February 02, 2012 02:16 AM The Daily Star BEIRUT: A visiting delegation of Danish experts believe that wind-generated electricity in the northern region of Akkar, expected to produce some 140 Megawatts of power, could be available in as little as 13 months. Beirut MP Mohammad Qabbani, who chairs Parliament’s Public Works, Energy and Water Committee […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Yale University Environmental Performance Index ranks countries on 22 aspects of environmental performance comparing countries’ achievements in applying environmental policy goals. By Zafrir Rinat * * Published 02:14 01.02.12 * Latest update 02:14 01.02.12 Israel receives middling ranking in green survey Yale University Environmental Performance Index ranks countries on 22 aspects of environmental performance comparing […]

Read the rest of this entry »

SPNI and JNF battle over the nature of Israel’s north, as Tu Bishvat, Jewish Arbor Day nears. By Zafrir Rinat On the eve of Tu Bishvat, two of the country’s leading ecological groups are feuding over the character of open spaces in northern Israel. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI ) […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/02/2012 06:08 Available pollution info is lacking, green group says. Pollution By REUTERS The brunt of lower and western Galilee factories does not comply with the standards of the Clean Air Law, a local green group found. Only two of three surveyed wastewater-treatment facilities in the region comply with the country’s sewage […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Overflow from Ga’aton River, which runs through Nahariya, causes extensive property damage each year. By Zafrir Rinat Townships in the Western Galilee have for the first time prepared a plan to prevent recurrent floods that damage property and waste precious water every winter. The Ga’aton River, which runs through Nahariya, serves as drainage for much […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/03/2012 04:37 All but one of 22 Palestinian villages refuse connection to sewage line, Environmental Protection Ministry says. Gilad Erdan tours Samarian communities By Courtesy Environmental Protection Ministry Swirling in the strikingly green valley below the southern Samaria community of Nofim is a rambling stream amid grass and trees – filled with […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/02/2012 06:02 200% increase in diesel fuel consumption, 108% rise in jet fuel oil use seen in 2011. Power station in southern city of Ashdod By Amir Cohen/Reuters Due to the lack of production reserves in the electricity sector, Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau said he expects there to be temporary […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Samaria in a sewage stalemate By SHARON UDASIN 02/03/2012 04:37 All but one of 22 Palestinian villages refuse connection to sewage line, Environmental Protection Ministry says. Gilad Erdan tours Samarian communities By Courtesy Environmental Protection Ministry Swirling in the strikingly green valley below the southern Samaria community of Nofim is a rambling stream amid grass […]

Read the rest of this entry »

An organization that demands universal compliance with the law and ecological norms has become part of a complex that perpetually abuses principles of law and justice. By Zafrir Rinat The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel recently released its annual report, outlining a list of threats posed to open spaces around the country. […]

Read the rest of this entry »

JIIS’ Environmental Policy Center together with its partner the Ministry of Environmental Protection launched a new web site this month presenting the latest developments of their joint project “Sustainability Outlook 2030 for Israel.” The goal of the project is to present a vision of sustainability for the year 2030 towards which Israel should aspire, thereby […]

Read the rest of this entry »

January 26, 2012 02:15 AM The Daily Star There has been a national outcry, from the south to the north, over the latest electricity problems. People are fed up with the promises and excuses of their leaders regarding an issue that is so vital to their livelihoods. People are now paying twice for the electricity, […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 01/30/2012 05:14 Energy and Water minister instructs Israel Electric Corporation to begin implementing plan to link Israel’s electricity grid to that of Cyprus. Uzi Landau By Ariel Jerozolimski Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau instructed the Israel Electric Corporation on Sunday to begin implementing a plan to lay undersea cables to link […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Proposed national investment fund to tap anticipated natural gas bonanza to fuel both export-geared economy, provide nest egg of $10 billion in under a decade for future generations Associated Press Israel is putting together a plan for a national investment fund that would tap an anticipated natural gas bonanza to fuel both an export-geared economy […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Green groups up in arms, citing expert who says region’s dunes are second most ecologically important area in Israel after Mount Hermon. By Zafrir Rinat The road that runs parallel to the Egyptian border in the western Negev is to be moved eastward by some 750 meters for security reasons. The Ramat Negev Regional Council […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By HERB KEINON 01/30/2012 04:43 Netanyahu says the railway would make it possible to travel from TA to Eilat in 2 hours, facilitate transporting goods to Europe. The cabinet held a preliminary discussion Sunday on building a train track from Eilat to Tel Aviv that could, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, serve as a […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Israel said on Sunday it plans to build a railway line linking its Red Sea and Mediterranean ports that could handle potential overflow from the Suez Canal on the freight route between Asia and Europe. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet the idea of ships dropping off goods in one port to be picked […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 01/25/2012 14:49 An approval would allow for the development of an 8-megawatt solar field on land owned by the Beduin Tarabin family. Solar panels By courtesy of AORA The Public Utility Authority on Tuesday put off a decision on whether to grant a production license for the first medium- sized solar field […]

Read the rest of this entry »

The National Research Centre’s solar energy department is carrying out a pilot project based on powering many household appliances — heaters, refrigerators, air conditioners, ice makers and dryers — with solar energy. The Solar House Complex project is about to be launched and will tackle households around Egypt in remote areas deprived of energy and […]

Read the rest of this entry »

January 26, 2012 01:00 AM By Olivia Alabaster The Daily Star Flying bats Flying bats BEIRUT: The largest single colony of fruit bats in the Middle East, residing in a cave in the Akkar region of north Lebanon, was last weekend largely destroyed by vandals, with thousands of bats killed. Dr. Mounir Abi-Said, founder of […]

Read the rest of this entry »

January 24, 2012 01:28 AM By Olivia Alabaster The Daily Star BEIRUT: Viewed by many as a danger and a pest, the recent rescue of two striped hyenas from captivity by Animals Lebanon has highlighted the threats to this indigenous species, and the need for greater awareness surrounding the animal, experts say. Exact numbers of […]

Read the rest of this entry »