by JT | Jan 22, 2014 AMMAN — The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on Wednesday awarded a 300,000-euro grant to the government in support of environmental performance in Jordan. The grant, which is within the framework of AFD’s ongoing Green Lending Programme, will be coordinated by the Environment Ministry, according to a Planning Ministry […]

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Many Israeli Arab farmers still averse to irrigating with treated wastewater. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 23, 2014 Israel is proud of the large amount of treated wastewater its farmers use, and it is among the world leaders in utilizing this resource. However, Israeli Arab farmers still do not buy into the advantages of irrigating […]

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January 21, 2014 12:28 AM By Wassim Mroueh BEIRUT: Lebanon will experience another dry week, weather experts say, with some voicing fears that the persistence of current trends could negatively impact the country’s agricultural sector in the long run. A snowstorm that hit Lebanon in December raised hopes that this winter would bring abundant rain. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/23/2014 As Israel forges forward with rural development, while facing the pressures of urbanization, the country could potentially benefit from purchasing more agricultural produce abroad, an expert said at a Beit Dagan conference on Thursday. “You don’t have to be self-sufficient and there is a thing called international trade,” said Prof. Allan […]

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Jumblatt vows to close Naameh landfill in 2015 (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb) January 23, 2014 BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt pledged Thursday to close the controversial Naameh landfill by 2015 as he asked protesters to end the blockade around Lebanon’s largest waste dump. “As the environmental situation in […]

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by Muath Freij | Jan 18, 2014 AMMAN — Around 800 young Jordanians joined Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) teams in planting saplings in several locations in the capital on Saturday to compensate for the trees damaged in last month’s snowstorm. Dubbed “Let’s plant trees to make up for what was damaged,” the campaign included the […]

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by Peter Millett | Jan 22, 2014 Cleanliness is close to godliness. Godliness is probably little more than a distant aspiration for most of us. But cleanliness is easy, on a personal level and in our communities. Keeping our neighbourhoods clean is good for everyone. It is good for our souls because it increases our […]

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With its energy consumption growing twice as fast as its economic growth, the Arab region is among the least efficient in the world. The report of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) on sustainable energy points out that a 56 percent reduction in energy consumption can be achieved in the Arab region through […]

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ClimBEco PhD course “From Local to Global: Political Ecology, Natural Resource Conflicts and Environmental Peacebuilding” This Spring term from 10-14 March, Lund University will offer an intensive and exciting PhD course at the ClimBEco Graduate Research School, a research school that promotes young scientists to engage in interdisciplinary research on climate, earth system and society […]

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By Muna Dajani and Sami Backleh Sumud, steadfastness and rootedness on the land, has characterised the Palestinian identity for generations. Today, as we pause and witness the state of our homeland, it is clear that the attack on the epitome of our identity has wreaked havoc and destruction on the land. Furthermore it is clear […]

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(Haaretz) — Tu Bishvat, the so-called Jewish Arbor Day, what better time to examine the preservation of nature in Israel and compare it to the situation in other countries? To do this, we can turn to a new report issued by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, which will be presented in […]

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For the first time in Israel, a prison sentence has been imposed Tuesday for violating waste disposal laws. The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court sentenced Alfonso Hasson to 60 days in jail for operating and managing an illegal waste transfer station in Bnei Brak. Judge Shamai Becker said the crimes committed were grave and, based on […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/16/2014 Leaders of both parks aim to learn from each other’s successes and challenges in order to create the greenest spaces possible in two densely populated metropolitan regions. Once deemed the wastelands of their respective regions, the two most notorious garbage dumps of Israel and New York City are joining hands to […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 01/08/2014 In comparison, Lake Kinneret celebrated an increase of 11 cm. in the same time period. As rainstorms barreled through Israel in December, drenching fields and filling up reservoirs, the Dead Sea’s water level continued to drop. By early January, the Dead Sea fell to 427.82 meters below sea level, three centimeters […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 01/14/2014 These latest grants represent the fifth round of funding provided to American and Israeli firms by the BIRD energy program since its inception in 2009. The energy arm of the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation will be granting $3.6 million to four clean energy projects developed by American […]

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The Ministry of Environment and Water will be given new powers to penalize polluters and develop recycling under legislation expected to be introduced this year. Broad reforms being considered for environmental laws will allow the ministry to bypass the courts and punish offenders. Dr Rashid bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, said his ministry […]

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West Bank utility agrees to buy $1.2 billion worth of natural gas for a power plant to go up near Jenin. By Eran Azran | Jan. 6, 2014 The first customer to sign up to buy gas from Israel’s giant Leviathan field is the Palestine Power Generation Company, which is developing an electric power plant […]

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Demands using site for settlements’ garbage too By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 9, 2014 The Civil Administration refuses to allow the operation of a landfill funded by the World Bank and intended to serve the Palestinian population south of Jerusalem. The administration is demanding that the Palestinians agree to let the region’s settlements use the […]

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Israel recently disclosed that its desalination capacity exceeds the country’s water needs. By Avi Bar-Eli | Jan. 9, 2014 | Both Jordan and the Palestinians are seeking to buy Israel’s excess desalinated water, TheMarker has learned. Israel recently disclosed that its desalination capacity exceeds the country’s water needs, and the Jordanian government contacted Israel in […]

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January 03, 2014 12:08 AM By Rola Majdalani, Joelle Comair In this period of profound turmoil and transformations that the Arab world is witnessing, regional cooperation for over even the most basic subjects remains elusive and cooperation over something as complex as shared water resources seems hopeless. However, in a changing and increasingly uncertain world, […]

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