October 25, 2013 12:49 AM By Brooke Anderson The Daily Star BEIRUT: Green transportation may seem like a dream in Lebanon, where cars clog the road and the thick layer of smog hanging over the capital is visible from the mountains. But Wednesday night, some 30 people involved in the transportation sector as well as […]

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October 24, 2013 The Cedars of Lebanon have long been a national symbol; these days they are especially symbolic – but of what is wrong with the country. Round two of a particularly depressing episode involving the Cedars unfolded this week. Round one took place this summer, when a former MP from Bsharri decided that […]

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27 October 2013 Saudi Gazette Energy consumption in the Middle East and North Africa will increase by as much as 114 percent from 2010 to 2050, the World Energy Council’s report said. This was based on estimates assuming “priority is given to achieving individual access and affordability of energy via economic growth.” However, energy consumption […]

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October 28, 2013 12:22 AM By Laila Bassam BEIRUT: Lebanese caretaker Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said new estimates for nearly half of Lebanese waters suggested the country’s reserves of natural gas and oil might be larger than previously thought. “The current estimate, under a probability of 50 percent, for almost 45 percent of our waters […]

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NVITATION to EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East’s Annual “Good Water Neighbors” Conference 2013 Held on the occasion of the UN International Year of Water Cooperation The Urgency of Shared Water Issues – Water Can No Longer Wait November 13-14, 2013, Sharon Hotel, Herzliya, Israel (Live Video Link with Hague, Netherlands) EcoPeace / […]

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By YONAH JEREMY BOB 10/15/2013 Comptroller warns government must stop ecological disaster from natural gas extraction and ensure resources benefit whole population. The Energy and Water Ministry and the government as a whole must take the necessary steps regarding the country’s search and extraction of its natural gas resources off the coast “without any further […]

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By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH 10/03/2013 21:00 The levels of carbon monoxide, which is a marker for dirty air from vehicles, are high and must be reduced, ministry says. The air at the Jerusalem’s central bus station where passengers line up for buses is excessively polluted and endangers public health, the Environment Ministry said on Thursday. It […]

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ETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Research by high school students has concluded that five major springs which serve as a main source of water in the south Bethlehem area are inadequate for human use as a result of the high rates of fecal coliform bacteria contaminating that water. The research was organized as an extracurricular activity by […]

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RAMALLAH, October 14, 2013 (WAFA) – A team from National Geographic listened Monday to Palestinian officials speak about the situation in the Palestinian areas, mainly those that remain under full Israeli control. The team met at the presidential headquarters with Nimr Hammad, political advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, and other officials. Hammad complained that Israeli […]

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Municipalities prefer income from curbside parking spaces to freeing up extra traffic lanes. By Daniel Schmil | Oct. 10, 2013 The early morning radio traffic reports give the impression that most of the country’s gridlock is concentrated on intercity expressways like the Ayalon and Geha highways. But when they get into their cars and start […]

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Municipality told court a deal had been reached on 6-lane highway that would bisect their village. Not so, say Beit Safafa residents. By Nir Hasson | Oct. 13, 2013 Residents of an East Jerusalem neighborhood that stands to be severed in half due to construction of a six-lane highway are claiming that the Jerusalem municipality […]

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Bike paths, clean air, coastal preservation are suddenly considered vote-getters. By Zafrir Rinat | Oct. 15, 2013 Until a few years ago, it was hard to convince politicians that there was any electoral benefit in promoting environmental projects, such as bike paths. They were interested mostly in big projects such as paving roads and real […]

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Gas and oil won’t make Lebanon happier – Daily Star October 11, 2013 12:16 AM By Imad Atalla A responsible and happy citizenry forms the fundamental underpinning of a happy nation. How does gas and oil figure in the happiness equation? Gas and oil are the latest drama in Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus. While all […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/26/2013 20:08 The Israeli renewable energy firm Ormat Technologies Inc. will likely be providing online auction giant eBay Inc. with a 5-megawatt recovered energy generation (REG) power plant to be constructed in Utah, the companies announced on Thursday. The firms recently signed a joint development agreement that will allow them to proceed […]

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October 12, 2013 12:28 AM By Kevin J. Noone Take a deep breath. Savor it for a moment. Now consider this: None of our modern human ancestors ever breathed anything like it – and, the way things are going, nor will our descendants. Since the Industrial Revolution began, human activity has substantially changed the atmosphere’s […]

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From 10,000 Israeli households separating their garbage four years ago, 215,000 do so today. The trend is favorable, but separation facilities are not keeping up with the demand. By Zafrir Rinat     | Jun. 24, 2013 | Source:  Haaretz Three years after the Environmental Protection Ministry began promoting its garbage-sorting and recycling project, household waste […]

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Posted on September 15, 2013 by Robert Gluck / source: JNS.org Sept. 13 marked the 20th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, and Middle East peace remains elusive. But rather than focusing on the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) aims to train a new generation of environmental leaders […]

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Appeal for more electricity made to Israel to no avail. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep. 23, 2013 A large sewage treatment plant is being constructed in Gaza with funding from the World Bank, but may not become operational due to a dire shortage of required electric power. The Palestinian Authority has approached Israel with a […]

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Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz says proposal, which would hem in two East Jerusalem neighborhoods, has no ‘particularly sensitive natural value.’ By Nir Hasson | Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday froze a plan to create a new national park on the slopes of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, saying the area has no “particularly sensitive […]

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HEBRON, October 2, 2013 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities Wednesday informed residents of the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, of its intention to demolish 10 water wells in the area, according to a local activist. The popular committee coordinator in Yatta, Rateb al-Jabour, told WAFA that forces raided the area and handed the residents orders […]

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