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, 2022

Israeli solar power project takes off on Bedouin land – Jerusalem Post

Marom Energy slated to begin construction of plant on privately held Bedouin land, as Israel aims to double solar capacity by 2025 By MAYA MARGIT/THE MEDIA LINE Published: DECEMBER 7, 2022 Israel is heading toward a green energy revolution, and it turns out that the Bedouin community could play a starring role. Marom Energy, a […]

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Israel and the great bird migration: Can we save bird from extinction? – opinion – Jerusalem Post

PNI now wants to work with numerous kibbutzim to reestablish wetlands and build ecotourism sites across Israel. By JODIE COHEN Published: DECEMBER 9, 2022 When my family first moved to Israel, I remember one day I noticed a strange black cloud in an otherwise perfectly blue sky. The cloud moved quickly and in a strange […]

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Israel’s Dead Sea filled with microplastics, garbage – study – Jerusalem Post

University of Haifa: Huge amounts of waste have been found at the mouth of the Kidron Stream leading to the Dead Sea. By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH DECEMBER 7, 2022 Huge amounts of plastic waste have been discovered at the mouth of the Kidron Stream that abuts the Dead Sea’s waterline according to researchers from the University […]

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Jackal found dead in northern Israel with head stuck in discarded plastic bottle – YNET

Animals more and more across waste left by humans in the open, sometimes leading to deadly outcomes; environmentalists warn similar cases unfortunately more common as non-biodegradable waste accumulates Noa Fischer|12.04.22 | 16:02 A jackal has been found dead in northern Israel after his head became stuck in a discarded plastic bottle that he couldn’t free […]

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‘Climate-responsive development central to Jordan’s economic future’ – Jordan Times

CCDR offers evidence-based assessment of climate responsive policy By Rayya Al Muheisen – Dec 07,2022 World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Ferid Belhaj speaks during the launch of Jordan’s Country Climate and Development Report on Wednesday (Photo courtesy of World Bank) AMMAN — Climate-responsive development can bridge inequality, protect livelihoods […]

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Oman receives interest from green hydrogen investors for mega-blocks – Al Arabiya

Bloomberg Published: 08 December ,2022: Oman said it had received plenty of interest from international energy companies for two green-hydrogen concessions that will be awarded early next year and which may require around $10 billion of investment. The government plans to choose winning bidders by the end of March for the blocks near the port […]

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Arabs must celebrate and build upon Earthshot Prize success – Al Arabiya

Omar Al-Ubaydli Published: 07 December ,2022: The UK’s Prince William recently announced that the Omani climate change company 44.01 was one of the five winners of the prestigious Earthshot prize for environmental innovation. Arabs must celebrate this success, and scientifically study the factors that allowed them to win so that other Arab projects can follow […]

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Sustainable cities counter climate change – Ahram Online

Ahmed Morsy , Thursday 8 Dec 2022 Egypt inaugurated the first phase of New Mansoura, one of 30 fourth-generation smart cities planned since 2014. New Mansoura is the latest in a series of fourth generation cities “New Mansoura City is part of a comprehensive plan the state has been implementing in recent years to build […]

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USAID DAWERR Helps Municipalities Improve Solid Waste Management (Lebanon) – Environment and Development

5/12/2022 The Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), announced its second round of support to three new groupings of municipalities to improve solid waste management (SWM) services, thus diverting significant proportions away from landfills. The participating municipalities include Ansarieh, Loubieh, Saksakiye and […]

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Will Politics Kill a ‘Win-win’ Deal to Swap Israeli Water for Jordanian Solar Power? Haaretz

While Israel is swimming in desalinated water, its eastern neighbor is desperate for more H2O, as are the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The hope is that necessity will dampen any political opposition to the deal David Rosenberg Nov 30, 2022 On paper, it’s a win-win situation. The kingdom of Jordan is desperately […]

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Gaza beekeepers who survived blockade struggle with unstable climate – YNET

With cold spells and massive rainstorms keeping the bees from pollinating, Gazan apiculturists see honey production plummet to previously unseen lows Reuters|11.22.22 This time, it wasn’t the bulldozers or the bullets, but the rain and the wind. Weather kept the bees confined to their hives in the spring, when they should have been out foraging […]

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Study shows Eilat’s Red Sea waters absorbs much greenhouse gas -YNET

With the help of a ‘biological pump’, carbon is transformed by photosynthesis into solid organic matter that sinks to the seafloor and is eliminated from the ecologic system – this could help commercial companies reduce carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere Ynet|11.10.22 The Red Sea in the Gulf of Eilat absorbs greenhouse gases from the […]

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Israel considers technical means to save birds from electrocution – YNET

Studies show birds collide with high voltage wires in Israel at rate of no less than 200 incidents per kilometer every year; drone efficacy being tested to install devices able to warn birds of danger Noa Fisher|11.28.22 | Israel’s Electric corporation, the Society for the Protection of Nature and the Environmental Protection Ministry have launched […]

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Salt, drought decimate buffaloes in Iraq’s southern marshes – Naharnet

by Naharnet Newsdesk 25 November 2022, Abbas Hashem fixed his worried gaze on the horizon — the day was almost gone and still, there was no sign of the last of his water buffaloes. He knows that when his animals don’t come back from roaming the marshes of this part of Iraq, they must be […]

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Energy-rich Qatar faces fast-rising climate risks at home – Naharnet

The small park with air-conditioned paths is an apt illustration of World Cup host Qatar’s answers, so far, to the rising temperatures its people face. The wealthy Gulf Arab nation has been able to pay for extreme adaptive measures like this thanks to the natural gas it exports to the world. A small peninsula that […]

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Turkey revises carbon cutting pledges at COP27 – Naharnet

15 November 2022 Turkey on Tuesday unveiled at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh a revised plan for cutting its carbon emissions that was immediately criticized by analysts as insufficiently ambitious. “We have updated our nationally determined contribution (NDC),” Turkey’s environment minister, Murat Kurum, told the U.N. climate conference, referring to the national […]

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World Cup frenzy puts strain on Qatar’s camels – Naharnet

by Naharnet Newsdesk Shaheen stretched out on the sand and closed his eyes, but there was little time to rest for the camel. World Cup fans coming in droves to the desert outside Doha were ready for their perfect Instagram moment: riding a camel on the rolling dunes. As Qatar welcomes more than a million […]

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– Jerusalem Posterusalem Council Member Yovav Tzur praises launch of citywide recycling – Jerusalem Post

It took an intense legal battle with the Environmental Protection Ministry to get the Municipality of Jerusalem to implement citywide recycling bins. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 27, 2022 08:30 Jerusalem began placing orange recycling bins around the city on Thursday over four years after City Council Member Yovav Tzur started advocating for the rollout. […]

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Abu Dhabi reduces single-use plastic bag use by over 90% – Ahram online

Mohamed Hatem , Sunday 27 Nov 2022 The Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) has reported a 90 percent reduction in the consumption of single-use plastic bags, as the 3-million-resident emirate continues to phase out the use of plastic products. Reusable canvas and jute bags on display at Carrefour in Mall of the Emirates. Photo courtesy […]

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