Arab Environment Watch

Groundwater in Jordan in Alarming Condition

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:24:00 GMT

Source: Jordan Times By: Hana Namrouqa The Kingdom’s underground water situation is alarming, a prominent water expert said on Wednesday. Elias Salameh, a professor specialised in the topic at the University of Jordan, said both the quality and quantity of the Kingdom’s water in aquifers are declining, pinning blame on overpumping and the meagre rainfall during the winter. Excessive... [read more]

Source of Nile Privatized

Mon, 05 May 2008 01:36:00 GMT

AEW- compiled from different news In an amazing example of privatization of natural resources, news leaked from Uganda state that the source of the Nile River has fallen into the hand on an investor. According to a news article published at Allafrica website the Jinja District Land Board has given away the ownership of the land in the source of Nile to investment. Details are still scanty but... [read more]

Jordan’s nature reserves feature on world tourism map

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:53:27 GMT

By: Hana Namrouqa Jordan Times Jordan has become an eco-tourism leader in the Mediterranean region and many of its nature reserves are currently on the world tourism map, demonstrating a model of sustainable development, according to Wild Jordan Director Chris Johnson. Johnson told The Jordan Times in a recent interview that he spoke about Jordan’s 14-year journey in ecotourism at the... [read more]

World Bank: MENA Countries are off track in environmental sustainability

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:45:00 GMT

The World Bank has published its annual global monitoring report which aims to shed light on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. This year's report had a focus on MDG 7 about environmental sustainability. Regarding the MENA region the World bank report states that the Middle East & North Africa region is off track on an important environment-related target – to halve... [read more]

WWF and IUCN launch new green on-line community for youth

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:36:38 GMT

A new online community where young people can have their say on the environment by uploading videos, pictures and comments is being launched today. The site, www.connect2earth.org, will also allow people to rank other entries, discuss the issues that matter most to them, and share smart ideas and solutions from their own communities. Each month users will vote on a winner who will be rewarded with... [read more]

The Cost of Environmental degradation in the Arab World

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:33:16 GMT

By: Batir Wardam It has became a common conclusion for both environmentalists and "green economists" alike that any breakthrough in commitment to environmental remediation will only be economically feasible when the evidence is conclusive that the cost of remediation is less than the cost of inaction, and that economic benefits can arise from investing in environmental management options. It... [read more]

Doha Bank to trade carbon emission, the Islamic Way!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:29:27 GMT

The relationship between the banking sector and environmental protection is really vague. In fact, for a lot of environmentalists and bankers these are two completely isolated worlds. However, thanks to the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) banks have became real pioneers in financing carbon trading deals. A senior executive of Doha Bank, a major Qatari private commercial bank, sought... [read more]

The Arab World gets Serious about Climate Change

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:47:18 GMT

By: Batir Wardam Few Arab cities, including Amman and Dubai took part in the symbolic initiative done two weeks ago to turn off lights in cities for one hour in an activity called Earth Hour advocated by the World Wide Fund (WWF). For many of the still evolving species of Arab environmentalists, this was a much celebrated step. All Arab environmentalists know for certain that when it came... [read more]

Public Health Boost as Jordan switches to unleaded fuel

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:54:43 GMT

IRIN news wire has published this story about Jordan's recent switch to unleaded fuel. Worthy of reading and documentation. The link to this story is here Many petrol stations across Jordan no longer sell leaded petrol after a government decision to switch to unleaded fuel in a bid to improve public health. Emissions from vehicles which use leaded petrol are believed to be harmful - especially... [read more]

Video about Masdar City

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:09:00 GMT

This is a nice video illustrating the technology and vision to be used in Masdar City, the first zero carbon and zero waste city in the world to be built in Abu Dhabi In addition, this is an insightful analysis of the Masdar city from a technological point of view http://www.dinarstandard.com/innovation/Masdar040608.htm [read more]

