Eye on Earth, Abu Dhabi – 14 December 2011 AFED Secretary General Najib Saab moderated a main session during the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi. Participating in the session, titled “Water Security: Knowing What We Need To Know”, was Dr. Asma Al Kasmi, Director of the Arab Water Academy and AFED board of […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/23/2011 17:34 ‘Start-up nation’ mingles with ‘non-denominational solution-seeker.’ Talkbacks (3) China may be the ideal hub for transforming Israeli ideas in the renewable energy and water sectors into globally marketable, environmentally sustainable technologies. As Israeli entrepreneurs and researchers in these fields continue to develop new types of green products, China is becoming […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/28/2011 03:53 The trails were designed by architect Otto Friedman, who specializes in planning bike paths. Talkbacks () The Jewish National Fund opened a NIS 1 million, 32- kilometer, dual-path bike trail on Monday that winds through the western portion of the Ben Shemen Forest and continues on through the Modi’in area, […]

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After cornering the market for chemical export-import in Israel, Yosef Maiman’s group is preparing for the advent of competition – by itself. By Avi Bar-Eli About a month ago, Ashdod Port proudly announced a new era: Competition in port services for the import and export of chemicals in liquid form had arrived. Make no mistake, […]

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By Olivia Alabaster The Daily Star Sand and rock quarries have contributed significantly in shrinking the country’s green stretch. Sand and rock quarries have contributed significantly in shrinking the country’s green stretch. BEIRUT: A new report into the state of the environment in Lebanon, produced by the Environment Ministry, the U.N. Development Program and the […]

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Court adopts state position: no new Israeli-owned quarries should be established in the West Bank, but existing ones should be allowed to continue operating. By Zafrir Rinat ‘ The High Court of Justice has authorized Israel to exploit the West Bank’s natural resources for its own economic needs by rejecting a petition against the operation […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/28/2011 03:57 Green groups won’t compromise. Talkbacks () Despite a last-ditch telephone attempt from Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan to convince Israel Lands Authority head Benzi Lieberman to nix the Samar sands mining project on Tuesday, the work is set to begin in the next few days. The contentious Samar sands, located […]

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A tender issued by the Israel Lands Administration to mine the sand was recently won by a contractor. By Zafrir Rinat * * Published 00:28 27.12.11 * Latest update 00:28 27.12.11 SPNI draws line in bid to save Arava sand dune A tender issued by the Israel Lands Administration to mine the sand was recently […]

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AMMAN — A project to preserve the shrinking Dead Sea by replenishing it with Red Sea water cannot stop the salt lake from diminishing further without altering its unique qualities, a recent study indicated. The Dead Sea modelling study, which examined the potential impact of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project on the lake’s […]

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Israel Union for Environmental Defense and the Movement for Quality Government calls for steps to bar Dead Sea Works from promoting projects that would likely worsen the impact of industrial activity on the sea. By Zafrir Rinat As the negotiations between the Finance Ministry and Dead Sea Works over royalties the latter will pay to […]

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Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel says these fish threaten springs’ native crab, fish and amphibian populations, competing for food, eating eggs. By Zafrir Rinat Ariel Filber and Assaf Galdor made their way on Monday from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel’s field school in Ofra to a small spring […]

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Environmental group urges more studies to assessimpact of air quality on health. By Zafrir Rinat Despite a decline in pollution in the Haifa Bay area over the years, the mortality rate among residents there is higher than in other parts of the country, according to a study by an environmental group. The Public Health Coalition, […]

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Activists from Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the students’ environmental group Green Course, area residents physically blocked bulldozers from starting work. By Zafrir Rinat Dozens of protesters from a number of environmental groups yesterday confronted the contractor who was to begin a contentious sand-mining project at the Samar dunes in the Arava. […]

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Officials plan water plant to end crisis Published Thursday 15/12/2011 (updated) 24/12/2011 13:31 Font- Font+ Head of the Palestinian Water Authority Shaddad al-Attili speaks at a water conference in Israel organized by Friends of the Earth Middle East. (MaanImages/Stringer) JERUSALEM (Ma’an) — The Palestinian Water Authority is working to establish a major desalination plant by […]

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AMMAN- Although fewer Jordanians are drinking tap water due to quality concerns, officials and experts stressed that tap water is safe and that alternatives are not as perfect as they seem. Studies and interviews with consumers show that authorities have failed to sway consumers, many of whom were turned away from public water by the […]

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Final agreement with state remains pending; total costs unclear. By Ora Coren Israel Chemicals has agreed to shoulder most of the cost of dredging salt from the bottom of the Dead Sea’s southern half, to rescue the hotel industry from being engulfed by the rising level of brine. The company, a member of the Ofer […]

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By NADAV SHEMER AND SHARON UDASIN 12/26/2011 01:45 Tourism, environmental protection ministers warn that company may increase production if royalties remain at 10%. Talkbacks () Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz threatened on Sunday to establish a committee to examine the state’s shares from Dead Sea quarrying if Israel Chemicals unit Dead Sea Works does not respond […]

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Israel has announced plans to begin restoring the sacred river Jordan by pumping about 30 million cubic metres of water into the parched valley. Up to 98 per cent of the lower river Jordan’s historic flow is diverted by Israel, Jordan and Syria for agricultural use, according to environmentalists. The trickle that remains in the […]

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The Environmental Protection Ministry presented its program a few weeks ago, but the Finance Ministry said it opposes approving the program at this time and has not found money for it. By Zafrir Rinat The cabinet has not found funding to implement a program to reduce air pollution, putting it dangerously close to violating the […]

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By David Krantz NEW YORK (Dec. 22, 2011) — We need another Chanukah miracle. On Chanukah we recall the victory of the few over the many and the weak over the powerful. We celebrate the miracle of the oil and of the reassertion of control over our historic homeland, the present-day land of Israel. But, […]

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