Mosul Battle Leaving Legacy of Environmental Damage by Naharnet Newsdesk The battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group is leaving a legacy of environmental damage and health risks that will pose dangers to people for years to come. Iraqis have already paid the initial price from burning oil wells and a sulphur factory […]

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Warnings by scientists and environmentalists about an imminent collapse are dismissed by Iraqi officials as far-fetched. By Barbara Bibbo As Iraqi forces continue their military operation to take Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), another equally important battle to save the Mosul Dam, located 60km north […]

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Ministers of the three countries met in Jerusalem today and agreed to push for a pipeline to Europe, which wants to reduce dependence on Russian gas. At a meeting today in Jerusalem, government ministers from Israel, Greece, and Cyprus today agreed to continue their promotion of a natural gas pipeline from Israel to Europe. Senior […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/18/2016 After an initial appraisal stage, the $77 million well will be used to produce gas – which is slated to serve both the Israeli local market and potential export outlets. As Israel’s long frozen natural gas sector begins to move forward slowly but surely, the Leviathan reservoir partners announced on Sunday […]

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by Hana Namrouqa – Dec 19,2016 SAHAB — Unlicensed plastic scrap grinding workshops and brick factories in Sahab Municipality are causing air pollution and generating waste that blocks the city’s drainage, according to an official. More than 40 plastic scrap grinding workshops are scattered across the town as well as scores of unlicensed brick factories, […]

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If sprawling sand dunes near Ashdod disappear, dozens of animal species may, too. Zafrir Rinat Dec 17, 2016 read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.759429

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AMMAN — A new US-government funded wastewater network was handed over to the Jordan Water Authority and Miyahuna Company in Zarqa on Monday as part of the $275-million Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) to Jordan, according to a statement released Monday by the Millennium Challenge Account–Jordan (MCA–Jordan). Ninety-two kilometres of new sewage lines have been completed, […]

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by Suzanna Goussous – Dec 17,2016 AMMAN — After resuming the municipality’s work on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in 2013, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) officials on Saturday said the project has now received JD40 million as the second tranche of financing. Ahmad Malkawi, deputy city manager for public works at the GAM, said […]

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Ministry says 15 illegal wells sealed, four drilling rigs confiscated in November By Hana Namrouqa – Dec 17,2016 AMMAN — Authorities have removed 27,135 illegal fixtures on water mains and resources since the launch of a national campaign to end violations on the water network in 2013, officials said on Saturday. Under the campaign, authorities […]

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‘Seven factories produce biodegradable plastic bags; four produce paper shopping bags’ By Hana Namrouqa – Dec 17,2016 SAHAB — A draft by-law on the use, production and import of plastic bags is being amended at the Legislation and Opinion Bureau and will enter into force as of next year, according to the Ministry of Environment. […]

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The fee will begin on January 1, 2017 in supermarket chains; reusable grocery bags will be handed out at grocery stores from the beginning of the last week of December until the end of the second week in January. Amir Ben-David|Published: 10.12.16 After years of trying to minimize the use of plastic shopping bags that […]

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After a year of interviews with companies and officials in the cleantech industry in Israel, a group of students from IDC Herzliya has made a comprehensive list of causes for cleantech failures in Israel and recommendations for avoiding ‘death valley.’ Shahar Chai|Published: 05.12.16 A group of students from the IDC Herzliya has initiated a comprehensive […]

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Bank says project ‘establishes Jordan as regional leader in successful deployment of renewable energy’ By JT – Dec 15,2016 – AMMAN — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Société de Promotion et de Participation pour la Coopération Economique (PROPARCO) are continuing their support for the power sector in Jordan by providing parallel […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/18/2016 An investment of NIS 30 million, financed by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, will enable the subsidized purchase of 1,500 hybrid taxis. In hopes of curbing emissions in urban centers, a state-backed initiative is encouraging taxi drivers to switch to environmentally friendly vehicles. An investment of NIS 30 million, financed by […]

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The Middle East is at the epicentre of five megatrends reshaping the world over the next few decades. These are: demographic and social change, shift in global economic power, rapid urbanisation, climate change and resource scarcity, and technological breakthroughs, according to global professional services firm, PwC. In its report “Middle East megatrends: transforming our region”, […]

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By Mark Schapiro August 24, 2016 Some of climate change’s earliest effects have desolated areas of the Middle East and destabilized regional governments. For local journalists to cover the problem, that requires finesse in navigating the tightly controlled press. “We must be elegant.” This is how a Jordanian journalist describes how she and her colleagues […]

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Fayrouz Yousfi Saturday 12 November 2016 As the world reels to the news of a Donald Trump presidency, you could be forgiven for missing the fact there is a party going on in Morocco, the Conference of Parties (COP22). Morocco is hosting the annual environmental conference from 8–18 November in Marrakech held under the auspices […]

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By Gerald Stang | May 03, 2016 This Policy Paper is part of The Middle East Institute’s Regional Cooperation Series. Throughout 2016, MEI will be releasing several policy papers by renowned scholars and experts exploring possibilities to foster regional cooperation across an array of sectors. The purpose is to highlight the myriad benefits and opportunities […]

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journalist report on “Strongly increasing heat extremes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the 21st century” Climate-exodus expected in the Middle East and North Africa May 2, 2016 Climate-exodus expected in the Middle East and North Africa Plagued by heat and dust: Desert dust storms such as here in Kuwait could occur […]

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Lelieveld, J., Proestos, Y., Hadjinicolaou, P. et al. Climatic Change (2016) 137: 245. doi:10.1007/s10584-016-1665-6 Max Planck Institute for Chemistry MainzGermany The Cyprus Institute Nicosia Cyprus Open AccessArticle First Online: 23 April 2016 DOI: 10.1007/s10584-016-1665-6 Abstract The ensemble results of CMIP5 climate models that applied the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios have been used to investigate climate […]

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