By SHARON UDASIN 02/16/2013 Several quarries throughout the country being rehabilitated by the Quarry Rehabilitation Fund. As the sun set on Thursday in the Avital Valley – a few kilometers from the Syrian border – miniature replicas of cone-shaped volcanoes that once erupted at the site glowed again in an automated light show. The once […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Hana Namrouqa | Feb 14, 2013 | 22:16 Updated: Feb 14, 2013 | 22:17 AMMAN — Although the final draft reports of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Programme concluded that the Red-Dead project is environmentally and economically feasible, two major concerns remain, according to the programme’s team leader. “As the study programme […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/13/2013 03:55 Groups say World Bank’s plan to build pipeline from Red Sea will destroy the Dead Sea, as water levels decline at rapid rate. As the World Bank prepares to move forward with public hearings on a Red Sea-Dead Sea conduit project next week, regional environmental group Friends of the Earth […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Green group’s inspection of 10 facilities in Western Galilee’s industrial zone finds record levels of pollution. Authorities says inspections performed according to law Alphi Shauli Published: 02.12.13, 07:25 / Israel Environment A new report by the “Citizens for the Environment” green group has found abnormally hazardous levels of contamination in the air and soil surrounding […]

Read the rest of this entry »

February 12, 2013 11:21 PM By Michael Casey DOHA, Qatar: A NASA study found that an amount of freshwater almost the size of the Dead Sea has been lost in parts of the Middle East due to poor management, increased demands for groundwater and the effects of a 2007 drought. The study, to be published […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Toxic material contamination in one of northern city’s middle school draws attention to conflicting directives given to schools on hazardous materials’ storage; safety guidelines Amir Ben David Published: 02.10.13, 07:30 / Israel Environment The Education Ministry has formed a special taskforce to investigate the mercury contamination in a Nazareth middle school, last week. The school […]

Read the rest of this entry »

YNET Environmental Protection Ministry imposes highly unusual and hefty fine on military for failing to remove hazardous material from southern base Yoav Zitun Published: 02.13.13 The Environmental Protection Ministry intends to impose a NIS 3.8 million (about $1 million) fine on the IDF over its failure to remove asbestos boards found near Nathan Base, which […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/14/2013 Mayor Bibas pledges to preserve possible ancient site ahead of a decisive district housing committee meeting on Monday. A group of Modi’in residents have banded together to protest a prospective housing project on their botanical oasis of Titora Hill, ahead of a decisive district housing committee meeting on Monday. The residents […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/11/2013 Adam Teva head: Government continues to act against Environmental Protection Ministry. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan for leading a green revolution, environmental experts slammed the government for acting against so many of the ministry’s policies. “If you look back at the data from 2009 and […]

Read the rest of this entry »

February 11, 2013 By Carole Nakhle There is a lot of excitement in Lebanon about the country’s oil and gas potential. Seismic surveys carried out since the 1990s have indicated the likely presence of offshore hydrocarbon accumulations. Gas discoveries in neighboring countries further strengthen the case. With the appointment of the board of the Petroleum […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Hana Namrouqa | Feb 07, 2013 | 22:24 AMMAN — Climate change will affect the Kingdom’s biodiversity and ecosystems as the region is witnessing less precipitation due to droughts, according to a microbiologist. Detailed knowledge of how climate change affects biodiversity is still very limited, but recent studies have identified a number of areas […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by Muath Freij | Feb 07, 2013 IRBID — Every day, Nour Obeidat’s family members have fresh vegetables and fruit on their table — the product of their very own roof garden, cultivated with enthusiasm and irrigated by stored rainwater. “I have my own greenhouse on the roof of my home. My children are very […]

Read the rest of this entry »

by SHARON UDASIN 02/08/2013 Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel calls protection of the country’s dwindling salt marshes. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has called for the country’s policymakers to save the special habitats that make up the country’s dwindling salt marshes, in a newly released 30-page report titled […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/08/2013 Railway will be destructive to nature and landscapes that have thrived since the biblical era, says Parks Authority. The government’s planned route for the Eilat railway will be destructive to nature and landscapes that have thrived since the biblical era, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced on Thursday. Ecological reports […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Study warns of long-term environmental ramifications of small communities in the Negev desert. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb.07, 2013 Are single-family ranches harming biological diversity in the Negev? According to a new study, they may well be doing so in the long run. In recent years, having been approved by a special zoning plan, single-family […]

Read the rest of this entry »

By SHARON UDASIN 02/07/2013 In Tel Aviv’s Tel Baruch neighborhood, local activists say they hope to save the rare landscape from commercial projects. By staging an amateur photography competition in northwest Tel Aviv’s Tel Baruch neighborhood, local activists say they hope to save the rare flora and fauna there from commercial building projects. Residents have […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Ministry joins chorus of critics who back an alternate proposal by Israel Nature and Parks Authority to declare the area a nature reserve. By Zafrir Rinat | Feb.07, 2013 The Defense Ministry has come out against a controversial resort planned at Palmahim Beach, joining the chorus of critics who back an alternate proposal by the […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Internal dispute between Environmental Protection Ministry, Industry Ministry over NIS 30 million project hinders selection of contractor for long-awaited move Amir Ben-David Published: 02.07.13 The much awaited construction project of an alternative location for the ammonia depository currently held in the Haifa Bay industrial zone in tangled in government bureaucracy, Yedioth Ahronot has learned. The […]

Read the rest of this entry »

RAMALLAH, February 4, 2013 (WAFA) – The Japanese development agency, JICA, and the Ministry of Local Government signed Monday a $10 million agreement on developing solid waste treatment plants in the West Bank, according to a Local Government statement. The three-part agreement calls for purchasing special tools to operate solid waste plants, expanding the Jericho […]

Read the rest of this entry »

7 Changing the facts will change the figures (editorial by Najib Saab) 16 Population, consumption and sustainability options in the Arab region astonishing figures in the Gulf countries (cover story) 24 Doha climate gate: could it clear the road to a binding agreement in Poland? 30 The role of Arab business in the transition to […]

Read the rest of this entry »