Three Gulf states target gas flaring to combat climate change

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:00:22 GMT

Three Gulf states - Qatar, Kuwait and Oman - are expected to sign up soon to a World Bank programme aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions by finding commercial uses for natural gas that is still burned, or flared, as a by-product of oil production. Amid growing awareness of climate change and the need to conserve resources for their expanding water and power needs, the Gulf states are seeking... [read more]

EU: Climate Change poses security risks in the Middle East

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:58:29 GMT

A recent report published by the High Representative and the European Commission to the European Council stated that climate change poses a real security threat for the EU and international stability. This report focuses on the impact of climate change on international security and considers the impact of these international security consequences for Europe's own security, and how the EU should respond... [read more]

Conference on green property in Amman in April

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:46:26 GMT

The first conference on green buildings will be held in Amman between 22-23 April 2008 under the title "Think Green". The Conference aims to bring together key stakeholders to promote environmentally-responsible design and construction methods and solutions that foster sustainable economic development. The Conference is supported by the World Green Building Council, Ministry of Public Works and Housing,... [read more]

The Right to Water in Jordan

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:54:12 GMT

Two weeks ago a statement by the Minister of Water and Irrigation caused havoc in the Jordanian society. By declaring that the government is "discussing" the option of increasing the prices for domestic water, the Jordanian consumer was hit with fear of yet another increase in the price of basic commodities. Indeed the threat of increasing the price of water is linked to a possible reduction in the... [read more]

One Month of Solitude

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:50:00 GMT

It has been a long month since I last posted an article or a news item in this blog. It is not an indicator of loosing interest but rather a state of disorganization in time management. I guess one of the main reasons why blogs will not turn out to be a reliable source of continuous information, compared to traditional media is the fact that blogs are vulnerable to the social and economic conditions... [read more]

FAO: Oil revenues should be used to support agriculture in the Arab World

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:25:00 GMT

The FAO conference for near east starts with a call to use huge oil revenues in supporting agricultural activities. This is a good idea that need to be realised. This is the news item by FAO media Increased revenues from oil exports could provide an excellent opportunity to boost public investment in agriculture in the Near East, a region faced by food insecurity, land degradation, water... [read more]

Time: Renewable energy aspirations in the Arab World

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:20:07 GMT

This is a comprehensive article that was published in Time magazine describing the current wave of renewable energy innovations coming out of the UAE. Again the focus here is Masdar city but with more investigative reporting than public relations By: Bryan Walsh If you want to see the future of sustainable design, drive southwest from Abu Dhabi's international airport, stop when you... [read more]

Brave new world: Gulf seeks bold science initiatives

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:06:00 GMT

This is a very well written analytical article about the efforts conducted by Gulf states in developing cutting edge research and innovation practices. The article is originally published by Science Devnet By: Waleed Al-Shobakky Farouk El-Baz routinely shifts between two views of the Gulf countries. One day the Egyptian-American geologist will be in his Boston office poring over detailed... [read more]

Saudi Nanotechnology Center to address environmental innovations

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:00:09 GMT

Press release King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Saudi Arabian national research and development organisation announced it is establishing a Nanotechnology Centre of Excellence, in association with IBM Research, to seek key innovations, and explore and develop breakthroughs in applying molecular-scale engineering to critical energy and sustainable resource issues. The agreement... [read more]

Noise Pollution Cripples Cairo

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:07:06 GMT

Source: AFP From blaring car horns to wedding parties, rising noise pollution in the 24-hour metropolis of Cairo has reached alarming levels, leading to hearing problems, irritability and even death. Living in the city centre, where noise levels reached an average of 90 decibels (dB) and never drop below 70 dB, was like spending all day inside a factory, a 2007 study by the Egyptian National... [read more]

