Bahrain, in the Middle East is one of the most wasteful nations on earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) 2014 Living Planet Report, published recently. Bahrain is the ninth worst offender in terms of the environmental impact it has on the planet, per head of population. But Bahrain is not lonely among its […]

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Abu Dhabi is considered a “water-stressed” area as the emirate’s per capita availability of fresh, natural and renewable water resource is less than 100 cubic meters. The areas with less than 500 cubic meter availability of fresh water fall under this category, a conference in the capital heard on Tuesday. Experts from the UAE and […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Oct 14, 2014 AMMAN — Construction work on a pipeline to transport 30 million cubic metres (mcm) of Disi water from Amman to Zarqa Governorate annually will commence in the middle of next year, a government official said on Tuesday. Under an agreement signed by Water Minister Hazem Nasser and French […]

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by Laila Azzeh | Oct 14, 2014 HRH Princess Basma with winners of the Queen Alia Competition for Social Responsibility at a ceremony on Tuesday (Petra photo) AMMAN — The Queen Alia Competition for Social Responsibility this year challenged students to come up with designs for eco-mosques. To compete for the 2013/2014 “Jo-Green” award, university […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Oct 13, 2014 Authorities have dismantled over 11,625 illegal pipes since the Water Ministry launched a nationwide campaign in August last year to end violations on the water network (Photo courtesy of Water Ministry) AMMAN — The authorities sealed 45 illegal wells in September within an ongoing campaign to end all […]

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BEIRUT: A ministerial report calling for the construction of waste-treatment centers in the Batroun district was bitterly disputed by Telecoms Minister Boutros Harb Friday. “The city and people of Chekka have suffered for decades from a dangerous environmental problem,” Harb said. Chekka suffers from the “highest cancer prevalence rate in Lebanon” due to the fact […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Oct 12, 2014 AMMAN — Despite the ban on leaded-paint in Jordan, walls of schools and old buildings remain coated with lead-based paint, posing health hazards for children in particular, an environmentalist said on Sunday. Jordan Environment Society (JES) Executive Director Ahmad Kofahi said despite a decision to ban the use […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | Oct 12, 2014 AMMAN — The illegal change of circuit breakers in households delays the process of issuing approvals for installing solar systems at these houses, according to the Jordanian Electric Power Co. Ltd. (JEPCO). “There have been several complaints over the past period that there are delays by the power […]

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A deal to connect Rawabi to the water supply sparked a furious response from settlers, even as a compromise led to another row. Danny Rubinstein 10.07.14 About two weeks ago, after a long drawn-out battle, an agreement was finally reached between the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s Water Authority over connecting the new Palestinian city of […]

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Settlers have been using this tactic for years to strengthen their hold on the territory. By Zafrir Rinat | Oct. 13, 2014 Palestinians have begun marking hiking trails and putting up signs for tourist attractions in the West Bank, copying a tactic settlers have employed for years in an effort to strengthen their hold on […]

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Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz should seize the opportunity to reevaluate a decision to turn an unimpressive area in East Jerusalem into a national park – which is aimed at preventing the expansion of adjacent Palestinian neighborhoods. Haaretz Editorial | Oct. 2, 2013 Walking through the area designated for the Mount Scopus Slopes National Park […]

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Liat Colllins 10/9/2014 Environmentalists say that searching for fossil fuels, such as the recently nixed oil-shale drilling project in the Elah Valley area, belongs to the past. In an area where tradition holds that David fought Goliath, it is easy to use words like “epic” and “historic” when describing a battle, but this particular clash […]

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Amir Peretz overcame naysayers who mocked the Iron Dome, and now he hopes to do the same with his plans for ‘environmental justice.’ Amir Peretz and Mayor of Sderot Eli Moyal attend a tree planting ceremony in Sderot in February 2007.. (photo credit:AMIR COHEN – REUTERS) The headline in the newspaper could not have been […]

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introduction to special issue By: Ahmad Damen Habitat is not your usual word. A look at the English dictionary definition reveals a number of meanings: The natural environment of an organism; a place that is natural for its life and growth. For example, a desert habitat and all the wildlife thriving there. A place where […]

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by: Roubina Bassous Ghattas A habitat, or biome, is the type of environment in which plants and animals live. Habitat is dictated by climate, geography, and the kinds of plants that grow in that particular environment. Palestinian territory is a unique element of the Mediterranean eco-region. It displays a wide variation in elevation, geology, and […]

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Issue: 198, Oct 2014 tavble of contents of special issue Personality of the Month – Adnan Budieri Al-Bariyah-a Unique Habitat Zone | By: Hamdan Taha Cultures of Habitat | By: Sami Backleh Eyes of a Thief Floral Diversity in Palestine | By: Mutaz Ali AlQutob Habitat | By: Ahmad Damen Habitat and Solid Waste Management […]

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Better energy: A missed opportunity for Israel at the UN Climate Summit By YOSEF I. ABRAMOWITZ || 09/16/2014 || Jerusalem Post / JTA This Jewish New Year is different than all past ones, for it is the last observance of shmita – the sabbatical year for the environment. The largest climate march in history will […]

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Green Economy – Regional Consultants Meeting & Tours for Tour Guides A second regional meeting of the “Green Economy Initiatives” (GEI) project was held with the 3 hired business consultants – Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian – in late August. Consultants reviewed the list of the local “green economy” businesses that each one identified in their […]

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Central worry is foreign species invading from the Red Sea. By Zafrir Rinat 06.10.14 A group of 18 scientists specializing in marine ecosystems have published a warning about the ecological consequences of the Egyptian government’s plan to expand the Suez Canal by building a new, larger and deeper waterway parallel to the present one. The […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 10/05/2014 Umm Batin residents recently recieved machines that convert kitchen waste and animal manure into usable cooking gas and liquid fertilizer. Beduin residents of Umm Batin, a village just northeast of Beersheba, are transforming their trash into usable cooking gas in their homes, as part of an Environmental Protection Ministry initiative to […]

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