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2/10/2011

The Environment and the Middle East: Pathways to Sustainability

11 Leading Experts

As this publication is being launched, Egypt enters the third week of nationwide protests. Indeed, there is evidence of political ferment throughout the Arab world, as people have taken to the streets in Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Yemen. It is these events and where they may lead the region politically that have claimed the headlines, and deservedly so. Yet, no less important than how the region’s politics may be reshaped in the coming months is whether, and how, its physical environment will be preserved in the face of a multitude of challenges.

This volume is the first of several collections of essays dealing with the Middle East and the Environment. Importantly, these essays focus less on the problems themselves than on what can and should be done to address them. As the sub-title “Pathways to Sustainability” suggests, the series features some of the many examples of environmental stewardship practiced and promoted throughout the region — by scientists, teachers, non-governmental organizations, community activists, and many others. One can only hope that the current political turbulence will give rise to far-sighted leadership and a climate wherein such contributions are both embraced and empowered.

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* Sustainable Development and the Built Environment in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities, Karim Elgendy
* Solar Power Scale-Up in the MENA: Resolving the Associated Water Use Challenges, Adriana M. Valenica
* Impacts of Water Scarcity on the Social Welfare of Citizens in the Middle East, Muawya Ahmed Hussein
* Living with Soil Salinity: Is It Possible?, Mushtaque Ahmed and Salim A. Al-Rawahy
* Innovating Ways to Face the Effects of Environmental Degradation, Mahi Tabet-Aoul
* Improvement of Air Quality in Egypt: The Role of Natural Gas, Ibrahim Abdel Gelil
* The Politics of Water Scarcity in Egypt, Brian Chatterton
* Environmental Science at Qatar University: Realizing Qatar’s 2030 Vision, Malcolm Potts
* Low-Cost Methods to Treat Greywater: A Case Study from Oman, Mushtaque Ahmed, S.A. Prathapar, and Seif Al-Adawi