By SHARON UDASIN 10/31/2016 Joint List MK Dov Henin on Monday called upon the Knesset State Control Committee to subpoena Prime Minister Netanyahu, after his office allegedly intervened last week to prevent the closure of the Carmel Olefins factory in Haifa Bay. Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav issued an administrative order on Wednesday to shut down […]

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Hotel may damage natural landscape in the Sasgon Valley region, activists say; ‘This is a megalomaniacal and kitschy plan,’ lawmakers say. Zafrir Rinat Nov 01, 2016 Green organizations are demanding that planning authorities enable the public to register its opposition to the construction of a hotel in the Timna Valley in the Arava desert. The […]

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Global warming is on track to disrupt the Mediterranean region more than any droughts or heatwaves in the past 10,000 years, turning parts of southern Europe into desert by the end of the century, scientists said on Thursday. Average temperatures in the region have already risen by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) since the late […]

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Beirut, 27 October 2016 The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) will hold its ninth annual conference on November 10-11, to discuss the challenges and potential for achieving the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a turbulent Arab world. The conference will be hosted by the American University of Beirut, academic member of AFED, […]

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AMMAN — Sixty Jordanians are planning to start a march from Amman to Aqaba on Thursday to raise awareness of climate change, the organisers said on Monday. The initiative is being held ahead of the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties, which will be hosted in November in Morocco. “[This march] is to […]

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By Mohammad Ghazal – Oct 29,2016 AMMAN — Construction is under way on an eco-project to grow vegetables, generate power form solar energy and produce freshwater in the Aqaba desert, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) said on Saturday. “An agreement was signed on Thursday between ASEZA and the Sahara Forest Project to start […]

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Kuwait began operating its first-ever solar power plant last Wednesday at the Umm Gudair oil field, a landmark for the OPEC member country as it seeks to diversify its sources of energy to meet fast-rising local demand. The 30-million Kuwaiti dinar ($99 million) project, Sidrah 500, will produce 10 megawatts (MW) of electricity, half of […]

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The biggest man-made forest in the GCC countries is nearing completion in Qatar, some 50km from Doha, near Umm Salal Ali. “The 8.3sq km forest, which includes two lakes and four islands, is expected be completed by March 20, 2017,” Rafi Ohanian, operations manager, Nakheel Landscapes, told Gulf Times. “About 950,000 trees are being planted […]

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AMMAN — A $1.5 billion tourism project will be established on 2,000 dunums of land at the Dead Sea under an agreement signed on Sunday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The deal was signed by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Investment Affairs Jawad Anani, Jordan Development Zones company […]

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Rain expected in north, scattered showers forecast in central region’ By Hana Namrouqa – Oct 31,2016 The King Talal Dam in Jerash. There are currently 10 major dams in Jordan with a capacity of 325 million cubic metres (Photo by Amjad Ghsoun) AMMAN — The capital’s drainage system is ready to manage and discharge rainwater […]

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Environment Ministry to involve private sector as partner in adapting to impact of phenomenon By Hana Namrouqa – Oct 27,2016 AMMAN — Climate change jeopardises the survival of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 98 per cent of Jordan’s businesses, experts warned on Thursday, calling for strengthening the sector’s resilience to the global […]

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AFP Iran’s vice president and environment chief, Massoumeh Ebtekar, has told AFP that the West’s failure to fully implement the nuclear deal and lift sanctions are endangering her country’s efforts to meet climate targets. In an exclusive interview, Ebtekar said Iran had already seen temperatures rise by 1.5 degrees over the past 20 years, and […]

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A conference entitled “Building Cross-border Environmental Agreements between Israel, Jordan and Palestine”, held September 7-8,brought together over 50 participants who formed working groups and plan to take action in the coming year on critical environmental needs across the region. The Institute hosted this conference as an inaugural step towards the fulfillment of its mission to […]

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Yaseen M. Khayyat Oct 19,2016 As minister of environment, my team and I face daily an array of pressing threats against our environment that need to be dealt with. Environmental violations caused by industrial pollution, exhaust emissions, illegal loggers and long-term consequences of global issues like climate change and ozone depletion, to name a few, […]

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The Timna Valley, where the hotel is slated to be built, is a unique area surrounded by sandstone hills that is considered a natural wonder of global importance. Zafrir Rinat Oct 19, 2016 A controversial plan to build a hotel near the Timna Park was approved last week by the southern district’s planning and building […]

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Concept of Hima encompasses ‘humanitarian, material environment’ By JT – Oct 19,2016 – AMMAN — The concept of “Hima” is global and ever-expanding, encompassing the humanitarian and material environment, HRH Prince Hassan said on Tuesday. At the opening of the second regional Hima Forum, Prince Hassan, who is the chairman of the West Asia and […]

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Irregular meteorological conditions cause rise in pollution levels; Ministry of Environmental Protection issues special instructions to all Bazan oil refinery plants in order to avoid furthering the problem. Ynet|Published: 15.10.16 The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Friday that an highly irregular meteorological conditions in the area have led to the accumulation of unusual levels […]

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‘Basateen Pump Station providing 500,000 residents with regular supply of water’ By Bahaa Al Deen Al Nawas – Oct 19,2016 RUSEIFA — Water Minister Hazem Nasser on Tuesday inaugurated the Basateen Pump Station and Reservoir, built to meet the increasing demand in Zarqa’s Ruseifa District, 12km east of Amman. The new facilities are part of […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Oct 08,2016 AMMAN — The government will seize the assets of 1,829 water subscribers in the northern region if they fail to pay their bills within 60 days, an official said on Saturday. The names of water subscribers with outstanding bills have been published in the Official Gazette, an official at […]

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Minister says collected water can also reduce water bill by 40% By Hana Namrouqa – Oct 19,2016 AMMAN — Households can collect at least 50 cubic metres of rainwater from cisterns installed onto rooftops during winter, Water Minister Hazem Nasser said on Tuesday. “The collected water at cisterns can serve as a strategic reserve for […]

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