by Hana Namrouqa | Mar 10,2012 | 23:34 AMMAN — Work on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Study Programme is expected to be completed in May, according to the World Bank. Key draft studies will be subject to broad public consultation before any decisions are made about the feasibility of the Red-Dead project, the […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Mar 08,2012 | 22:35 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is evaluating the technical and financial offers of two consortia competing to serve as the master developer of the Jordan Red Sea Project (JRSP), a ministry official said Thursday. A technical committee received the technical and financial offers from […]

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Education minister honors pair for lifetime achievement. By Yair Ettinger and Zafrir Rinat Rabbi Haim Druckman, a leading religious-Zionist rabbi who until last month headed the Conversion Authority, and Azaria Alon, one of Israel’s earliest environmental activists, are the winners of this year’s Israel Prize for lifetime achievement, Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced yesterday. …. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/06/2012 03:12 Appeal argues the project would cause irreversible damage to the area at the expense of future generations. Timna Valley’s Sasgon Valley By Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel The Environmental Protection Ministry, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and Mayor Yehiel Zohar of Netivot submitted […]

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By BEN HARTMAN 03/09/2012 04:10 Demonstration targets business ‘supervillains’ at Azrieli Mall in central Tel Aviv. demonstrators protest against consumerist culture By Ben Hartman Is it a man, a plane, or a once-nationwide protest movement marking Purim with a bit of street theater? If you answered the third, you may be right. A few dozen […]

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March 06, 2012 01:46 AM By Georges Pierre Sassine The Daily Star Lebanese are thrilled about the prospect of tapping their recently discovered offshore oil and gas reserves. However, examples from other countries show this could easily turn into a curse. Economists have a name for this negative phenomenon, namely the “resource curse.” Countries with […]

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Decision makers and the public need pertinent scientific input in order to balance planned development with environmental concerns. By Zafrir Rinat It is hard to exaggerate the importance of scientific research on environmental problems such as climate change, water shortages and the development of clean energy. That is why many international environmental organizations are concerned […]

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Lawyers for the Palestinian land owners are demanding that the committee reject solution proposed by IDF planning and building subcommittee. By Zafrir Rinat A decision is expected in the coming weeks on the legalization of a sewage-treatment plant built on private, Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank. The plant belongs to the settlement of Ofra. […]

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Wednesday, 07 March 2012 12:28 Sergio Yahni Sergio Yahni (AIC) The local Salfit government and Al Quds Open University organized on March 6 a conference on the impact of environmental hazards created by settlements on the governorate. Speaking at the conference, the head of Salfit’s ministry of health office, Jamil Daraghma, said the situation had […]

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“Ecoweek” is an association for the promotion of green design and architecture. This year, the annual convention took place at the Technological Institute in the city of Holon, in the center of Israel. Designers from Europe, North America and the Middle East have come together with the purpose of designing affordable housing in a sustainable […]

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by Khaled Neimat | Mar 08,2012 | 00:02 AMMAN — The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is the best option for the capital to resolve its growing public transportation dilemma, but the project needs public support to win the “political” battle against it, according to local engineers. In a seminar held on Tuesday to discuss the […]

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Substance in Beirut River nontoxic: Greenpeace March 07, 2012 01:40 AM BEIRUT: Greenpeace Lebanon said Tuesday that materials dumped in the Beirut River last month – turning the water red – were likely nontoxic, echoing the government’s findings on the case. Greenpeace said it had dispatched two of its activists to the river on Feb. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/07/2012 23:39 Delay despite pressure; exposure to chemical could cause skin burns and sudden death, activists say. Boy watches as mom is fitted for a gas mask By Jim Hollander / Reuters Environmental activists launched a “Haifa Gulf War” on Wednesday morning outside the city’s municipal court, where a judge was leading […]

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March 06, 2012 02:09 AM By Rakan al-Fakih The Daily Star QAROUN, Lebanon: The heavy snow and rain over the past week is bringing smiles to farmers in the south and east of the country, since there is more water to irrigate fields and fuel hydroelectric plants. But more rainfall for Lebanon’s biggest lake is […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/07/2012 23:42 Energy and Water Minister sign 23 new licenses for 62 megawatts worth of solar production facilities. Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau sent a request to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Eli Yishai, asking that they declare the future photovoltaic power plant for Gaza evacuee communities a national […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Mar 04,2012 AMMAN — Jordan and the US on Sunday signed a work plan communiqué on environmental cooperation, which is intended to promote green growth, sustainable development and job creation in the Kingdom. The work plan communiqué was signed at the US-Jordan Joint Forum on Environmental Technical Cooperation, during which Jordanian […]

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‘We must take dangerous industrial facilities out of residential areas, to minimize the risk to the population,’ says environmental protection minister. By Zafrir Rinat A reservoir in Haifa that holds thousands of tons of ammonia and is considered a potentially deadly environmental threat will be shut down within the next few years, according to the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/04/2012 17:55 287-km. underwater electricity line will connect Israel’s energy supply to EU, via Cyprus and Crete. Israeli, Greek, Cypriot officials By IEC For both Israel and Cyprus, connecting the countries through an underwater cable will foster more than just electrical stability for two energy islands – it will further the sense […]

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When the total cost of the project is calculated, the Jerusalem light-rail project will be seen as one of Israel’s worst boondoggles. By Moshe Arens I am green with envy and raging mad. In Paris, they have just launched the service of automatic subway trains on Line 1, the city’s busiest, running from La Defense […]

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Volume 17, No.168, March 2012 5 Environment and public relations (editorial by Najib Saab) 10 How to protect your children from home poisons personal tips 18 Climate refugees (cover story) 24 Sinking Rufisque a city in Senegal devoured by the ocean 26 Natural gas for vehicles in Egypt 28 Dutch embassy in Amman, first LEED […]

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