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Saudi Jails 21 People for 100 Drowning Deaths

At least 1833 people died when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, but – as far as we know – nobody went to prison for building houses on land that had sunk 17 feet below sea level in New Orleans. But Saudi Arabia recently sentenced nearly two dozen people to prison in connection […]

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Over Polluted Qatar Hosts UN Climate Conference

This month’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18) will be hosted by Qatar, the tiny peninsula nation in the Persian Gulf that holds the world record for per capita CO2 emissions. According to a report entitled Indicators of Sustainable Development 2011 released by Qatar’s statistics’ authority, the state has experienced a 27% annual increase in […]

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Hot and Hungry Saudis Protest Ramadan Power Outages

A silly argument breaks out in the street? Ramadan. A customs control officer falls asleep while processing passports at the airport? Ramadan. A random stranger passes out bottles of juice during Iftar? All of these events are explained by one word in the Middle East and North Africa: Ramadan – the holy month during which Muslims […]

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Can Air Con Fumes In Hot Cars Cause Cancer?

Have you received an email saying your car’s air con could kill you? The jury is still out until more scientific evidence comes in.  Car and home air conditioning units provide a cooler internal environment, and may also be a possible source of drinking water in emergency situations . But there is another side to […]

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A Dustier Planet, Your Dustier Lungs

Earth’s dust storms and sand storms are becoming more frequent. How does that affect your health? Here in the Middle East, powerful hot winds sometimes drop fine yellowish sand  down from the sky, coating the skin and lips irritatingly and making it hard to see across the street. It’s the lashing tail of giant storms […]

Time to Adapt to Climate Change

Climate change is here and it looks like there is no way back. Scientists and policymakers are increasing concerned about extreme weather and climate events. These include extended waves of abnormally hot or cold weather, unseasonal temperatures, changes in precipitation and wind patterns, along with more dramatic occurrences like unprecedented blizzards, cyclones sudden downpours, sudden […]

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UAE Sustainability Conference Inspires Change

The Green Sheikh, who attended the event, encouraged everyone to get out of their comfort zones to help create a more sustainable UAE The main problem with a lot of green events and green conferences is that they end up preaching to the choir. The green-savvy will attend to learn more but it’s very hard […]

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Shark Attacks Up 25% Worldwide

Environmental changes may have led to Middle East shark attacks and a worldwide increase. Shark attacks increased a whopping 25% worldwide, including recent attacks in Egypt. In the 2010 report released by the University of Florida International Shark File, file director and shark expert George Burgess said that “the most unusual shark incident of my […]

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Going Against The Grain of Desertification In Iran

Iran is home to two of the world’s largest deserts. But the country needs better planning to block these deserts from growing. Desertification threatens biodiversity and reduces productivity capacity of land. Most of the land of Iran is located in arid and semi-arid climates and most of Iranians live in the most livable places outside […]