By YONAH JEREMY BOB 10/25/2017 Israel’s comptroller reported on the faulty infrastructure creating a threat through out the state. Economic losses stemming from air pollution amounted to approximately NIS 16 billion in 2015, according to a report released Wednesday by State Comptroller Joseph Shapira that also addressed corruption issues and defects in roadways and buildings. […]

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Following 4-year drought, Israel at precipice of another water crisis as Kinneret set to reach record low and underground aquifers nearly depleted; additional desalination plant considered to ameliorate crisis, as well as several new reservoirs; facing uncertainty, farmers still vexed at their prospects. Reuters|Published: 29.10.17 , 13:14 It was a source of national pride – […]

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by Kenneth R Rosen 27 Oct 2017 Taqtaq, Iraq – Along the Little Zab River that cuts through the Iraqi town of Taqtaq, families picnicked on a recent weekday afternoon. Children frolicked in stalls overlooking the tributary, while a pair of boats gently bobbed in the rushing current. This spot is popular among Kurds, and […]

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Building mass solar fields as the government intends, the report argues, would diminish reserves of open space and cause unnecessary environmental damage Zafrir Rinat Oct 23, 2017 Rooftop solar panels could produce enough energy to fully meet the government’s target for solar energy, so there’s no justification for approving additional plans for ground-based solar facilities, […]

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Hana Namrouqa – Oct 26,201 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is scheduled to reduce its energy use, which constitutes 14 per cent of the country’s total energy consumption, by half in early 2019, according to officials. The goal of cutting down 50 million kilowatt hours per year is expected to be attained […]

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Hana Namrouqa – Oct 24,2017 AMMAN — Twelve plants in the food and beverage sector helped save over JD1.6 million in costs related to water, energy, raw materials and solid waste management under a programme promoting resource efficiency and cleaner production (RECP), officials said on Tuesday. The 12 companies signed up for the Transfer of […]

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Camille Dupire – Oct 23,2017 AMMAN — Despite the national strategy implemented to improve the management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Jordan continues to suffer from the economic, social and environmental consequences of over 2.5 million tonnes of MSW ending up at dumpsites and landfills each year, according to a Jordan Green Building Council report. […]

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Fares Al Abed – Oct 26,2017 AMMAN — Tourism Minister Lina Annab on Wednesday announced that the first regional conference on “Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA]: Competitiveness for Sustainable Growth”, will be held on November 13 and 14 at the Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel. The conference, held under the patronage of […]

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Camille Dupire – Oct 23,2017 AMMAN — “Everyone can be a leader of environmental change, by motivating others and setting an example,” stated Dheaya Alrousan, chairman of Green Generation Foundation (GGF), a non-profit organisation advocating for environment preservation. Registered under the umbrella of the Environment Ministry, the GGF aims to foster a “new green generation” […]

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27/10/2017 Beirut.com- On October 13, The American Community School of Beirut officially announced their first day of having fully operational solar PV systems providing renewable energy for the school. Once installed, this became the largest solar project installation on a school campus in Lebanon, one that will generate up to 25% of the school’s energy […]

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The EU-funded ClimaSouth project has published a series of interviews with its National Focal Points (NFPs) in the Mediterranean partner countries. The main focus of the interviews is on the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) process in each country, what is being done to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how targets set out in the […]

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ABSTRACT: This article investigates Jordanian and Syrian hydropolitical discourses around the bilateral relations along the Yarmouk River, with a focus on the decreased flow of the Yarmouk River reaching the Wahda Dam. The article examines the bilateral agreements, the hydropolitical discourses they generate, and the competing solutions they open. By situating the analysis in the […]

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October 2017 Source: American Diplomacy http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2017/0712/ca/weinthal_water.html In the Middle East, water often crosses political borders; because water is a shared resource, its effective management demands cooperation among different users. In the absence of cooperation, conflict is likely. Indeed, conflict and cooperation over shared water has defined Israeli-Palestinian relations since 1967 when Israel gained full control […]

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NAJIB SAAB A public opinion survey carried out by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) in 22 Arab countries revealed that a vast majority, exceeding 60 percent, believes that the environment has deteriorated in their countries over the last ten years. An even bigger majority of 95 percent thinks that their country is […]

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16/10/2017 The Nile River, the longest in the world at 4,258 miles (6,853km), is shrinking in the face of several harsh environmental challenges. An exploding human population and continued exploitation of communities and natural resources along the river has put unprecedented strain on the Nile, threatening ecosystems and the long-term economic prospects of the region […]

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October 17, 2017 Prime Minister Sherif Ismail signed an agreement on Tuesday to the establish three solar power plants in the Benban area near Aswan. The signing ceremony was attended by the ministers of electricity, investment and international cooperations. The capacity of each plant will be 50 megawatts at a total of $200 million, funded […]

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October 9, 2017 Major General Ahmed Abdallah, the governor of the Red Sea, decided Sunday to suspend a tourist boat from operation for a week, and fined its owner LE5,000 for causing damage to coral reefs in the Dair coral reef area, in response to a report published by Al-Masry Al-Youm on Wednesday. A number […]

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Al Ain Oasis date plantations, a Unesco World Heritage Site in the UAE, are saving 75 per cent of the natural resources used in date palm farming thanks to sustainable agricultural practices. Covering 3,000 acres and more than 184,000 date palms, the Al Ain Oasis has always been following green practices to preserve a treasured […]

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By Camille Dupire – Oct 15,2017 MMAN — “My dream was to see my country clean,” explained Amal Madanat, the founder of the “Towards Zero Waste” initiative implemented at the Dahiyat Al Hussein School in Amman. “When I retired, I started taking long walks, mostly early in the morning. This is when I realised how […]

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