A new West Bank eco-town is tempting some Palestinians with promises of a dream city, but it is not without its critics. Witness Last Modified: 16 May 2013 High on a hill in the West Bank, between Ramallah and Nablus, an extraordinary Palestinian city is being built: Rawabi – meaning hills. It will be the […]

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The guide was prepared ‘out of sensitivity to and an examination of the needs and usage of communities with different needs, demands and patterns of behavior,’ says housing ministry spokesperson. By Chaim Levinson | May.17, 2013 The Housing Ministry has quietly devised new guidelines under which Arab and Haredi ‏(ultra-Orthodox‏) towns should be planned with […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | May 16, 2013 | 23:15 Updated: May 16, 2013 | 23:15 AMMAN — With less than 5 per cent of Jordan’s solid waste being recycled, environment experts on Wednesday called for setting up a national waste management plan to reduce trash and encourage recycling. Around 2.13 million tonnes of waste, and […]

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May 16, 2013 BEIRUT: The creeping destruction of Lebanon’s natural resources is costing the country many millions of dollars, the Environment Ministry said Wednesday at an international conference, which addressed the environmental management of coastal areas and air quality issues in the Arab and Mediterranean regions. “Lebanon suffers from environmental degradation that costs the country […]

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SHARON UDASIN Delek Group reports signs of significant gas presence from the Karish 1 well; Energy Minister Shalom praises announcement. A new and potentially robust “shark” may be floating in the Mediterranean’s eastern waters. A significant gas presence on Wednesday evening was reported from the Karish 1 well (shark in English), located about 75 kilometers […]

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Friday, 10 May 2013 AFP, Beirut – Preliminary surveys of Lebanese offshore fields show reserves of 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 660 million barrels of oil, Lebanon’s energy minister said on Thursday, adding that production could begin within four years. Speaking at the Arab Economic Forum, Gebrane Bassil said scanning was now […]

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AFP, Rabat – Morocco on Friday officially launched the construction of a 160-megawatt solar power plant near the desert city of Ouarzazate, the first in a series of vast solar projects planned in the country. The largest of its kind in the world, according to Mustapha Bakkoury, the head of Morocco’s solar energy agency MASEN, […]

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editor’s note: Also in other news services. But not a lead story. SS By BLOOMBERG 05/11/2013 Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceeds 400 parts per million for first time since researchers began tracking the data in 1958. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed a threshold not seen for 3 million years, exceeding […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/07/2013 Despite dire predictions, country not expected to suffer water shortage. Israel must prepare for the possibility of a severe drought period that is expected to begin within a few years, the Water Authority warned on Monday. Models from the authority’s Hydrological Services have predicted that Israel will face a long and […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/13/2013 Environmentalists respond to what may be a dangerous decision on part of Lapid to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions program from budget. Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz and heads of Israeli environmental organizations called for President Shimon Peres to block the Finance Ministry’s intention to pull the plug on the national greenhouse […]

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Project’s supporters cite harm to energy-conservation targets, Israel’s international reputation. By Zafrir Rinat | May.08, 2013 The proposed suspension of the government’s national greenhouse-gas mitigation plan is a harsh blow to Israel’s energy conservation policy and its international status with regard to environmental protection, environmentalists say. Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz and environmental groups responded […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/07/2013 MK Amnon Cohen demands drop in water prices be included in state’s future budget due to its “significance to the cost of living.” Stressing that water is a basic human need, Knesset State Control Committee chairman MK Amnon Cohen (Shas) demanded on Monday that a drop in water prices be included […]

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Around four years after the worst of the global economic crisis, foundations are still not opening their wallets. By Zafrir Rinat | May.06, 2013 One of the most important environmental organizations in northern Israel says it faces imminent closure after failing to raise enough money to continue operations. The Public Health Coalition has been active […]

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The Housing Ministry plan to build some 30,000 residential units on land that extends to the edges of the Elah Valley to the south, the place where the Bible says David fought and killed Goliath. By Zafrir Rinat | May.10, 2013 Residents of Beit Shemesh and nearby communities have been trying for years, with no […]

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Plan aims to reduce construction costs, but environmentalists fear it will lead to the destruction of natural landscape and prevent the implementation of advanced building standards that ensure safety. By Zafrir Rinat | May.09, 2013 The government is advancing a nationwide housing plan which will enable construction in green areas, endanger trees in areas earmarked […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/08/2013 The State Comptroller Report slams the Israel Lands Authority’s lack of policy implemented to protect the coast. The Israel Lands Authority must create a more comprehensive vision for protecting the nation’s remaining open beaches and reexamine outdated construction plans that threaten to harm the coastal environment, the State Comptroller’s Report indicated. […]

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The site in question is located at the end of the Arvei Nahal Street in Tel Aviv and was home to an IMI factory from 1948 until 1980. By Zafrir Rinat | May.07, 2013 Recent groundwater and soil tests carried out in the Tel Aviv area by Israel’s Water Authority prove that more than 30 […]

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The previous postings, April 29, 2013, included as the top story the report from “Egypt Independent”: “Final Issue: In Egypt, environmental journalists are endangered species”. “Egypt Independent” has been an outstanding source of environmental news. As the story in the previous posting relates, the newspaper made an editorial decision that environmental issues were under-reported and […]

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18/04/2013 Steven Viney Cairo Climate Talks held its 15th panel discussion on Wednesday night, focusing on how Egypt should address the consequences of climate change, particularly in regards to poor urban populations and those living in informal housing. The inconvenient truth is that approximately 60 percent of Egyptians live in informal and unregistered housing without […]

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21/04/2013 Rana Khaled The average Cairene inhales more than 20 times the acceptable level of air pollution every day, according to the World Health Organization. That means that every Cairo resident’s daily air pollution intake is akin to smoking a pack of cigarettes. Industrial plants — especially factories that burn mazut, a heavy, low-quality fuel […]

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