By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Jordan is preparing its third report on climate change that identifies sectors emitting greenhouse gases and the effect of the phenomenon on gender and socio-economic conditions, officials said on Saturday. The Third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) constitutes an inventory of sectors that […]

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As the countries owning most of the planet’s oil reserves confront growing political turmoil, the economic stability of the whole world will remain at risk – until an alternative to petroleum is developed. By Aluf Benn The repeated warnings that the world economy is relying on a dwindling resource lying deep down in the earth, […]

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CONTENTS 5 From Cancun to Durban (editorial by Najib Saab) 9 Diversifying power resources and national economy (by Suleiman Al-Herbish, director general of OFID) 18 Dioxin in eggs (cover story) 22 Four pioneers awarded Zayed international prize for environment 26 Towards a green economy and better environmental Governance (UNEP governing council and global ministerial environment […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS AND ASSOCIATED PRESS 02/27/2011 02:24 Most chemicals cited in UN report not in use in Israel but Environment Ministry plans to implement Stockholm Treaty in order to eliminate hazardous materials. Climate change is a major obstacle to a 2004 global treaty aimed at cutting exposure to 21 highly dangerous chemicals, according […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Authorities on Sunday closed down a landfill north of the capital after its owners failed to address residents’ complaints of noise and environmental pollution. The landfill, which stretches over 50 dunums of land in Safout in Ain Al Basha, a few kilometres north of Amman, was the site of a […]

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AMMAN (JT) – The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will refer the feasibility study of the Disi Water Conveyance Project to the court soon for suspected corruption, the commission’s president, Samih Bino, said on Wednesday. In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, he said the commission will also examine irregularities related to a JD40 million […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The number of illegal logging cases dropped in January, despite the fact that more trees are usually cut down in winter, according to the Ministry of Environment. “We only registered two cases of illegal logging last month, because authorities stepped up monitoring of forest areas,” environment ministry spokesperson Isa Shboul […]

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RAMALLAH, March 1, 2011 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Authority and Japan Monday signed a cooperation agreement in which Japan would grant the PA $32 million for a water treatment project in Jericho. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad signed the agreement at his Ramallah office with the representative of Japan to the PA, Naofumi Hashimoto. The grant […]

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By Hana Namrouqa MADABA – Warning that their district is on the verge of an “environmental crisis”, Madaba residents on Monday complained about an insufficient water supply and called for the entire governorate to be connected to the sewage network. During a meeting with Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohmmad Najjar and Water Authority of […]

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Although posters proclaimed that ‘within days’ somebody would show up at our homes and install the devices for free, nobody saw anybody wearing a Water Authority shirt who might be suspected of installing water savers. By Amiram Cohen About six months ago somebody plastered pretty posters all over our neighborhood, and in our building stairwell, […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 03/03/2011 03:10 Better Place announces that this is the first project in the field to be approved by the European Commission. A Better Place-coordinated consortium will produce an interface enabling any electric car to be outfitted with a switchable battery. This is the first project in the field to be approved […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Water fixtures and electrical appliances that use water will now have their water conservation efficiency tested at the region’s first water efficiency measurement laboratory, which opened at the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) on Thursday. In a speech delivered on her behalf by RSS Executive Director for External Affairs Tareq Hadid, […]

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Pipeline has been shut down since it was sabotaged on February 5 during protests against former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. By Reuters and TheMarker Egypt’s natural gas supplies to East Mediterranean Gas and its clients in Israel are expected to resume by March 4, Ampal-American Israel Corporation said on Sunday, in contrast to media speculation […]

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By Lior Zeno Israel’s offshore natural gas deposits haven’t snagged the large international energy companies, until now. TheMarker has learned that China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., also known as Sinopec, is looking to buy into Israeli drilling licenses with the help of All Energy Holdings. The two have signed a memorandum of understanding for All […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 02/22/2011 01:55 ‘1 megawatt saved at consumption level is equivalent to 3 megawatts at production level, so it’s 3 times more efficient to work on demand than production.’ Sixty percent of global companies did not monitor their energy usage last year, but the need for energy efficiency is increasingly being recognized, […]

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By Fahed Fanek Jordan’s economy is very sensitive to the fluctuations of petroleum prices. During 2010, the imported petroleum bill rose by 31 per cent, to form around 12 per cent of the gross domestic product. It contributed at least 3.7 percentage points to the inflation rate. It also had a negative impact on the […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 02/25/2011 03:07 Energy experts tell ‘Post’ as a result of the chaos in Cairo, the gov’t should move immediately to secure backups to gas supply. Talkbacks (2) The government should move immediately to secure alternatives or backups to Egyptian natural gas following the upheavals there, experts told The Jerusalem Post this […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 02/24/2011 05:01 Nature and Parks Authority praises decision after waging campaign to convince Israel Electric Corporation not to ruin beauty of the crater. Power lines needed to bring electricity – particularly solar energy – up from the Negev to the center will run under the Ramon Crater and not through it, […]

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By BEN HARTMAN 02/23/2011 02:58 Minister vows to lower prices and diversify sources as well as develop periphery. National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau (Israel Beiteinu) said Tuesday that reducing energy costs and using renewable energy programs to develop the periphery are his ministry’s top priorities. He spoke at the opening of the fourth annual Eilat-Eilot […]

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full text available at: http://www.mei.edu/Publications/WebPublications/Viewpoints/ViewpointsArchive/tabid/541/ctl/Detail/mid/1623/xmid/1640/xmfid/11/Default.aspx 2/10/2011 The Environment and the Middle East: Pathways to Sustainability 11 Leading Experts As this publication is being launched, Egypt enters the third week of nationwide protests. Indeed, there is evidence of political ferment throughout the Arab world, as people have taken to the streets in Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, and […]

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