By BEN HARTMAN 11/16/2011 20:20 Municipality says heavy work has been carried out to renovate city drainage system, prepared for winter. Talkbacks (6) Anyone who has been in Israel during a downpour knows the drill. The clouds open up and within minutes the city streets are covered in ankle-deep water that remains long after the […]

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11/18/2011 06:50 Although ongoing heavy rains have help slightly, Lake Kinneret still needs “major help.” Talkbacks (8) Despite the ongoing rains that have soaked pedestrians for the past couple days, and that are expected to continue through Saturday, Lake Kinneret water levels have seen little improvement. While the water level did not budge from Wednesday […]

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By Olivia Alabaster The Daily Star The CANA-CNRS is named after Qana in southern Lebanon. The CANA-CNRS is named after Qana in southern Lebanon. BEIRUT: A former Italian fishing vessel began its new life as a marine research boat at the Beirut naval base Friday, under the auspices of the Italian ambassador to Lebanon. A […]

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Study finds ‘lutra’ otters disappearing from areas in northern Israel; population remains stable in region stretching from the Jordan River tributaries to the Harod and Beit She’an valleys. By Zafrir Rinat The lutra, a local type of otter, has disappeared from areas such as the Jezreel and Zevulun valleys in the north, plagued by hunting, […]

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Rare find is akin to the Dead Sea Scrolls of nature conservation. By Zafrir Rinat Nature and Parks Authority warden Yoram Malka set out Tuesday for a routine patrol to monitor the birds in the Hula Nature Reserve, but he was also keeping his sharp eyes peeled for a specific type of frog. frog – […]

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By NADAV SHEMER 11/17/2011 05:47 Cooperation with both countries to increase after WATEC 2011 conference on water, renewable energy and environmental control. Talkbacks () Israel signed agreements with Taiwan and Kenya on the sidelines of the WATEC 2011 conference this week, which will see it increase water-technology cooperation with both countries. The three-day international exhibition […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 11/14/2011 05:35 Protesters attempt to unveil giant banner on Jerusalem city hall flagpole; municipality says environmental issues are top priority. Talkbacks (4) Two Greenpeace activists were arrested in Jerusalem on Sunday morning when they climbed up eight-meter flagpoles outside city hall. The protesters attempted to display a giant banner to convey their […]

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By ARIEH O’SULLIVAN / THE MEDIA LINE 11/09/2011 19:17 Jerusalem belches out its untreated waste to areas once known for their beauty, holy sites. Mohammed Nakhal is normally a calm man, but he’s seething now. The stench of raw sewage is overpowering. It is rushing by, down the biblical Kidron Valley through the Judean Desert […]

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By Taylor Luck AMMAN – The Middle East’s first particle accelerator project is looking to succeed where many initiatives have failed – to unite people across the region in a common cause. Synchrotron light for Experimental Science and Application in the Middle East (SESAME) is accelerating its efforts to open a world of opportunities to […]

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Drilling below the sea floor shows a roller-coaster ride for the region’s climate. By Zafrir Rinat The Dead Sea may be drying up, but research by Israeli scientists and colleagues abroad shows that the water has risen and fallen by hundreds of meters over the past 200,000 years. The goal is to study the region’s […]

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Dead Sea comes up short in natural wonders vote – Jordan Times By Khetam Malkawi AMMAN – Although the Dead Sea was not among the winners in the New Seven Wonders of Nature contest that concluded on Friday, it remains a natural wonder and one of Jordan’s main tourist attractions, officials and Jordanians said on […]

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Israeli green groups push bill to protect Dead Sea ahead of New 7 Wonders competition – Haaretz ‘Protection and Rehabilitation of the Dead Sea’ bill drafted by Israel Union for Environmental Defense, submitted to Knesset by MKs headed by Dov Khenin (Hadash). By Zafrir Rinat This weekend, the winners of the worldwide New 7 Wonders […]

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Two blasts hit Egypt’s gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan – Al Arabiya An Egyptian pipeline sending gas to Israel and Jordan was hit by two explosions early Thursday, Egypt’s security services and the official news agency said. A first blast occurred around 1:00 am (2300 GMT Wednesday) 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Environmentalists on Thursday expressed concern that the Gulf of Aqaba will turn into a “junkyard” of ships unless naval authorities step up regulations governing maritime activities at Jordan’s sole seaport. The calls came after the sinking of the passenger ferry “Pella” early Tuesday in international waters off Aqaba 800 metres […]

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Report on Israel’s environmental performance shows vast majority of garbage sent to dumps, not recycled or reused; pollution higher than in most other OECD members. By Zafrir Rinat The quantity of garbage produced in Israel grew by 15 percent over the past decade, and about 10 percent of drillings for wells had to be shut […]

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Volume 16, No.163, October 2011 5 Green economy and freedom (editorial by Najib Saab) 13 Green is not enough 14 15 tips to reduce food leftovers 22 Treated wastewater as a strategic resource in the Arab region (cover story) 29 Waste dumps back in Tunisia 30 NASA explores water under Kuwait’s desert 32 Who wins […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 11/03/2011 03:14 Environment Ministry: Israel already preparing its legislation to meet protocol demands to protect Mediterranean Sea against pollution. Talkbacks () The EU’s European Commission executive branch issued a proposal late last week that the EU accede to the 1994 Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution from offshore […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 11/03/2011 03:09 Head of European environmental unit: We hope partnerships with Israel will increase. Talkbacks (6) Environmental leaders and researchers from all over Europe and Israel came together at the University of Haifa on Wednesday to discuss the challenges and costs of climate change, as well as the European Union and the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 11/04/2011 01:40 Agreement signed by national infrastructure minister will allow for exchange of information, experience, consultation and guidance in installation, operation of renewable energy systems. Talkbacks (4) National Infrastructure Minister Dr. Uzi Landau signed an agreement on Thursday with the Republic of Cyprus’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism for future cooperation […]

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Beirut, 28 October 2011 See also AFED home page: http://www.afedonline.org/en/ The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) concluded its fourth annual conference on Green Economy in a Changing Arab World, held in Habtoor Grand Hotel, Beirut. AFED Secretary General Najib Saab announced the conference recommendations, which agreed with AFED report that forward-looking Arab economic […]

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