Sarah Weatherbee| The Daily Star BEIRUT: From the ground, it’s hard to envision how tiny, day-to-day changes add up to big impact. Viewing Earth from space can help broaden perspectives, completing the stories that quantitative data cannot. Further, images of Earth’s surface can be worth a thousand possibilities for progress. The recently released book, Space […]

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Dana Halawi| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The World Bank’s country director for the Middle East has urged the Lebanese Parliament to speed up the approval of the construction of the Bisri dam, a $612 million project financed by the World Bank and the Islamic Bank. “Lebanese officials have already expressed a great interest and willingness […]

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Government decision to use the recycled material in building projects is not being enforced. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb. 6, 2015 Recycling construction waste is becoming virtually impossible because the industries that should use it are not buying it from recycling sites. Manufacturers who process the waste products have appealed to the government to enforce […]

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A National Seminar on Climate Change was organised on January 26, 27 and 28 by the ClimaSouth project in Ramallah under the Patronage of H. E. Chairperson of the Environmental Quality Authority, Eng. Adalah Al Attirah. This event was aiming at enabling the Palestinian Authority to improve the management of the climate changes issues by […]

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Crops are blooming on Gaza City rooftops, thanks to an aquaponic gardening method that saves water and space. Ala Qandil | 24 Jan 2015 Gaza City – Abu Ahmed’s rooftop was once only a space to store garbage. Today, in the densely populated centre of Gaza City, it is a green oasis. In winter, it […]

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Vakur SÜMER Advisor, Water Research Program ORSAM (CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STRATEGIC STUDIES) Water problem is a grave concern in Gaza Strip. In addition to long-lasting difficulties associated with various aspects of water, including limited resources, demographic pressures, pollution, and wasteful use; the region is now increasingly threatened by water infrastructure damage caused by continued […]

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Assist. Prof. Vakur Sümer, ORSAM Advisor, Selçuk University The countries of the Middle East, most of which rank among the world’s most water-scarce ones, should focus more on reusing existing water resources. Reusing the treated sewage effluent (TSE) is one of possible routes to water efficiency, something gravely needed in the region as a whole. […]

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When it comes to the coastline, Israel’s environmental movement has racked up some impressive achievements. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 22, 2015 Not long ago, a group of activists from the Green Course (Megamah Yerukah) organization made their way to a building site along the Bat Yam coast. The members protested the plan to eliminate […]

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December 4, 2014, By Moses Jackson, The Wilson Center Source: New Security Beat Water is a key ingredient for peace, especially in the Middle East. The Jordan River, which forms the border between Israel, the Palestinian West Bank, and Jordan, is central to the interrelated political and environmental challenges facing the region. Addressing these challenges […]

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THE 5 R GO TO SCHOOL Wednesday, January 14, 2015 The youth of today will be the main consumers of goods of the future. It is, therefore, crucial to guide the new generation towards a “conscious consumption”, to train them in the Reduce, Reuse, Rethink, Recycle of waste and Recovery of energy. The improper waste […]

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How challenging is it to protect the environment in a region affected by conflict? By Peggy Giakoumelos,  13 JAN 2015 With necessities such as access to clean water and food at the forefront, maintaining other aspects of the natural environment can take second or even third place. A group calling itself “EcoPeace Middle East” brings […]

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RAMALLAH, January 13, 2015 (WAFA) – Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority (EQA) said, in a statement Tuesday, that following the Palestinian Authority’s recent move of signing on to four international conventions on environment, Israel will be held accountable for committing crimes against the environment in Palestine. Ahead of the United Nations Security Council’s failure to adopt […]

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Jan 13, 2015 AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan has called for galvanising “efforts to ensure that policies are put in place that ensure and promote the role of communities and end users in natural resources management”. “Anthropolitics, or a politics of humanity, must take centre stage in the Middle East to restore respect for human […]

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Israeli company AORA to provide solar-biogas hybrid power solutions for rural communities in Ethiopia. Anav Silverman, Tazpit 01.17.15 Ethiopia is aiming to enhance access to affordable and environmentally-friendly renewable energy for its population, with the country’s Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy announcing last month that it had signed an agreement with an Israeli solar-hybrid […]

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Egypt considers gas imports from Israel Oil minister says Cairo continues to mull decision to enter arrangement with Jerusalem in order to end post-Mubarak energy woes. 01.14.15 Egypt is open to importing gas from Israel, its oil minister said in state-owned media on Wednesday, another sign that Cairo may lean on its Jewish neighbor to […]

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AFP | Jan 17, 2015 ABU DHABI — Falling oil prices could have a negative impact on global efforts to develop renewable energy sources, experts warned Saturday at a conference in Abu Dhabi. Oil prices have fallen by almost 60 per cent since June, crashing on worries over global oversupply and weak demand in a […]

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Explosive urban growth, mainly in Middle East, China and Africa, is a danger to the planet – unless cities can be planned to use energy strategically, says international team. By Ruth Schuster | Jan. 16, 2015 Cities already consume the lion’s share of global energy and they’re growing fast. Now a groundbreaking new study proposes […]

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Sunday, 11 January 2015 Director General of the Urban Planning Administration in Makkah Municipality Fayiz Kansarah said the leveling of mountains increases the risks of earthquakes, especially the leveled areas are not utilized properly for development projects, Makkah daily reported. Kansarah said the municipality has started carrying out plans for protecting the topography of Makkah […]

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In study, use of barn owls and kestrels has led to 50% to 90% drop in applications for highly toxic chemicals. By Zafrir Rinat | Jan. 12, 2015 The use of birds of prey to tackle pest control has led to a marked reduction in the use of highly toxic chemical pesticides by farmers, according […]

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RAMALLAH, January 6, 2015 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Water Authority Tuesday revealed that 95% of the groundwater in the Gaza Strip is unfit for human consumption, stressing that it is in dire need of rehabilitation. A report issued by the water authority said that the overall potable water consumption in Gaza reached 103.34 million cubic […]

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