In preparation for Israeli election day, we present a series of posts with a summary of the environmental positions of the parties running for the Knesset on the following topics: Open Areas and Beaches, Green Energy, Radiation and Global Warming, Sustainable Development, Recycling, Water, and Air & Industrial Pollution and Enforcement. OPEN AREAS AND BEACHES
This Monday in Israel, we celebrate Tu Bishvat, the New Year for the Trees. Traditionally a day for planting trees, in recent years it has become more and more a day for environmental awareness, turning form Israel’s Arbor Day into an Earth Day. Tu Bishvat is also the birthday of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament […]
Yesterday Daniel wrote a sobering report on the increasingly serious drought conditions throughout the entire region. Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Iraq have all reported water shortages that are sure to affect both the environment and international security. Sadly, Syria can also join this unfortunately long list. Syria has been suffering from a […]
What’s left of Iraq’s “Garden of Eden” Marshes The Middle Eastern winter has never been more pleasant, bringing us day after day of perfect blue skies, comfortable temperatures, light winds and crisp, clear views. “What more could you ask for?” must think the residents of Western Europe and North America, who are being pounded by […]
This post was contributed by Talia Winokur of CleanIsrael Network. The cleantech sector in Israel is developing fast. As a world leader of alternative energy and water development, and a hub for innovative R&D, our small country looms large among global cleantech participants. Add to that the high-caliber manpower, history of entrepreneurship, geographical position as […]
Green Prophet had the opportunity to interview Gitanjali Bakshi, Research Analyst at the Strategic Foresight Group. The group has produced a report on the environmental impact of conflicts in the Middle East, which was presented at the Palais de Nations in Geneva this week. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what […]
If you haven’t yet bought your flight (carbon offset of course!), it might be too late to get in on the great action at the Global Development Network’s 10th Annual Conference on “Natural Resources and Development” in Kuwait. But the conference organizers have set up an RSS feed for you to follow. Smart move. Hosted […]
As the dust settles on the recent round of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, reports indicate that the environmental damage is another unfortunate byproduct of the war. The political situation aside, Gaza’s ecological conditions are already conducive to groundwater pollution. The sandy desert soil tends to absorb water – or pollutants […]
Academics from Arizona State University are hard at work promoting sustainability and regional cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a politically stable and very prosperous Gulf country. A delegation from Arizona traveled to the United Arab Emirates this past January for a series of meetings to follow-up on last summer’s visit to their university […]
As African nations sell and lease its land, and birthright, to the world’s super-powers, and arguably “dangerous” countries like Saudi Arabia who support Islamic fundamentalism, we are seeing a brand new kind of neo-colonial land-grab, and it scares me. I’d reported on Galten’s Jatropha seeds for biofuel here, and also on the Israeli conglomerate Ormat, […]
When was the last time you saved the world? Or motivated your kid or kid nephew to think about positive action for the environment’s sake? Now, there’s a challenge. Ekoloko, a new virtual world merges two great ideas –– saving the environment and gaming –– with one thing enterprising young Israelis are very good at: […]
Fresh on the heels of Israel, Egypt, and the UAE, who have all recently made commitments for a renewable energy future, Jordan recently launched EDAMA, an initiative to help Jordan reduce energy demand, water usage, and protect the environment. EDAMA Chairperson Karim Kawar indicates that Jordan is using its energy and water resources in an […]
In the wake of conflicts with Gaza, organizers of Israel’s three-day international energy conference say the show must go on. Following the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Israel will host a massive renewable energy conference in Eilat –– the Eilat-Eilot International Renewable Energy Conference –– from February 17-19 at Eilat’s Herod’s Palace. This […]
Just weeks into 2009, at least three Middle Eastern governments have made commitments to increase the green-ness of their energy supplies. Last week, Cairo has committed that renewables will supply 20 percent of Egypt‘s electricity needs by 2020, Israel says solar power will provide 10 % and Abu Dhabi says 7% of its total power […]
Qatar’s environmental goals and ambitions will be discussed at a national seminar organised by the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP) on January 27 at the Four Seasons Hotel, according to the Gulf Times. The seminar’s aims are twofold. The first is to identify and discuss issues and challenges related to achieving the environmental goals […]
I was in Grade 4, in Canada, and learning about all the secrets and marvels of life. There was the discovery of books like 1984, new information about sex and how our parents’ genes combine to make us who we are; we were taught how to make our own movies, and program computers – and one […]
How do changemakers form bold ideas, and turn them into a massive project like a major documentary film? Today we talk with Courtney Nichols, producer of the new film Blood For Water, on how she came from the world of business to take on the global problem of water politics head on. She’s planning on turning […]
The historic discovery of a large deposit of natural gas off of the Israel coast has the potential to restructure the Israeli energy market, with effects reaching into other countries in the region as well. The “Tamar 1” deposit, located 90 km west of Haifa, is projected to begin delivery in 2015, and contains at […]
Amidst all its struggles to develop clean and cleaner technologies (and a war with Gaza), it seem that Israelis got a huge gift this week: Israelis were celebrating this week over the discovery of a massive 3 trillion cubic feet natural gas pocket found buried 1.5 km below the sea floor, some 90 km off […]
I went to see Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s documentary film, “The Garden,” at Tribeca Cinemas in Manhattan, part of docs on the shortlist for the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. I went with a group of farmers living in New York, some of whom work on urban farming projects in and around the City. The film tells […]
Each week Orthodox Jews read one segment of the Five Books of Moses so that they can complete the entire Five Books within the course of a year. In last week’s Eco-Rabbi post we discussed Jacob’s passing on and blessing his children, this week begins several generations later. Jacob’s children have been living in Egypt […]
We’ve oohed and awed over the green building projects in Dubai: A recent survey has consigned that old saying ‘Location is everything,’ to the scrapheap when it comes to property investors looking to flash their cash in the Middle East. Instead, eco is where it’s at, according to a new United Arab Emirates report. A […]
This isn’t the forum for politics, but unfortunately so much of what decisions are made in the Middle East (ie funds allocated, prayers made) are determined by the conflict. Above, see a video of the consequences of the Israel-Lebanon war 2.5 years ago. As an Israeli, I know that untold environmental damage happened south of […]
(A map of Jordan and the surrounding region highlighting the Disi Aquifer and the proposed Red-Dead project.) With worrying frost alerts in Jordan getting farmers anxious, Jordanians are also seeing a rainless season this year, increasing their fears that crops will collapse. Last week, officials had been calling on its citizens to pray for rain, […]
(Rapidly depleting water resources has forced residents of Sana’a to buy water from private sources. Water levels are dropping by 6 metres a year in the Yemeni capital. © David Swanson/IRIN) If you think things seem pretty dicey in the Middle East right now with Israel and Hamas fighting, according to IRIN, expect tensions to […]