By Saudi Gazette | Riyadh Tuesday, 27 May 2014 Saudi Arabia is set to become an electricity exporter with the implementation of a linkage agreement with Egypt and investment in renewable energy generation, the head of the Kingdom’s power regulator told Asharq Al-Awsat. Dr. Abdullah Al-Shehri, head of Saudi Arabia’s Electricity & Co-Generation Regulatory Authority […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | May 28, 2014 A sign posted by Greenpeace on the 2nd Circle reads: ‘Jordan first, our health comes first, no to nuclear energy’ (Photo courtesy of Greenpeace) AMMAN — Greenpeace called on the government on Wednesday to annul plans to build a plant for the extraction of uranium. Safa Jayyousi, Arab […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | May 28, 2014 Bergesh Forest, where green cover stands at 90 per cent, represents an integrated ecosystem that houses over 100 plant species (File photo) AMMAN — The controversy over uprooting centennial trees from Bergesh Forest for building a military academy resurfaced on Wednesday, after the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) reportedly […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/26/2014 The population density and proximity to sources of pollution is exposing members of the public to poor quality and endangering their health, Lahavi argues. In light of the air pollution plaguing dense urban areas like Tel Aviv, the deputy mayor of the municipality has appealed to the environmental protection and transportation […]

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May 26, 2014 06:56 PM By Justin Salhani BEIRUT: A gathering of ministers, scientists and media celebrated the 5th anniversary of the marine data-collecting ship the Cana on Monday at Beirut’s port. The new conference took place on the Cana and celebrated coordination between the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Lebanese government in collecting data […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/28/2014 If law passes, plastic bag would cost 60 agorot each; customers would receive free reusable baskets. Environmental Minister Amir Peretz will be submitting to the government in the coming days a bill that would prohibit the free distribution of plastic bags, the ministry announced on Tuesday night. If passed into law, […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/28/2014 Desalitech, a Massachusetts-based Israeli firm, will be constructing the reverse osmosis system in Ra’anana. Massachusetts and Israeli government officials and innovators announced the cornerstone laying of a future water treatment facility that is to provide a new water source for the city of Ra’anana, at a water collaboration seminar in Tel […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 05/16/2014 During the “Post”’s visit to the Volcani Institute, the farmers were reevaluating the qualitative parameters, examining the vegetables with various measurement tools. Gathered around two tables in an Israeli vegetable storage laboratory on Thursday, about a dozen Gazan and West Bank farmers concentrated earnestly on the vine tomatoes and red bell […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 05/14/2014 Ministers to sign an agreement that will foster cooperation, with a focus on preventing pollution in the sea from natural gas drilling and economic activity. Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz and his Greek and Cypriot counterparts declared their intent to sign a tripartite agreement toward protecting the Mediterranean Sea, his ministry […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | May 19, 2014 AMMAN — A total of 73 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the Kingdom are generated by the energy sector, according to a report, which indicated that the figure is set to increase in the future. The sector’s greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise to 77 […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/13/2014 The Horizon 2020 Mediterranean Report presented in Athens is part of initiative aiming to de-pollute the Mediterranean by 2020. Population growth and urbanization in Israel, particularly along the coastal plain, will necessitate continued measures to protect remaining open spaces as the country’s economy continues to grow, an EU report stressed on […]

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JPOST EDITORIAL 05/17/2014 There is much that is praiseworthy about these lobbies, but also much that is disruptive in a country that still operates in development mode. hydro-electric power station Israel’s environmentalists are up in arms. The Interior Ministry has decided to terminate their long-established representation in the country’s foremost planning commission forums. Petitions to […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/13/2014 “Move will hurt quality of life for all of us: in housing, in transportation, in energy, in agriculture, in forests, in open spaces and in nature reserves,” SPNI says. Green groups slammed a National Council for Planning and Building decision on Tuesday to remove a permanent environmental NGO representative from a […]

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Committee says its recommended 42% tax rate would reverse an injustice, add 500 million shekels a year to state coffers. By Ora Coren | May 18, 2014 Saying the public was not deriving sufficient benefit from Israel’s natural resources, the Sheshinski committee recommended in an interim report submitted on Sunday that companies exploiting everything from […]

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The IDF plans to cut its ‘green’ female soldier-teachers. Who will help expose future generations of youngsters to Israel’s landscape? By Roy (Chicky) Arad | May 18, 2014 Without the move drawing much attention, one of the social-environmental groups in the Israel Defense Forces, which for years was its pride, is about to be closed. […]

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End to fish farming has helped recovery, but oil spills continue to take a toll. By Zafrir Rinat | May 20, 2014 The general condition of the coral reef in the Gulf of Eilat has been improving steadily for the past 10 years, according to the 2013 annual report of Environmental Protection Ministry’s Marine Monitoring […]

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More than 80 percent of the globally unique collection of crop genetic resources residing with the Genebank of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) at Aleppo in Syria is now safely duplicated at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway. With the seventh shipment of seeds arriving in the Arctic […]

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Israel’s Tamar natural gas field intends to export up to 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas to Egypt over 15 years. Reuters Published: 05.15.14 Egypt will only agree to an arrangement that would see gas exported from a field in Israel via a liquefied natural gas terminal in Egypt if international arbitration is resolved, an […]

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Saudi Gazette, Dammam Wednesday, 14 May 2014 The blueprint of a project to link Saudi Arabia and Egypt with an electric power grid is in its final stages and the project may be offered for bidding by early next year, an official has said, as the kingdom’s investment in power and water is expected to […]

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NAJIB SAAB Thirsty Energy or Hungry Water? The World Bank chose “Thirsty Energy” as title for its report on the energy-water nexus. If we were to produce such a report for the Arab region, the title could better be “Hungry Water”- as production of water eats the bulk of Arab energy. In no other part […]

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