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 July, 2025

Lebanon’s worst drought on record drains largest reservoir a- Environment and Development (Reuters)

July 15, 2025 QARAOUN, Lebanon, July 15 (Reuters) – Water levels at Lebanon’s largest reservoir on the Litani River have fallen to historic lows amid what experts describe as the country’s worst drought on record, threatening agriculture, electricity production, and domestic water supplies. The Litani River National Authority said inflows to Lake Qaraoun during this […]

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Iran’s water crisis: ‘Day Zero’ looms as Islamic Republic faces complete shortage – Jerusalem Post / Naharnet

President Massoud Pezeshkian delivered a stark warning during a cabinet meeting on the same day, citing an energy ministry report that revealed the crisis was more severe than publicly acknowledged. The Amir Kabir dam along the Karaj river in Iran’s northern Alborz mountain range is pictured on June 1, 2025. (photo credit: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)ByALEX […]

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‘Prepare for the Worst’: Israel Faces 50-degree Celsius Summers Sooner Than Expected – Haaretz

Scientists warn that by 2070, record temperatures and rainfall could become more common, and warn that global warming is accelerating faster than predicted Nir Hasson Jul 9, 2025 Israel could see extreme heatwaves with temperatures hitting 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher in many regions, well before the end of the century, the […]

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Plan for vast solar field riles critics seeking to preserve Negev’s open vistas – Times of Israel

Israel Land Authority proposes using extant infrastructure near Ramon Crater to help meet goal of 30% renewable power by 2030, but some warn of project’s wide potential impacts By SUE SURKE 21 July 2025 The Israel Land Authority’s proposed plan to build a solar field twice the size of Tel Aviv in one of Israel’s most […]

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Israeli cow breaks milk yield record as climate change cuts dairy output – Jerusalem Post

A new Israeli study has discovered that extreme heat reduces milk production by up to 10% and that adding cooling technologies offsets only about half of the loss. ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH JULY 13, 2025 A cow named Kharta from Kibbutz Sa’ad in the South has produced 18,208 liters a year as the highest individual milk production record […]

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Rising seas and shifting sands attack ancient Alexandria from below – Environment and Development (Reuters)

By Heba Fouad and Ahmed FahmyJuly 23, 2025 ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, July 23 (Reuters) – From her ninth-floor balcony over Alexandria’s seafront, Eman Mabrouk looked down at the strip of sand that used to be the wide beach where she played as a child. “The picture is completely different now,” she said. The sea has crept closer, the concrete […]

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Saudi’s ACWA Power signs agreements with European companies to export renewable energy – Environment and Development (Reuters)

AIRO, July 20 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power company signed several memoranda of understanding with European companies to export renewable energy and green hydrogen from the kingdom to Europe, the Saudi energy ministry said on Sunday. The European companies included France’s TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), opens new tab, Italy’s Edison (EDNn.MI), opens new tab and Germany’s EnBW (EBKG.DE) The Saudi […]

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Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power signs MoU to develop renewables capacity in Malaysia – Environment and Development (Reuters)

May 29, 2025 DUBAI, May 29 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power said on Thursday it had signed a preliminary agreement to develop up to 12.5 gigawatts of renewable energy generating capacity in Malaysia with an initial investment of up to $10 billion. The renewable energy utility said in a statement it agreed a memorandum of […]

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Abu Dhabi Delivers Landmark Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Environment Sector, Cementing Its Global Position – Environment and Development

24/7/2025  In a major step toward climate resilience, the Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi (EAD) today launched the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Environment Sector (2025–2050) – a comprehensive and science-based roadmap designed to protect the emirate’s natural resources and systems from the increasing and inevitable impacts of climate change. This pioneering plan – […]

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Parisians Can Now Swim in the Seine. What About Tel Aviv’s Yarkon River? Haaretz

The Clean Yarkon project was greenlighted in 2023 after 20 years of efforts to reduce pollution and sewage in the Yarkon River. Yet it’s unclear when the project will be completed and if any the river will ever open to swimmers Zafrir Rinat Jul 15, 2025 Two weeks ago, Parisians celebrated a historic milestone: Residents […]

