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, 2016

IWRA XVIth World Water Congress

Dear Friends and Colleagues, A quick reminder that the deadline for submitting abstracts to the IWRA XVIth World Water Congress is now only one month away = 15 October. The deadline for submitting proposals for Special Sessions is 15 November. The Congress, which will take place in Cancun, Mexico, May 29 – June 2, 2017, […]

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Israel to supply gas to Jordan in $10 billion deal – Jerusalem Post

SHARON UDASIN 09/26/2016 The Leviathan reservoir developers aim to complete construction and development of the field, and begin delivering gas to Jordan, in as little as three years, the Noble Energy statement said. Israel will be supplying critical quantities of natural gas to Jordan upon the development of the Leviathan reservoir as a result of […]

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Abu Dhabi bid sets astounding new low price for solar power – Environment and Development

Just one month after the price of solar power in Chile dropped to half the cost of coal, a new record low price has already been established. A solar plant in Abu Dhabi fetched a bid of just 2.42 cents per kilowatt hour, edging out Chile’s previous record of 2.91 cents. The new price, offered […]

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Israeli solar tech could make clean water a global reality – Jerusalem Post

By SHARON UDASIN 09/21/2016 The Jerusalem-based SunDwater, whose standalone system harnesses heat through concentrated solar power, now has two fully operational pre-production models purifying water in the Arava Desert. Remote villages around the world that lack access to both electricity and potable water may soon be able to quench their thirst, with the development of […]

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IFC arranges financial package to build solar plant in northern Jordan – Jordan Times

New plant in Mafraq to supply power at 6.9 cents per kilowatt-hour By JT – Sep 25,2016 AMMAN — International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has arranged a $76 million financing package for Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) to build a new 50 megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in northern […]

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British Ambassador Inaugurates Solar Powered Street Lighting in Sidon – Naharnet

Thousands of residents will benefit from a UK-funded project designed to assist municipalities in meeting community needs, part of UNDP and the Ministry of Social Affairs’ project: The Lebanon Host Communities Support Project, a press release said on Friday. In his first official visit to Sidon, where he met with Mayor Mohammed el-Saudi and members […]

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Morocco to give 600 mosques a green makeover – Environment and Development

Six hundred “green mosques” are to be created in Morocco by March 2019 in a national consciousness-raising initiative that aims to speed the country’s journey to clean energy. If all goes to plan, the green revamp will see LED lighting, solar thermal water heaters and photovoltaic systems installed in 100 mosques by the end of […]

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Desalinated sea water linked to iodine deficiency – Jerusalem Post

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH 09/20/2016 Some 300 million people around the world get their potable water from 17,000 desalination plants in 150 countries, including Israel. Researchers have already shown that depending on desalinated water for drinking that lacks magnesium can raise the risk of heart disease. Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem maintain that […]

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Regional powers back studies on impact of Ethiopia’s Nile dam – Environment and Development

Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia commissioned studies into the environmental and economic impact of a $4 billion dam on the Nile that Addis Ababa aims to make the centerpiece of its bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter. The 6,000-megawatt Grand Renaissance Dam, situated close to Ethiopia’s border with Sudan and being built by Italy’s largest […]

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Authorities to utilise ‘modern technology’ to protect forests – Jordan Times

Kingdom’s shrinking forest lands threatened by fires, illegal logging By Hana Namrouqa – Sep 18,2016 – A total of 1,982 violations on forest lands have been registered since 2002 AMMAN — Plans are under way to employ modern technology in combating violations against the Kingdom’s forests, government officials said on Sunday. The Ministry of Agriculture […]

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Urban gardening project’s pilot phase in Mafraq, Irbid bears fruit – Jordan Times

FAO working to enhance food security in Jordan By Khetam Malkawi – Sep 11,2016 Participants in a project implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in northern Jordan use a ‘soilless mechanism’ to grow plants for food production recently (Photo courtesy of FAO) AMMAN — Although it was implemented on a limited scale, a […]

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Editorial Israel’s Next National Crisis – Haaretz

Israel has encouraged Israelis to buy new cars, while shelving alternative public transportation projects. By 2030, its economy will lose $10 billion due to decreased mobility, loss of work hours, traffic accidents and pollution. Haaretz Editorial Sep 15, 2016 It’s hard to shake off the feeling that traffic has grown heavier in recent months. The […]

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A Rare Tel Aviv Tree, a Landscape Architect and a Tragedy Foretold – Haaretz

Ram Eisenberg has been tasked by the city with finding ways to improve the walking experience for pedestrians. He has his work cut out for him. Avraham Balaban Sep 17, 2016 I meet landscape architect Ram Eisenberg next to Gan Ha’ir Mall in Tel Aviv. Eisenberg is conducting a study for the municipality’s strategic planning […]

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Shehayyeb: Bourj Hammoud Landfill Ready Oct. 7, Trash to be Removed from 45 Towns Tonight – Naharnet

Works to set up a seaside garbage landfill in Bourj Hammoud will be completed on October 7 and the Sukleen firm will start removing accumulated trash from 45 towns in Northern Metn and Keserwan as of Tuesday night, Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb said. “The problem was not in the roadway towards decentralization but rather in […]

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Kataeb, Activists Suspend Sit-in at Bourj Hammoud Landfill – Naharnet

The Kataeb Party and a number of environmental groups announced Sunday a “temporary suspension” of a sit-in that started a month ago outside the Bourj Hammoud garbage landfill, noting that their protest has obliged authorities to revise a controversial waste management plan and to endorse steps based on waste sorting, composting and decentralization. “The approach […]

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Israel’s Newest National Park Comes Under Threat – Haaretz

New plan proposes building 3,900 housing units in area between two rivers slated for Lod park. Zafrir Rinat Sep 17, 2016 10: Cabinet ministers are to discuss Sunday whether to fast track a plan to build thousands of homes in an area that had been mooted as a potential national park in Lod. The Israel […]

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Sea of Galilee in crisis – YNET

After three years of lack of rain, the Sea of Galilee is at its lowest point since Fall 2012; if this year’s rains fail again, both the lake and the aquifers surrounding it will be at dangerously low levels. Ahiya Raved|Published: 12.09.16 The Sea of Galilee’s Kinneret Authority recently announced that the waterline currently stands […]

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Israeli Solution for World’s Oil Addiction: Engineered Algae – Haaretz

Algae can be engineered to hyper-produce hydrogen, a clean source of energy for cars and industry, too, say Tel Aviv scientists Ruth Schuster Sep 12, 2016 You could be growing your own car fuel in some scummy green tank in your living room one day, with or without engineered fluorescent fish inside. No, you wouldn’t […]

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Netanyahu Says Netherlands, Israel to Improve Water, Gas Supply to Gaza – Haaretz

Prime minister commits to more hours of electricity, gas pipeline into strip. The Dutch government will assist Israel in improving water and gas supplies to the energy-strapped Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday during a visit to the Netherlands. Netanyahu said that while his government is in a conflict with what he […]

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Israel’s water crisis isn’t over: Dead Sea, Lake Kinneret and aquifer levels are all down

Desalination has eased the water shortage, but continued drought, over-pumping and the needs of a growing population are playing havoc with the country’s ecology. By Nir Hasson, Noa Shpigel, Ido Efrati and Zafrir Rinat Sep 06, 2016 Most of the public believes that desalination has helped Israel overcome its chronic water crisis, but water experts […]

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