BEIRUT: A major cleanup effort from the Civil Defense Force Thursday recovered more than 20,000 liters of kerosene following warnings by environmental officials that a spill offshore from a major oil depot could become a major environmental disaster. The spill, which occurred Wednesday as a fuel tanker was sending kerosene along an underwater pipeline to […]

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A change in energy strategy would significantly reduce the cost of fuel for electricity generation as well as Israel’s dependence on imports; National Economic Council head says state is major shareholder, so tax breaks make sense. By Avi Bar-Eli s the government prepares to welcome a new royalty regime for the extraction of natural resources, […]

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By REBECCA ANNA STOIL AND NADAV SHEMER 03/23/2011 23:49 Knesset Finance C’tee passes bill on taxation of natural gas, oil resources; intensive lobbying by PM, Steinitz garners enough support. The so-called Sheshinski bill on the taxation of Israel’s natural gas and oil resources passed its second and third plenum readings in the Knesset Finance Committee […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Water sector experts and decision makers on Thursday called for stricter enforcement of water-related laws and regulations for better protection of Jordan’s scant water resources. They said laws and regulations protecting the country’s water resources exist, but criticised their weak enforcement, which allows for violations and thus depletion of the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 03/28/2011 23:46 Water conference covers broad spectrum of both local and global topics, including preparation for climatic change. Israel provides a key example of how countries should manage their water infrastructure in coming years, as national populations increase at unprecedented speeds and governments grapple with the need to combat water scarcity, according […]

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Environment minister issues hefty fines, will close four guilty firms. By Ora Coren Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan is going after polluters with heavy fines and other actions. He is also pushing new laws to make Israeli industry, transportation and energy production greener. Erdan also thinks it is necessary to expand the authority of his […]

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The conservative Republican from Oklahoma wants even larger tax breaks to the partners in the offshore natural gas fields. By Zvi Zrahiya * * Published 01:10 22.03.11 * Latest update 01:10 22.03.11 U.S. senator lobbying to torpedo Sheshinski The conservative Republican from Oklahoma wants even larger tax breaks to the partners in the offshore natural […]

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Cabinet, Finance Ministry and Knesset revise proposed law on tax and fiscal policy concerning Israel’s natural resources. By Avi Bar-Eli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking for ways to give the oil and gas exploration companies hundreds of millions of shekels in tax breaks and other benefits. This, even as the Knesset Finance Committee is […]

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Israel created a plan for a nuclear energy plant to be located in the Negev several years ago but it has yet come into fruition. By Barak Ravid and Zafrir Rinat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN that Israel is reconsidering its plans for a nuclear energy facility in light of […]

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Source: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Date: 21 Mar 2011 21-03-2011 News Release 11/64 Geneva/Jerusalem (ICRC) – Large numbers of people living in the Gaza Strip remain at risk of contracting water-borne disease because of insufficient and poorly maintained wastewater treatment systems. See also TV news footage: Gazans struggle for access to clean […]

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From the Desk of LTC Avi Shalev, Head of the International Organizations Branch The Civil Administration is keen to support and help the development o the wastewater sector in the West Bank. Treatment of wastewater is of key importance to the region and to the communities. Untreated wastewater can cause serious environmental, water and health […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Over 500 water experts and lawmakers will gather at the rapidly shrinking Dead Sea next week to discuss ways to manage scarce water resources. International water utility representatives, experts and academicians will convene at the sixth International Water Association Specialist (IWA) Conference on Efficient Use and Management of Water (Efficient […]

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By Anna Paolini Water is life. Yet Jordanians have one of the lowest amounts of water per person in the world. To make matters worse, annual rainfall in Jordan is declining while demand continues to rise. Even more action needs to be taken to mitigate the increasing water scarcity and if this challenge is to […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Jordan has been listed third among countries at risk for water insecurity, according to a report released on Tuesday. The Security Risk Index, issued by risk analysts and mapping group Maplecroft yesterday, rated Jordan third among 18 countries at “extreme water-security risk”, with 15 of the countries located in the […]

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By Patrick Galey BEIRUT: Lebanon is facing an unprecedented struggle to effectively manage its dwindling water resources as an unplanned and unchecked surge in regional urban migration threatens Middle Eastern drinking and sewage infrastructure, an international conference concluded Tuesday. The U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia summit on the occasion of World Water […]

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By Alister Doyle Reuters OSLO – The United Nations should promote “hydro-diplomacy” to defuse any tensions over water in regions like the Middle East and North Africa where scarce supplies have the potential to spark future conflicts, experts said on Sunday. They said the UN Security Council should work out ways to bolster cooperation over […]

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03/20/2011 01:25 Different consistency of factory’s wastewater often leads the regional treatment plant to buckle under the strain of processing. Factories should be forced to build their own wastewater treatment plants rather than use regional ones, Citizens for the Environment in the Galilee (CFE) argue in their latest report on factories in the north. The […]

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By Khetam Malkawi AMMAN – While climate change is often associated with its environmental impacts, for Jordan the phenomenon is a threat to public health, health officials warned on Sunday. Basel Yousfi, director of the WHO Centre for Environmental Health Activities (CEHA), said that for Jordan, one of the water poorest countries in the world, […]

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Vesela Todorova ABU DHABI // The South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak’s achievement in committing his country to “Green Growth” was yesterday recognised with the award of the Zayed Prize for Global Leadership in Environment. President Lee Myung-bak was awarded $500,000 for his vision to commit South Korea to the “Green Growth” path. The policy, which […]

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BAGHDAD (Reuters) Major wheat importer Iraq plans to start an eight-year, $700 million irrigation program this year, part of a plan to increase wheat production by more than 60 percent to 3 million tons. Popular anger at rising food prices has been an explosive ingredient in the mix of grievances that triggered the fall of […]

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