By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The Ministry of Environment has amended the Environment Protection Law to maximise penalties against violators and increase the amount of fines for environmental violations, Minister of Environment Taher Shakhshir said on Sunday. The law will be referred soon to the Prime Ministry for approval. Environment and legal experts started reviewing […]

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“The Water–Energy Nexus in Middle East and North Africa” Journal Article, Energy Policy, volume 39, issue 6, pages 4529-4540 August 2011 Authors: Afreen Siddiqi, Affiliate, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; Laura Diaz Anadon, Associate Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; Director, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group; Project Manager, Energy Research, Development, Demonstration […]

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Climate Change Adaptation in the Middle East and North Africa Challenges and Opportunities Working Paper September 2010 Author: Jeannie Sowers, Former Research Fellow, The Dubai Initiative Dubai Initiative Working Papers Belfer Center Programs or Projects: The Dubai Initiative The impacts of human-induced climate change are often considered a future prospect, yet in the Middle East […]

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New Environment Ministry index classifies Palmachim Beach ‘dirtiest’ in Israel, while northern beaches receive high rankings; finds 80% of waste comprised of plastic Yael Darel Palmachim Beach has been named the dirtiest beach in Israel, according to an Environment Ministry index published recently. The index, published once a week throughout the swimming season, ranks the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/01/2011 04:27 High school students depart on week-long trip with Society for the Protection of Nature to raise awareness about forlorn state of the lake. Dozens of high school students departed on a week-long trip with the Society for the Protection of Nature around Lake Kinneret on Sunday, to raise awareness about […]

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Daily Star Editorial The environmental challenges facing Lebanon today are no joke. Studies have been issued, figures have been produced, warnings have been sounded, and politicians can always find the opportunity to make speeches in which they praise the environment and call for its protection – and do little to actually fix the situation. To […]

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By Taylor Luck MAFRAQ – Sheikh Ahmed Mashagbeh has nuclear on the mind. For the last six months, the 70-year-old tribal leader has broken from his traditional role of brokering engagements and land disputes to reading up on atomic energy and nuclear waste disposal. Now a self-proclaimed nuclear expert, Mashagbeh has one simple message for […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Greenpeace Jordan activists on Thursday raised large banners at Jabal Amman’s busy Second Circle, warning against the hazards of Jordan’s projected nuclear programme and calling for considering renewable energy sources as a substitute. The banners attracted the attention of motorists and pedestrians in the area, while many others joined the […]

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AMMAN (JT) – Unidentified gunmen on Saturday attacked a terminal on the gas pipeline to Jordan and Israel for the fifth time since February, a security official said, quoted by Agence France-Presse. Gunmen on motorbikes and cars lobbed grenades and tried to storm the terminal at Al Shulaq in north Sinai but were confronted by […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The Ministry of Environment on Sunday launched the Jordan Environment Fund (JEF), which starts today receiving applications from parties planning to start eco-projects. The JEF seeks to support socio-economic projects that improve the environment, rehabilitate degraded ecosystems and ensure the sustainability of the country’s natural resources, by partly financing the […]

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RAMALLAH (IRIN) — West Bank infrastructure projects have increased as a result of the Palestinian Authority’s state-building efforts and increased donor funding, although significant barriers to implementation remain, report officials from Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s office, PA ministries and donors. Infrastructure, intertwined with economic development, is seen as the backbone of a future […]

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Lowering prices isn’t everything: protesters and politicians should not trample the environment in race to lower protester’s rent. Haaretz Editorial The housing protest is ratcheting up the pressure on the government to come up with solutions that will impress the public with their extent and speed of implementation. There is a real danger that such […]

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An area three times the size of Tel Aviv will be required to meet the demand for housing over the coming decade, says TAMA 35 data. By Zafrir Rinat An area three times the size of Tel Aviv will be required to meet the demand for housing over the coming decade, according to data that […]

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Concerts commemorate Bryan Medwed, who died in 2002. By David Sheen The kibbutzim in the Southern Arava region of the Negev Desert are considered to be at the forefront of the fight to advance environmental awareness in Israel. Naot Smadar produces organic juices and wines, Lotan teaches tourists about ecological architecture, and Ketura just finished […]

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Editor’s Note: circulation of these opportunities does not imply endorsement of the perspectives and agendas that inform them. 1) The Cadieux-Léger Fellowship The Policy Research Division (POR) of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada is pleased to announce the 2012 Cadieux-Léger Fellowship. The Cadieux-Léger Fellowship provides direct experience in a policy planning environment to researchers […]

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Sustainability Outlook 2030 arose from a perceived need that public policies should be pointing the way to the future. While the future is full of uncertainties and frequently out of our control, we need a clear vision of where we are going. This project aims to define what we are trying to achieve, what obstacles […]

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13-7-2011. Source: ENPI info Centre The European Commission has allocated €4 million to address water scarcity which is affecting people in the occupied Palestinian territory. Rainfall in the area is 59% down from the rainy season average and the drought is testing the resilience of many Palestinian communities with water and fodder shortages, a European […]

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By Rebecca Collard, July 15, 2011, The Christian Science Monitor Ramallah, West Bank Outside Khaled Sabawi’s West Bank office it is a sweltering summer day, but inside it is a balmy 73 degrees Fahrenheit – without the use of conventional air-conditioning. By powering this building with cool air piped from deep below the earth’s surface, […]

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