Is it possible that there are no isolated places left in this country? Is there a single peak from which one can look north, south, east, and west without seeing a community, highway, electricity pole, antenna or army base? By Nir Hasson Daniel, the hero of a short story in Etgar Keret’s “Pipelines” collection, is […]

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AMMAN — Two boys took the initiative and made use of a non-operational bus lane in west Amman on Wednesday by turning it into a bicycle lane. Omar Ahmad and Mohammad Ali, both 14, from the Dahiyat Al Rashid neighbourhood, said they and other teens recently discovered the usefulness of the disused lane on Queen […]

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Organic produce market in downtown Beirut . By: Nidaa Hilal “Souk El Tayeb” is the first farmers’ open-air weekly market held every Saturday at Beirut Souks, Downtown Beirut, where fresh organic and traditional food is sold by producers from across Lebanon. Farmers’ markets are first about creating a link between producers and consumers. Food is […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/01/2012 10:09 Smartphone application is free, downloadable, will teach users benefits of green consumerism. The Environmental Protection Ministry has launched a free, downloadable smartphone application to teach users the benefits of green consumerism. The app, called “Environment – Lets think green,” attempts to guide consumers through different types of green behaviors that […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/02/2012 23:24 Nature and Parks Authority hopes to secure new funding to embark on additional cycle for program in North. After three years of forging cooperation among Arab and Jewish Israeli children over a shared need to protect nature, an Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) project in Alonei Abba came to […]

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Residents of Deir Istiya village say they plan to fight the order in court, arguing that it violates their right to work privately owned land. By Zafrir Rinat Israel’s Civil Administration in the West Bank has ordered Palestinian villagers to uproot more than 1,000 olive trees because they were planted in a nature reserve. Residents […]

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Jordanian Parliamentarians visit Bakoura On April 15th, FoEME took members from the Committee of Environment and Health in the Lower House of Parliament of Jordan to Bakoura, a military-controlled region near the border between Israel and Jordan. There, FoEME Amman Director explained the need to make the Bakoura region into a National Park, which would […]

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Residents of Tel Aviv complain of a harsh chlorine-like substance that could be felt in the air. By Ilan Lior and Zafrir Rinat Residents of Tel Aviv, Gush Dan and central Israel complained Thursday morning of a harsh chemical substance that could be felt in the air. Many people described the smell as similar to […]

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GAZA CITY (IRIN) — From factories to the fishing industry, the Gaza Strip economy is being affected by more than two months of fuel shortages and power outages, taking a toll on the livelihoods of its 1.6 million inhabitants. To make a living on the sea, Madlene Kollab needs 20 liters of fuel each day. […]

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By: Ibrahim Abdel Gelil Electricity for lighting is responsible for 19% of total end-use electrical consumption and for 6% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This equals the total emissions from Germany and Japan combined. Over the next 20 years, global electricity consumption for lighting is expected to increase by 60%. Shifting to efficient lighting […]

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By: Bashar Zeitoon Plans to establish green Islamic bond markets are being promoted in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, several news reports suggest. The use of Islamic debt instruments, known as sukuk, to raise capital for sustainable development projects in the MENA region would set a new precedent. It is hoped that […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/02/2012 19:33 Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau visits the Lone Star State to strengthen ties with Israel’s natural gas industry. As Israel’s presence in the natural gas market grows, the country should continue to strengthen its growing ties with the state of Texas, a capital of development for the industry, according […]

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Company will seriously consider raising capital Petra | Apr 28,2012 | 22:46 AMMAN — Chairman-designate of Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) Munther Haddadin announced on Saturday that the company will be engaged in a major marketing activity this year, especially after breaking up the monopoly in the Indian market. During the firm’s ordinary and extraordinary […]

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Volume 17, No.169, April 2012 CONTENTS 5 Mohammad Al-Kassas, the conscience of Arab environment (editorial by Najib Saab) 14 Environmental causes of the Arab spring (cover story) 20 An Arab scientist who stirred up humanity 22 Efficient lighting activities in the Middle East and North Africa 26 Restoration of Wadi Hanifa wetlands in Saudi Arabia […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Apr 28,2012 | 23:19 YARMOUK/IRBID — Political action is needed to resolve the standing issue of persistent Syrian violations of a water-sharing agreement concerning storage in the Wihdeh Dam and exploitation of the Yarmouk River, outgoing water minister Mousa Jamani said on Thursday. For several years, Jordan has been asking Syria […]

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Cutting off gas exports to Israel might have felt like a bombshell but it didn’t come out of the blue, write Niveen Wahish and Sherine Abdel-Razek The export deal under which Egypt pumps natural gas to Israel has been the focus of popular discontent since it was signed in 2005. Following the toppling of Hosni […]

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Behind the scenes, a senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem was dispatched to Cairo to discuss the disputed gas contract, and reportedly returned several hours later. By Avi Bar-Eli and Itai Trilnick Officially, the Israeli government has tried to minimize the diplomatic importance of last Sunday’s announcement by Egypt’s state-owned natural gas […]

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by Taylor Luck | Apr 28,2012 | 23:12 AMMAN — Egyptian gas supplies are set to resume next month, an energy officials said, stressing that Cairo’s recent decision to annul its gas agreement with Israel will not affect the Kingdom’s main energy source. According to a Ministry of Energy source, Cairo pledged to resume pumping […]

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Cheap used cars put new, fuel-efficient cars at disadvantage in local market by Omar Obeidat | Apr 29,2012 | 22:24 AMMAN — New and fuel-efficient cars can cut the Kingdom’s gasoline subsidies by 40-55 per cent, according to automobile exporters. In separate interviews with The Jordan Times, auto sector stakeholders urged policy makers to consider […]

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Electric-car buyers to get thousands of shekels in tax benefits from Israeli government HAARETZ New incentive involves lowering purchase tax on vehicles that pollute less, resulting in a saving of NIS 6,000 to NIS 10,000 for car buyers. By Zafrir Rinat Motorists who buy electric-powered cars and some hybrid cars are to get additional tax […]

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