A paper by Mari Luomi, published by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, examines current trends in domestic climate policy in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Given the politicization of the topic at the international level, the paper takes a bottom-up approach that departs from the countries’ national circumstances, capabilities and vulnerabilities. It emphasizes […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Israeli gas wealth could improve regional relations but will likely deprive Europe of new, alternative supply for Russian imports. Reuters 04.14.14 Israel’s drive to export its new-found natural gas could help to rebuild strained ties with old regional allies Egypt and Turkey, but could deprive Europe of a precious alternative to Russian gas. Israel has […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By Basem Masry Like many Palestinians we too are frustrated by the status quo – the huge open-air prison, the checkpoints, the harassment and inhumane treatment that has become a daily routine perpetrated by Israeli soldiers and their security machine; oftentimes at the cost of life and limb – all of which we are supposed […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Mohammad Ghazal | Apr 13, 2014 AMMAN — More than 1,500 households across the Kingdom have installed solar panels to heat water as part of a nationwide project to encourage citizens to reduce energy consumption, according to the Jordan River Foundation (JRF). Under the project, which started late in 2013, the number of beneficiary […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Opposition from political, environmental groups keeps TMA 35 program on ice By Nimrod Bousso | Apr. 10, 2014 For the second time this year, a plan to increase the land available for housing construction in central Israel has been postponed. The plan, entitled TMA 35, is meant to implement changes touted and promised by Finance […]

Read the rest of this entry »

CAIRO — Egypt, grappling with an energy crunch, will enforce a ban on the production and import of air conditioners that can be set lower than 20oC, aiming to reassure citizens and industry hit with power cuts and fuel shortages. The failure of successive governments in Cairo to develop sound energy policies has discouraged foreign […]

Read the rest of this entry »

April 08, 2014 BEIRUT: Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb stressed Monday the importance of developing agricultural infrastructure and solutions to deal with a decrease in rainfall, which is set to affect the quantity and quality of both surface water and groundwater in wells.The decline in rainfall this winter has sparked drought fears in Lebanon, as well […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Hana Namrouqa | Apr 10, 2014 AMMAN — Studies are under way to select a new location for the Ain Ghazal Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ministry of Water and Irrigation officials said on Thursday. The authorities seek to relocate the facility away from an overpopulated neighbourhood, and a congested highway that links Amman and Zarqa, […]

Read the rest of this entry »

April 09, 2014 12:22 AM By Kareem Shaheen BEIRUT: A new plan to recycle waste and close down a controversial landfill site in the costal town of Naameh will be presented to the Cabinet this week, Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk told The Daily Star. The strategy, which includes waste sorting by municipalities, selling recyclables to […]

Read the rest of this entry »

April 07, 2014 TRIPOLI, Lebanon: At 1 p.m. on this sunny Thursday afternoon, Tripoli fishermen Ibrahim Shehade and Ishaac Sidawi should be out at sea. Instead, they sit forlornly watching cars pass by on the Mina sea road. There is no work for them on the water, something they blame on the recent boom of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Security barrier leaves Shuafat refugee camp in legal no-man’s land; population growth, ‘pirated’ pipes overwhelm water infrastructure. Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem have been without running water for more than a month, victims of a decrepit and overwhelmed infrastructure and caught in a legal no-man’s land caused by the divisions of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Ayla Gurel / Fiona Mullen Recent gas finds offshore Cyprus and Israel have led to suggestions that Eastern Mediterranean gas could supply Europe via Turkey along the so-called Southern Gas Corridor, e.g., through the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP). Assuming that the various challenges to this proposal can be overcome, it could inject a positive dynamic into […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Muath Freij | Apr 10, 2014 GHOR AL MAZRAA –– As the world increasingly chooses to turn to mechanised means to solve its problems, one family in Ghor Al Mazraa is sticking to traditional measures in running their flourishing farm. Maslam Ayyad and her family have been cultivating tomatoes and various types of herbs, […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 04/07/2014 A decade ago doctors discovered an abnormally high rate of cancer among IDF veterans who had trained in the river. A giant sewage dredger has begun extracting sediment from the Kishon River, kicking off the latest stage of rehabilitation efforts in what was once Israel’s most polluted waterway. The dredger, brought […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 04/07/2014 Report examines emissions levels for 6 dangerous substances: Arsenic, mercury, formaldehyde, hydrocarbons, benzene and trichlorethylene. Factories throughout Israel emitted a variety of carcinogens in 2012, threatening public health despite legal compliance with Environmental Protection Ministry standards, a report released on Monday claimed. Written by Dr. Arye Wenger – head of the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Judge says that without activists’ petition, pollution at capital’s main bus depot would remain unchanged. By Nir Hasson | Apr. 10, 2014 Jerusalem District Court Judge Abraham Tennenbaum yesterday handed down a harsh ruling that will force the administration at Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station and the Egged bus company to take a slew of measures […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Having accepted responsibility for environmental damage, the IDF – aided by private donations – is cleaning up its act. By Zafrir Rinat | Apr. 7, 2014 Israel Defense Forces tanks and all-terrain vehicles routinely trample over nature reserves, and sewage from its bases pollutes the environment. Its units often cause the largest wildfires in Israel […]

Read the rest of this entry »

ICL says 8,200 jobs are at stake after Yael German concludes that the Sde Brir mine poses a hazard to nearby residents. By Ronny Linder-Ganz and Yoram Gabison | Apr. 3, 2014 Israel Chemicals CEO Stefan Borgas ordered managers to plan a phased shutdown of the company’s Rotem Amfert unit on Thursday, hours after Health […]

Read the rest of this entry »

The law says environmental data is a matter of public record, but convoluted the bureaucracy stands in the way of access. By Zafrir Rinat | Apr. 2, 2014 | 8:29 PM There are many ways to measure environmental conditions in a country, and one of the most important measures is data availability. In Israel, efforts […]

Read the rest of this entry »

IPCRI is partnered with Byspokes, an innovative UK-based NGO, to introduce water-efficient food production systems in two communities identified as being disproportionately impacted by the conflict (one in Israel, one in the Palestine). Starting in September 2013, IPCRI and Byspokes are introducing water-efficient food production systems in two communities identified as being disproportionately impacted by […]

Read the rest of this entry »