Morocco has secured a $519 million loan from the World Bank to partly finance two solar power plants with a combined capacity of up to 350 megawatts (MW), the second phase of the 500 MW Ouarzazate project, the bank said in a statement on Wednesday. Results of tenders for construction of the two plants near […]

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Osama Habib| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The first airborne oil and gas surveillance operation over parts of Lebanon began Friday in another bid by the authorities to assess the quantities of oil and gas present in the country. The U.S. Company NEOS Geo Solutions, which signed a contract with the ministry of energy in January, […]

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BEIRUT: Lebanon launched its first control room to better monitor the country’s natural resources with support from the National Council for Scientific Research, which described the venture as essential for the economy. “With the impact of climate change and the rise in incidents of drought, forest fire, land degradation, flooding and random construction proliferating, the […]

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MOHAMED EL-ASHRY 4/10/2014 On September 23, at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General, 100 Heads of State and Government, including 9 from Arab countries, were joined by more than 800 leaders from business, finance, and civil society, at the Climate Summit in New York. The purpose of the Summit was to raise political momentum for […]

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Pollutant levels in major cities gradually decreasing as more stringent bylaws are enacted. By Zafrir Rinat Oct. 5, 2014 Air pollution levels this past Yom Kippur, when Israelis customarily stay off the roads, proved once again the decisive role that motor vehicles play in the air pollution problem in Israel’s urban areas. According to data […]

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For non-observant Jews, who may choose not to fast or pray, and even for those who do, why not meditate upon the environmental significance of Yom Kippur and how we might change our destructive habits for more than just one day? By Josie Glausiusz | Oct. 2, 2014 I stood on the bima on Yom […]

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Rabbitfish spread across eastern Mediterranean, cause extensive damage to flora and to ecosystem, researchers say. By Zafrir Rinat Sep. 23, 2014 Two species of tropical fish that have made their way through the Suez Canal to the eastern Mediterranean are devastating the ecosystem there, according to a new study that says these fish pose a […]

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Outpost will expand, even though it restricts some Palestinian farmers. By Chaim Levinson and Zafrir Rinat Oct. 2, 2014 The Civil Administration recently approved a plan under which an unauthorized outpost in the West Bank will appropriate part of an adjacent nature reserve, even as it restricts the activities of Palestinian farmers in the area. […]

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This paper explores the rationale for the creation of a proposed water-renewable energy community based on interdependence among Israel, Jordan, and Palestine, where much needed water is produced through desalination on the Israeli and Palestinian Mediterranean coasts and the additional electricity needs are met by extensive investment in solar renewable energy in Jordan’s eastern deserts. […]

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The tragic events of this past month have led to a horrific loss of life and destruction throughout parts of Gaza and southern Israel. EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) staff and communities have been directly affected at all levels including two communities that are part of our Good Water Neighbours project, the Eshkol […]

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A new technology hub focusing on the development of off-grid technologies will soon be opening its doors under the desert sun of the Eilat-Eilot region. Aiming to develop products that can provide energy and water to populations not connected to their national grids, the Eilat Eilot Off Grid Hub will provide a testbed for both […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | Oct 01, 2014 AMMAN — Jordan’s first shale oil-fuelled power plant will be operational at the end of 2018, officials said. The facility is expected to slash the country’s energy bill by $500 million annually as the electricity it will produce will be bought at half the current price, officials said […]

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Residents are concerned that use of fracking in the area could lead to the wide-scale pollution of ground water. By Zafrir Rinat Oct. 1, 2014 The High Court of Justice on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order, preventing work on an experimental oil drilling site on the Golan Heights. The order came in response to […]

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RAMALLAH, October 1, 2014 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Water Authority signed on Wednesday a US$ 11.7 million agreement with the World Bank with an aim to repair the damages incurred by the water sector during the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza. Under the new agreement, $3 million will be disbursed to extend an already signed […]

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BEIRUT: The World Bank has approved its largest-ever financing of a project in Lebanon, a $474 million water supply development scheme aimed at addressing severe shortages faced by over half of the country’s population. The Water Supply Augmentation Project will be developed over nine years and will benefit more than 1.6 million people living across […]

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AutoAgronom is only full automatic irrigation system which applies water, fertilizers without human intervention, already successfully used with 70 different crops in 13 countries. Anav Silverman, Tazpit News Agency 09.17.14 China’s Yuanda Enterprise Group announced last week that it had bought the Israeli company AutoAgronome Israel Ltd for $20 million in order to expand its […]

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Wars for Heaven Destroy Earth NAJIB SAAB 9/9/2014 Reports of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) have repeatedly warned that demand on resources and nature services by Arab countries is double what the region’s natural systems can provide. Key challenges include food security, water and energy. Arab countries today import more than half […]

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In this holiday season of retrospection, we would do well to consider the wisdom of Israel’s mad race forward, where development and population growth are paramount social objectives. By Alon Tal     | Sep. 24, 2014 | Source: http://www.haaretz.com/life/nature-environment/.premium-1.617233 Tradition holds that our planet was fashioned on Rosh Hashanah. This period, as we prepare to […]

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23-9-2014. Source: EU Neighbourhood Info Centre The issue of water scarcity has been at the centre of the EU-Egypt Water Talk co-hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt and the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in Alexandria. In all, 150 experts, academics, senior civil officials and project managers from donor […]

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Published: 22.9.2014 // Source: EU Neighbourhood Info Center The European Commission has published a guidebook on ‘How to develop a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) in South Mediterranean Cities’. The purpose of this guidebook is to make energy efficiency and climate change mitigation measures relevant, achievable and compelling to local authorities in the southern Mediterranean […]

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