By SHARON UDASIN 02/04/2014 Dry winter is caused by a phenomenon called “blocking,” in which most rain systems are “stuck” in Western Europe, expert says. Although the northeastern US may have spent January pummeled by snowstorms and frigid temperatures, Israel last month was troublingly dry, experts from the Water Authority and Israel Meteorological Services said […]

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Ecologist says ‘this is the first time we’ve seen the process of drying up happen already in January.’ By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 6, 2014 | 11:27 AM The dry winter has nature conservancy groups worried about the fate of winter pools and the wildlife that depend on them for survival. The Society for the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/04/2014 The National Council for Planning and Building decided on Tuesday to promote the construction of large wind farms and turbines on 30 sites around the country. The decision was made after an interministerial team that was reviewing the topographic effects of establishing wind farms submitted its recommendations to the council last […]

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As the only country in the world to rely on a boat for its emergency energy supplies, Israel is dangerously close to the tipping point: Expected to complete the shift to natural gas from coal. But can it work for a nation under constant military threat? Permanently anchored in the choppy waters of the eastern […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 02/04/2014 Environmental Protection Ministry investigates production of dangerous chemical preparations and pesticides by Or Hayeshua factory. Inspectors from the Environmental Protection Ministry’s Green Police raided a Kiryat Gat factory over the weekend that was allegedly producing dangerous pesticides and marketing forbidden chemical preparations to the public. The weekend raid occurred at the […]

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Critics of the government’s efforts say the sludge should be disposed of at a regulated waste management facility, not nearby. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 4, 2014 | 3:40 AM Work is scheduled to begin soon to remove the uranium-tainted sludge at the bottom of the Kishon River in the Haifa area, where a new […]

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For Ashkelon fisherman Eran Hasid, who has been out on the Mediterranean waters for 15 years, the last two have filled his nets with little more than plastic bags. “I throw nets and what I catch are nylons and plastic bags that come north from Gaza,” Hasid told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, aboard his […]

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Israeli, Palestinian experts say Gaza Strip residents facing growing water shortage. ‘Environment is still a hostage of politics,’ expert says The Media Line 01.29.14 The 1.7 million residents of the Gaza Strip are facing a growing water shortage, according to Israeli and Palestinian experts who presented their findings at a conference of Friends of the […]

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Francesca de Châtel, The Role of Drought and Climate Change in the Syrian Uprising: Untangling the Triggers of the Revolution. Middle East Studies This article examines the role of drought and climate change as indirect triggers of the Syrian uprising that started in March 2011. It frames the 2006-10 drought that struck north-eastern Syria in […]

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Deal signed this month involving Israeli natural gas field, Palestinian power firm marked may need top-level support to succeed Reuters 01.31.14, A billion-dollar deal signed this month involving an Israeli natural gas field and a Palestinian power firm marked a rare private-sector victory over political conflict, but it may need top-level support to succeed. Palestinian […]

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January 31, 2014 12:27 AM By Elise Knutsen ZAHLE/BAALBEK, Lebanon: The mountain of trash at Zahle can be seen from a distance. Bits of dirt and detritus get picked up by the wind, settling on the nearby waste management facility. Although the town boasts one of the country’s most advanced trash and recycling operations, the […]

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Proposed road would reduce size of park, disrupt animal habitats, critics charge. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 27, 2014 The Northern District Planning and Building Committee is set to decide soon whether to permit the construction of a new entrance road to the town of Tzippori, at the expense of national park land. The proposal […]

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Jan 30, 2014 At last the government has decided to give incentives to farmers to resort to renewable energy sources to help them with their irrigation needs and their business in general. The Agricultural Credit Corporation is now offering low-interest, easy-term loans to farmers to move away from fuel-generated energy and use solar power. The […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 30, 2014 The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature says that construction of wind energy projects should not be allowed inside nature reserves or public parks AMMAN — Voicing its support for utilising wind energy in Jordan, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) on Thursday said […]

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Authorities to implement water projects in Deir Alla, Ain Al Basha Petra | Jan 30, 2014 AMMAN — The Water Authority of Jordan on Thursday signed an agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to implement water projects in Deir Alla and Ain Al Basha. The schemes will be funded from the Japanese $25 million […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 30, 2014 Water Ministry employees dismantle an illegal pipe hidden in a 20-metre tunnel built below the airport road (Photo courtesy of the Water Ministry) AMMAN — Authorities on Wednesday discovered a 20-metre tunnel built below the airport road to hide an illegal pipe through which thousands of cubic metres […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/22/2014 Shapira’s report identifies deficiencies in management, implementation and supervision involved with constructing the Metronit infrastructure. Shapira sharply criticized both the Transportation Ministry and the Haifa municipal firm Yefe Nof for mismanagement of the region’s Metronit bus rapid transit (BRT) system, in his latest report released on Wednesday. After years of inter-governmental […]

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BU DHABI (AFP) — Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom attended a meeting Saturday of the International Renewable Energy Agency in the United Arab Emirates, a country with which it has no diplomatic relations. During its two-day meeting, the assembly is to discuss a draft roadmap for achieving a 36 percent share for renewables in the […]

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Remember all the years of being told to conserve ‘every drop?’ Well, times have changed: Today, Israel has so much affordable water, it can offer to export it. So why is this achievement being kept so secret? By Yuval Elizur | Jan. 24, 2014 In ancient times and even during the years of the British […]

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by Elisa Oddone | Jan 22, 2014 IRBID — Work on water networks in northern Jordan will address the country’s struggle to keep up with an increased domestic demand for water as it faces a flood of Syrian refugees and a looming drought, according to a senior official. “We are facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis,” […]

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