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Wildfires – Al Jazeera, Arab News, Jordan Times

Wildfires erupt across Mediterranean as heatwave worsensWildfires – Al Jazeera 7 Jul 2025 Blazes break out in France, Greece, Turkiye and Syria, with several other nations on high alert amid warnings of scorching weather. Countries across the Mediterranean are battling fast-spreading wildfires and soaring temperatures as a heatwave sweeps through Southern Europe and parts of […]

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Scorching summer heat deepens Gaza’s daily struggles – Arab News

Short Url. https://arab.news/z4m28 July 03, 2025 KHAN YOUNIS: For Rida Abu Hadayed, summer adds a new layer of misery to a daily struggle to survive in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), daybreak begins with the cries of Hadayed’s seven children sweltering inside the displaced family’s cramped nylon […]

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Amman hosts regional conference on climate change, public health – Jordan Times

July 7, 2025. AMMAN — Representing HRH Prince El Hassan Bin Talal, Chairman of the University of Jordan’s Board of Trustees Adnan Badran on Monday inaugurated the International Conference on Climate Change and Health in the Arab Region: Advancing Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborations (CCHAR) in Amman. The four-day event brings together regional and international experts to […]

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Jordan, US sign $39 million water loss reduction project benefiting over 4m citizens – Jordan Times

July 6, 2025. AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Sunday signed new project agreements as part of the ongoing Water Loss Reduction Programme, in partnership with the US government, aiming to serve around 4 million people in northern and central Jordan. The agreements, valued at $39 million, mark the fourth phase of […]

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FAO holds consultative sessions in Madaba, Karak to develop climate adaptation plan – Jordan Times

July 2, 2025 AMMAN — The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), in cooperation with the Sustainable Scientific Vision for Engineering and Environment Company, on Tuesday conducted two consultative sessions with local associations in Madaba and Karak governorates. These sessions are part of the project titled “Building Resilience to Cope with Climate […]

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With sanctions lifted, Syria looks to solar power as more than a patchwork fix to its energy crisis – Arab News

July 07, 2025 Short Url https://arab.news/56983 DAMASCUS: Abdulrazak Al-Jenan swept the dust off his solar panel on his apartment roof overlooking Damascus. Syria’s largest city was mostly pitch-black, the few speckles of light coming from the other households able to afford solar panels, batteries, or private generators. Al-Jenan went thousands of dollars in debt to […]

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How a tax opposed by Shas sparked climate backlash in the ultra-Orthodox community – Jerusalem Post

A newly published Hebrew University of Jerusalem study found that the well-meaning environmental tax turned into a cultural flashpoint. JULY 6, 2025 ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH DISPOSABLE PLASTIC tableware are on display at the Osher Ad Supermarket branch in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem.(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) The Health Ministry in Jerusalem – run by the ultra-Orthodox party Shas – persuaded the […]

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Oman moves to third phase of plastic bag ban, Environment Authority warns of grave marine impact – Gulf News

Latest phase extends to food stores, fruit and vegetable shops, bakeries, gift stores  July 01, 2025. Khitam Al Amir, Chief News Editor Dubai: As Oman has rolled out the third phase of its plastic bag ban on Tuesday, July 1, the country’s Environment Authority is intensifying its public awareness campaign, warning of the profound and lasting […]

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Invisible ‘sky highway’: 700 million migratory insects navigate across Israel each year – Jerusalem Post

“We’ve only just begun to understand the scale and complexity of insect migration,” said Dr. Werber. “It’s a natural wonder that connects continents—and it’s happening right over our heads.” JUNE 30, 2025. ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the University of Haifa have revealed that more than 700 million migratory insects traverse the […]

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UAE turtle population rises, but plastic threat remains – The National

June 30, 202 Rachel Kelley The UAE’s turtle population has steadily increased in recent years, with the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi reporting a 30 per cent increase in numbers compared with a decade ago. But ingesting plastic remains a key issue, with reports this year that discarded plastic bags have caused some turtles to lose their flippers. While plastic pollution […]

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