Subscribers and friends are invited to register (see below) for the virtual book tour webinar with Dan Rabinowitz, the author of the important hew book, The Power of Deserts, Monday Sept 14, noon Eastern Standard Time. Climate Change and Solar Potential in the Middle East Dan Rabinowitzof Tel Aviv Universityon his new book The Power […]

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NAJIB SAAB Sept 1, 2020 Less than a week after the publication of figures on the unprecedented rise in global temperatures, a thermometer in Southern California’s Death Valley soared to almost 55 degrees Celsius, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, the highest temperature recorded anywhere in the world in the past 100 years. Temperatures […]

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2/9/2020 The UAE capital has become home to more than 800 flamingo chicks and nine new species since the start of 2020. Environment Agency Abu Dhabi reflected on achievements in wildlife and conservation in its half year report. Discoveries include seven new invertebrates and two plants – and follow a pledge to phase-out single use […]

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Development of the new ‘Butterfly Quarter’ in city of Hadera hasn’t even begun and the Cigaritis cilissa is already disappearing. Zafrir Rinat 27.08.2020 In the past two decades there’s been a 99 percent drop in population of the Cigaritis cilissa butterfly, native to the coastal region in northern Israel, according to a survey by an […]

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September 4, 202010:27 AM ET Ruth Sherlock Twitter Lebanon’s capital Beirut remains devastated by the massive explosion at the city’s port last month. The country is in the depths of an economic collapse, and coronavirus is spreading. But as Lebanon reels from multiple tragedies, conservationists are pointing to one bright spot. They say a record […]

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The army has discovered more than 4 tons of ammonium nitrate near Beirut’s port, a find that’s a chilling reminder of the horrific explosion a month ago that killed 191 people. According to the military, army experts were called in for an inspection and found 4.35 tons of the dangerous chemical in four containers stored […]

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Lebanon’s Bisri Valley lies on a green fertile bed, a spot that has cradled civilizations dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Its expansive lands of pine, citrus trees and ancient ruins are threatened with being submerged by a controversial mega dam funded by the World Bank. For years, activists and locals have voiced […]

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Saturday 29 August 2020 The Blue Nile River flows near the site of the planned Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam near Assosa, Ethiopia. (AP) AFP Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have failed to agree on a unified text on the management of Addis Ababa’s controversial Nile dam, Khartoum’s water and irrigation minister said Friday. The Grand Ethiopian […]

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Aug 25,2020 AMMAN — The National Energy Research Centre of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) has won the “Energy Globe Award”, the Global Sustainability Award, for the “Solar Water Pumping in the Jordan Valley and Highlands” project. The RSS on Tuesday said that the project included replacing inefficient, traditional irrigation pumps based on electricity and […]

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Aug 24,2020 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation, in partnership with USAID, has launched the third phase of a nationwide project aimed at reducing water loss by 30 per cent not later than 2025. The $20-million third phase of the project aims to preserve water resources, achieve financial and administrative sustainability and sustain […]

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26/8/2020 Fresh greens from a new vertical farm in Abu Dhabi city will go on sale for the first time in September. The vegetables are grown under LED lights inside eight converted shipping containers using hydroponics – where crops are grown with nutrient-rich water instead of soil. Smart Acres, the company behind the venture, initially […]

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just released. Stanford University Press. August 2020184 pages. $14.00Paperback ISBN: 9781503609983 Dan Rabinowitz has been writing detailed and insightful analyses of Middle East environmental issues and possibility throughout his career. The “promise” in the title highlights going beyond the dire forecasts and promoting appropriate, realistic responses. Also, note the reasonable price. (ed) publishers description: Hotter […]

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Is Turkey on the cusp of turning into a regional energy power? by Dimitar Bechev27 Aug 2020 On Friday, August 21, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a sizeable natural gas field had been found off the Turkish Black Sea coast. The discovery of some 320 billion cubic metres (bcm) reserve is being hailed as a […]

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Dan Rabinowitz A lot has been written in recent days about the diplomatic-security aspect of the United Arab Emirates’ initiative to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. The UAE, which stretches across 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of the Persian Gulf coast, has great interest in solidifying its relationship with the United States, establishing a regional […]

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Zafrir Rinat August 14, 2020 When changes are examined only for the summer months, estimates are that average temperatures may rise by as much as six degrees, study shows The average temperature in Israel will rise by four degrees Celsius compared to average temperatures over the last thirty years, unless steps are taken around the […]

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Zafrir Rinat 25.08.2020 State planners side with municipality in opposing ‘greenwashing’ by energy company. The southern coastal city of Ashkelon is completing a new master plan that designates the sand dunes in the city’s southern part as an ecological corridor of high importance for the conservation of animals. At the same time, the Europe Asia Pipeline […]

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Children will learn about topics such as the climate crisis, the importance of preserving open space, air pollution, recycling, reducing waste, and more. By CELIA JEAN   AUGUST 20, 2020 In order to promote education on environmental and sustainability issues in the Israel’s education system, the Environmental Ministry is set to transfer NIS 10.7 million […]

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The Arava Institute is starting an exciting new research project to help fight the coronavirus. Dr. Clive Lipchin will lead a 12-month study to test wastewater in Bedouin villages for COVID-19. Detection of the coronavirus in wastewater can help identify outbreaks early, isolate hot spots, and prevent the spread of disease. This can help officials […]

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What’s the connection between environmental legislation, climate change – and workers’ rights? Heschel staffer Aviva Shemesh explains the idea of “just transition” illustrated by the very current example of the announced closing of the toxic petrochemical industries of the Haifa Bay. The BAZAN Group, or ORL (Oil Refineries Ltd.) is an oil refining and petrochemicals […]

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The campaign calls on the Israeli public to leave the disposable tableware at home and to transition to reusable products that will keep Israel’s beaches clean and plastic-free. By TOBIAS SIEGAL   AUGUST 19, 2020 The Environmental Protection Ministry and EcoOcean, a non-profit organization, released on Wednesday an informational campaign calling on the public to […]

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