Dubai and Shanghai examples of wasteful urban development

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:16:08 GMT

Despite the glamourous display of technological advancements in the United Arab Emirates using sustainable initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, this article by Darryl D’Monte published in City Mayors website provides an alternative assessment of Dubai's urbanization that is worth debating Here is the full text of the article The danger of treating climate... [read more]

Renewable sources pose as sole answer to cut power bill in Jordan

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:08:00 GMT

Source: the Jordan Times By Taylor Luck With soaring global oil prices, the Kingdom is pinning hopes on attempts to utilise its potential of renewable and alternative energy sources. “The energy sector is in a dangerous situation and we need rapid change in the way we approach energy,” National Energy Research Centre (NERC) President Malek Kabariti told The Jordan Times recently. According... [read more]

DESERTEC: Solar Energy from MENA to Europe

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:56:27 GMT

This is one of the most promising and exciting project proposals to emerge for years. In fact, the idea to energize Europe with renewable energy from the Middle East could be one of the milestones of future energy security plans linking Europe with the Middle East. The proposal is entitled DESERTEC and developed by the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC). The detailed proposal... [read more]

Jordan’s limited forests get the axe in cold winter

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:31:10 GMT

Source: Jordan Times By Hana Namrouqa The Kingdom’s one per cent area covered with forest trees is now, more than before, facing the threat of increasing illegal logging. Setting off the deforestation alarm, agriculture and environment officials pointed to the Jerash, Dibbeen and Ajloun areas as hot spots. Sources familiar with the issue differ on whom to blame on the arbitrary deforestation... [read more]

Artificial coral reef project to protect marine environment in Qatar

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:16:14 GMT

Source: The Peninsula 25.2.2008 Qatar University's Environmental Studies Center (ESC), in collaboration with Qatar Petroleum (QP), has initiated the project for the introduction of artificial coral reef, a method which is fast becoming approved internationally to encourage the growth of coral reefs and ultimately enhance their ecosystem. “The reefs, an important part of Qatar's ecosystem,... [read more]

Africa's largest seawater desalination plant established in Algeria

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:11:30 GMT

Press release Feb 24, 2008 A persistent shortage of potable water in the City of Algiers, Algeria was eased today as the US $250 million Hamma Seawater Desalination Plant (SWDP) was officially opened by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Jeff Garwood president and CEO, GE Water Process Technologies, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Completed on time and on budget... [read more]

Work starts on $22bn carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:40:00 GMT

Source: Financial Times By Simeon Kerr in Dubai Published: February 10 2008 Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy initiative, Masdar, has laid the cornerstone of its carbon-neutral, waste-free city, saying it will invest $22bn in the hope that the project becomes a blueprint for sustainable development around the world. Oil-rich Abu Dhabi said it was committing $15bn (€10... [read more]

Recycle your city campaign in Saudi Arabia

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:29:47 GMT

Lulwa Shalhoub, Arab News Monday 11.2.2008 JEDDAH — People in Saudi Arabia are not yet familiar with the three-curved-arrow logo that indicates that a plastic or paper container can be recycled, a recent poll by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) employees showed. To raise awareness on environmental issues, a group of environmental activists gathered recently to organize... [read more]

NGOs to push Arab League for a uniform policy on Climate Change

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:26:12 GMT

A much welcomed concerted efforts by NGOs to exert pressure on Arab "leaders" for a uniform position on Climate Change, the Daily Star reports By Michael Bluhm Daily Star staff Tuesday, February 12, 2008 BEIRUT: The Arab Climate Network will take its first step this week in creating a united Arab policy on climate change, as network co-founder Wael Hmaidan leaves for Jordan to talk... [read more]

Positive end to the Dibbin development vs. nature fiasco

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:38:02 GMT

By: Batir Wardam Weekly article published by Star newspaper-Jordan The Social Security Corporation (SSC) declared that it has donated its ownership of a portion of Dibbin Forest to be added to the already existing Dibbin Nature Reserve, run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). This is a positive conclusion of the environmental-economic fiasco that has erupted last year... [read more]