Once you could lose your life if you fell in. Rowing in cleaner waters? The Yarkon River has been upgraded – so they say! This installment of articles on Israel’s coastal waterways, deals with the Yarkon River, one of the country’s shortest, as well as one of the most publicized. It begins at Tel Afek, […]
All the forecasts about water causing the next major Middle East conflict has started. An Iraqi government employee in the irrigation department, along with his family, are murdered – over water. In the early hours of 18 June, gunmen broke into Faisal Hassan’s west Baghdad home killing him, his wife and their two young children. […]
A Bahraini dhow in drydock. No fish. Maybe it’s time to go back to racing camels? It’s not just dumping construction wastes in the Persian Gulf that’s killing delicate coral formations these days. Now, the Sheikdom’s fishermen are complaining that their catches are much lower than expected. Bahrain’s Gulf Daily News says the fishing industry has collapsed. And […]
The Red Sea oil spill off Hurghada Coast is said to be contained, but it’s still leaking off the coast of Egypt, environmental activists say. Tourists are cancelling Red Sea holidays. With all the attention focused on the still spewing oil platform leak in the Gulf of Mexico, who would be paying attention to another oil […]
The massive natural gas find in Israel and political tensions with Turkey, could put Turkey out of the energy story with Israel. It’s a big deal, says Washington based energy analyst Gal Luft. A door has been closed. But amid the roar, the creak of an opening window was faintly audible. This window, a gigantic […]
Afghanistan is not Pandora, but the tribal exploitation concept is similar Maurice argues. Now that American forces in Afghanistan are commemorating the longest period of any war that America has been involved in, including the 1965-73 Vietnam War, the recent discoveries of large and extremely valuable mineral and metal deposits may finally bring to light […]
A death trap for corals: Is Abu Dhabi’s Bu Tinah island atoll next in line for dumping? We have heard this issue before: corals are being killed from human caused environmental damage. We’ve heard this in a lot of places, especially in the areas like the Persian Gulf; where large scale construction projects in Dubai, […]
Thieves divert public water in Jordan for greenhouses and swimming pools. With the Middle East facing a severe water shortage, government efforts to desalinate sea water, regulate usage and prevent waste are being undermined by a growing problem: theft. Thieves have gotten creative about diverting water from public pipes for private or business purposes, bypassing […]
If Lebanese sewage dumping can be seen from the air, it is centainly seen, and smelled on ground level. Rampant corruption and nepotism among Lebanese government officials is causing a delay in improving the country’s environment, according to the Lebanon Daily Star. The remarks were made by the country’s environment minister, Mohammad Rahhal during a […]
Anti British Rhetoric Placing the two Nations on a Collision Course As the White House starts crunching the numbers behind the costs of BP’s Gulf of Mexico debacle, the projected costs – and future debt of BP – begins to become clearer, placing Washington and London on a collision course. In the US, the spill […]
Israel’s offshore oil resource are larger than previously thought, pitting the state against oil tycoons defying demands for a larger public share of oil revenues. In the context of fossil fuel-induced climate change, does the development of petroleum resources have any justification at all? Last week, a consortium including the American energy corporation Noble Energy […]
The Israel-Asia Center gives Green Prophet a podcast transcript of their interview with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel. Lots can be gleaned about China’s sustainability vision from the interview. The Israel-based Israel-Asia Center recently conducted an interview with the Chinese Ambassador to Israel, Zhao Jun, on what the World Expo means for China, the challenges […]
A Green Prophet reader shares her personal story on starting up a green business in the Middle East – Diamond Solar Services. Image via pinksherbert My name is Chava and I’m a green nerd. I love saying that. It sounds kind of corny and probably not the impression you would get if you met me, […]
Can Zionism claim Green credentials? The jury is still out on this one. On the one hand, Zionism was initially very much a “back to the land” movement, in the European Romantic tradition. Trees were being planted in Palestine as early as 1901, there was a strong emphasis on agriculture and “redemption of the land”, […]
Dr. Gotlieb comments on the disastrous effects of the oil spill in the US Gulf of Mexico and the dangers it portends for Israel’s emerging oil industry. In a New York Times article entitled Our Fix-It Faith and the Oil Spill published this week, Elisabeth Rosenthal writes that “Americans have long had an unswerving belief […]