Some 50 presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers were due to attend the summit, which now has been canceled for the third time. By Barak Ravid An international summit of Mediterranean leaders has been canceled for the third time because Arab states threatened to boycott if Israel was invited. French national security adviser Jean-David Levitte […]

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by EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/16/2010 04:08 Hydro-electric power is one of the “baseline” energy sources used to power electricity grids. Leviathan Energy Hydroelectric Ltd. has announced it was awarded a EUREKA grant of over €1 million to continue to develop and test its Benkatina in-pipe turbine. Leviathan said last week that it has partnered with […]

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By Abdulhamid Qabbani Although the effects of climate change are obvious in Syria, awareness of it remains low and programmes to combat it are nascent. On August 18, the temperature in Syria reached 47 degrees, 8 degrees hotter than the annual average, according to local records. Despite acknowledgement that heat, desertification, sand storms and drought […]

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Saturday, November 13, 2010 BEIRUT: Dozens of fires have erupted across Lebanon over recent days and the country is expected to face even higher, unseasonably warm, temperatures over the weekend. Meanwhile, a toxic fire that occurred in Beirut earlier in the week involved illegally stored chemicals, according to the governor of Mount Lebanon. A fire […]

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Due to water scarcity in the region, Israel has become a global leader in water reuse technologies; more than 80 percent of household waste water is recycled. By Reuters Thirty years ago, Israeli farmers faced a daunting choice – find a new water source or go under. Their solution was waste water recycling. Now climate […]

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Today the global league of activists, IndyACT, launched its “Zero Waste” exhibition which will tour the Lebanese territories to recommend the principle of “Zero Waste” as a solution to Lebanon’s waste problem. The exhibit also displays the possible risks of incineration technologies that the Lebanese government is planning to establish. The exhibition will visit several […]

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Instead of adhering to the master plan, which forbids construction on the narrow strip around the Kinneret, the authorities are bypassing the ban, flouting the law in addition to the environmental damage they are expected to cause. Haaretz Editorial The Kinneret is a unique natural resource in the Israeli landscape, whose preservation is at constant […]

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Natural resources belong to the people, the Sheshinski Committee declares, giving the state a 66% share of income from future profitable oil and gas projects. By Avi Bar-Eli Seven months after its establishment, the Sheshinski Committee has declared a revolution in the distribution of monetary gain from Israel’s oil and gas reserves. Natural resources belong […]

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Proposed royalty hike from 12.5 percent to 25 percent threatened to create tension between Israel and the U.S. By The Associated Press * * Published 20:35 10.11.10 * Latest update 20:35 10.11.10 Steinitz drops plan to hike royalties on gas fields Proposed royalty hike from 12.5 percent to 25 percent threatened to create tension between […]

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Final, 5/11/2010 Annual Conference of the Arab Forum for Environment & Development Recommendations The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) held its third annual conference in Beirut on 4-5 November 2010, dedicated to discussing the sustainable management of water resources in the Arab world. The conference, held under the patronage of His Excellency the […]

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he Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) concluded its third annual conference on Arab water that was held on 4-5 November in Habtoor Grand Hotel, Beirut, issuing the final recommendations in Grand Serail. This was followed by a lunch, hosted by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a founding member of AFED. Hariri met a delegation […]

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Beirut, 4 November 2010 The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) announced today the publication of a Water Efficiency Handbook at the organization’s Annual Conference “Arab Environment 2010” being held on 4-5 November at Al Habtoor Grand Conference Center in Beirut. The handbook is intended for use as a reference manual for identifying and […]

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Beirut, 4 November 2010 The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) presented its latest documentary The Last Drop, at the opening session of AFED’s third annual conference at Habtoor Grand Hotel in Beirut. The Last Drop takes viewers on an interesting 12 minute tour around different Arab countries, located in the world’s driest region […]

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Beirut, 4 November 2010 Arabs to Face Severe Water Shortages by 2015 The Arab world is facing the prospect of severe water and food shortages as early as 2015, as the annual per capita share will be less than 500 cubic meters. This is below one-tenth of the world’s average, currently estimated at over 6,000 […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/07/2010 02:30 Ra’anana Anglos encourage the public to conserve – in ways both funny and smart. The water crisis is expected to get much worse before it gets better. Six years of little rain are stressing resources to the limit. Having cut back water allotments for agriculture and public gardening, the […]

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By Mohammad Ghazal NAGOYA – Japan is committed to providing its expertise to help the Kingdom reduce water loss, according to a Japanese development official. Japan, which has succeeded in reducing its non-revenue water percentage (water loss) to 3.5 per cent, is actively implementing projects in Jordan and providing training to Jordanian experts to address […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal TOKYO – Several Japanese technology firms have expressed interest in assisting in the implementation of the Red-Dead canal project, according to a Japanese official. Japanese water and energy firms would consider assisting the transfer of water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea should the project be deemed feasible, said Koichi […]

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CAIRO, 7 November 2010 (IRIN) – Every year a noxious black smog hangs over Egypt as the seasonal burning of rice straw by farmers begins, and with it comes a surge in allergic reactions and lung infections. The inky haze lasts from October to November; it is a time when hospitals see a rise in […]

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Climate change and its effects on the Middle East – Palestine Note Nov, 10 2010 Lana Abu-Hijleh. http://palestinenote.com/blogs/blogs/archive/2010/11/10/climate-change-and-its-effects-on-the-middle-east.aspx The future of the Middle East is a cause for concern – and I am not referring to peace or politics, but to the many environmental challenges that lie ahead. Despite regionally being one of the lowest […]

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The Israeli water Management master plan- management policy of the effluent system in Israel – full report of the SNI water forum, by Avi Shaviv, Miki Zaide, Tal Goldrath, 2010. Three main issues were discussed during the one-day seminar, in compliance with the water authority master plan work frames: 1) Effluent quality at the treatment […]

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