the London donor conference in February, Fakhoury said half of the funds for the […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 07/27/2016 NGO’s attempt to stop beach side construction. The cabinet is now considering legislation that could change the Israeli coastline as we know it, yet legal means may put a brake on some of it. Environmental NGO Adam Teva V’Din – the Israel Union for Environmental Defense – submitted a petition […]

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Treasury plan would cancel quotas on imported fish, saying that move will lower fish prices. Zafrir Rinat Jul 25, 2016 Fish breeders and conservationists are fighting a treasury plan to cancel quotas on imported fish. While the treasury argues that the step will lower the price of fish, opponents say it will deal a death […]

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Illegal use of poisons is proliferating against predators in the south that are increasingly killing Bedouin’s sheep and goats. Zafrir Rinat Jul 25, 2016 The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has taken on an unpleasant but necessary task over the past few months: looking for animal carcasses in garbage dumps in the hills around the […]

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Residents of the Mount Lebanon town of Ain Dara gathered on Wednesday in the area of Dahr al-Baydar at the request of the town’s municipal chief to protest against the establishment of a cement plant in the town, the National News Agency reported. The people banned cement mixer vehicles from entering the village, NNA added. […]

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By Mohammed Kloub – Jul 28,2016 AMMAN — Like many large cities and capitals, Amman has a heavy traffic problem and the gridlock on the city’s streets is getting worse, according to transportation experts, who offered some ideas to ease the congestions. Amman’s traffic troubles can be attributed to two key factors, according to Ayman […]

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One problem facing the ministry in making its decision is a lack of data on the recycling of such bottles today. Zafrir Rinat Jul 27, 2016 The Environmental Protection Ministry will decide in the next few months whether to encourage the recycling of large beverage bottles (1.5 liters and larger) by requiring a deposit when […]

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AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Wednesday inaugurated a $9.2 million project to increase the resilience of poor and vulnerable communities to climate change. The project is driven by the mounting pressure on clean water resources, which climate change will aggravate, Fakhoury said, noting that water shortages directly affect food […]

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Beirut, 19 July 2016 The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) and the American University of Beirut (AUB) have announced that AFED’s 9th annual conference will convene on November 10-11, 2016 at AUB. The conference, which is part of AUB’s 150th Anniversary program of events, will explore challenges and prospects of achieving the 2030 […]

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AMMAN – Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif on Tuesday said that seven international companies had been selected to implement the Green Corridor project, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The project aims to increase the national grid’s capacity to absorb the load generated by new renewable energy projects, Saif told Petra. Three committees have studied the […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Jul 18,2016 TANGIER, Morocco — Over 2,000 participants from the Mediterranean basin convened in Tangier on Monday to formulate new ideas to combat climate change in an endangered region. At the MedCOP22 2016 Mediterranean Climate Conference, participants from 23 countries in the Mediterranean basin called for action, and to reinforce the […]

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Jul 10,2016 AMMAN — Jordan marks World Population Day on Monday, which is held this year under the theme “investing in teenage girls”, the Department of Statistics (DoS) said on Sunday. World Population Day seeks to raise awareness of population issues and their relation to development. The Kingdom’s population has doubled 10 times since the […]

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Records smashed as extreme temperatures hit the region. Iran, Iraq and northern portions of the Arabian Peninsula are experiencing what can only be described as a summer heatwave. Now a heatwave is defined as a prolonged period of extremely hot weather. As summer weather in much of the region is always ‘extremely hot’, it could […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 07/12/2016 The structure, comparable in height to an 80-storey building, is now under construction in Plot B of the ambitious Ashalim Solar Field 35 km. south of Beersheba. When one thinks of “solar power,” one envisions an array of photo-voltaic cells stretching to the horizon. However, if all goes according to […]

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By Omar Obeidat – Jul 19,2016 AMMAN — Authorities uncovered 13,291 cases of electricity theft during the first half of this year, according to Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Chief Commissioner Farouq Hiyari. Hiyari told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday that the number of violations registered by the EMRC across the […]

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It appears that works on the light rail polluted a section of the river between Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, and thousands of the endangered bleak have floated, dead, to the surface, where birds are eating their corpses; company responsible for construction has halted building and will investigate. Itay Blumental & Erez Erlichman|Published: 16.07.16 Thousands […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Jul 16,2016 – AMMAN — Dodging pickup trucks and buses spewing black smoke is the primary concern of Lama Nassar when she drives. Leaving her car windows open to enjoy the summer breeze is a luxury she can’t afford in the busy streets of Amman, said Nassar, who is forced to […]

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