Environmental group says hikers have taken to renovating natural springs themselves, without permits, particularly beyond the Green Line. By Zafrir Rinat | May.15, 2012 | 10:49 AM The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is calling on authorities to put a stop to what it describes as a growing trend: private citizens […]

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Volume 17, No.170, May 2012 CONTENTS 5 Are Arabs ready for Rio? (editorial by Najib Saab) 14 War over natural resources in Southern Sudan (cover story 20 Upper Jordan River conflict 24 A green building for WHO in Amman 27 Dirty laundry Greenpeace report on toxic chemicals in brand clothes 28 Electronic waste in Jordan […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/16/2012 03:48 Agriculture exhibition showcases hundreds of new technologies ranging from water-converting drones to predatory mites. Mayer Fitoussi, CEO of AQUA Israel, envisions equipping unmanned aerial drones with systems that can both harvest water from the air and allow the vehicle to remain for six months in the sky without touching down. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/13/2012 21:58 Cabinet approves Landau’s proposals to combat blackouts, including increased solar quota In the face of possible electricity blackouts at home this coming summer, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan called on the government Sunday morning to cease supplying power to the Gaza Strip. Before deliberately cutting supplies to residents of Israel, […]

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Plan includes eliminating limitations imposed on the Israel Electric Corp. on using polluting heavy fuel oil for electricity generation. By Zvi Zrahiya | May.14, 2012 The cabinet approved a plan on Sunday to deal with the power shortages expected this summer, when demand for electricity is high. The plan includes eliminating limitations imposed on the […]

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Beirut, 14/5/2012 The Water Resources Science Program at the American University of Technology (AUT), in cooperation with the Netherlands Institute in Beirut and AFED, organizes a symposium on “Sustainable Water Strategies: a National, Regional and Global Perspective.” The event, under the patronage of Minister of Energy and Water Mr. Gebran Bassil, will be held on […]

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Health Ministry decides to reduce the number of pesticides permitted for use after studies show extended exposure causes neurological damage. By Zafrir Rinat | May.14, 2012 | 3:24 AM The interministerial committee coordinating pesticide use has decided to reduce the number of pesticides permitted for use. The Health Ministry, which is spearheading the committee’s efforts, […]

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Steven Viney Mon, 30/04/2012 – 12:15 In Cairo, environmental experts must struggle with the paradox between the visions they have for the city’s future and the realities of actually implementing them. On Sunday night, at Cairo Climate Talks’ sixth monthly panel discussion, German and Egyptian experts gathered to share their views on the idea of […]

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Al-Masry Al-Youm Mon, 07/05/2012 – 21:43 amsha Bay on the Red Sea on Monday suffered a new onshore and offshore oil spill resulting from a leakage in a General Petroleum Company well, emitting large quantities of the toxic Hydrogen Sulfide gas. This is the seventh leakage since September. The Environment Ministry dispatched a team of […]

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May 12, 2012 02:15 AM By Olivia Alabaster TAANAYEL, Lebanon: Environment Minister Nazim Khoury and U.N. Development Program representatives visited various projects in the central Bekaa Friday with ambassadors from the donor countries of Italy, Spain and Belgium. Officials remarked that while environmental progress was being made at these sites, there was still a long […]

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Special team to make recommendations to Nicosia within six months. By Reuters | May.13, 2012 | 4:01 AM NICOSIA – The second foray by Cyprus into tapping offshore gas reserves received an unexpected boost on Friday when 15 companies, including international heavyweights, bid for contracts in the untapped and energy-rich east Mediterranean. Delek Group is […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/11/2012 03:36 International event aims to raise awareness about the plight of migratory flocks. Aiming to raise public awareness about the ecological importance of migratory birds, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is beckoning human travelers to flock to three of its national park sites this Saturday. This Saturday and Sunday […]

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Lutras are endangered all over the world, and only a few dozen are believed to remain in this country, but dwindling population hints at at troubled ecosystem. By Eli Ashkenazi | May.14, 2012 | 12:30 AM | 1 For the first time in decades, no lutras, a dwindling species of otter, have been spotted in […]

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GAT-March-April 2012- ASHRAF AMIN Twenty years after the last earth summit in Rio, the nations will again be on the road to the same city by next June, trying to solve the same environmental problems in a more complex context. Among the topics on the agenda, the nations will discuss the “Green Economy” initiative, an […]

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Israel ranks second only to Denmark in providing favorable conditions for cleantech development, but that innovation has yet to significantly affect the local environment. By Zafrir Rinat Cleantech is the name given to the range of new technologies being developed to reduce environmental damage and encourage the use of renewable energy. The field has promising […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/08/2012 23:36 “The real challenges are ahead, to convert successful technology to a successful commercial size,” chairman says. In the heat of the Negev sun on Tuesday, Ness Zionabased firm HelioFocus opened the demonstration phase of its HelioBooster system, a solar-thermal process that aims to back up existing power plants. The system […]

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May 09, 2012 01:40 AM The Daily Star BEIRUT: Energy companies and government officials announced the launch of a new wind farm project to be built in north Lebanon, a company spokesman said in a press release Tuesday. The wind farm is expected to produce 60 megawatts of energy, enough to power around 60,000 homes, […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/10/2012 00:01 “We see this cooperation as an important milestone,” says Dr. Yuval Davidor, CEO of Lextran. Israel Electric Corporation signed on Tuesday a cooperation agreement with Petah Tikveh-based company Lextran to establish a testing facility for the firm’s emission purifying technology. The beta site will crop up at the IEC’s largest […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/10/2012 01:57 Economic Affairs Committee makes the move at the behest of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. At the behest of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) and the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Economic Affairs Committee authorized the addition of two environmental representatives to […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/09/2012 21:44 Energy and Water Minister recommends a 30-megawatt increase in solar rooftops allocations to boost energy. Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau recommended a 30-megawatt increase in solar rooftop allocations, as part of a government proposal he submitted on Wednesday for coping with the expected electricity shortages this summer. After submitting […]

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