These innocuous-looking pellets release deadly fumes that killed a young IT professional in Dubai last week. This is the second pesticide-related tragedy we are covering this week. A few days ago, no fewer than 15 top racing camels in Qatar died after their breeder administered a toxic chemical to their skin, which the owner blames […]
Blind as a bat? New research from Israel shows how Egyptian fruit bats navigate in wide areas with internal compass. If you ever watch nature shows, it might strike you as funny that the ones who apparently love the animals most are causing the most suffering. At least that’s how it appears on camera. Sharks […]
It’s black cloud season. Again. But there’s no reason to pull out the party favors just yet. It’s the anniversary of the Black Cloud in Egypt, but nobody’s celebrating. This is the time of year that farmers typically burn off their agricultural waste because they don’t know what else to do with it. When set […]
Camels are prized by their owners. Did the Qatari breeder kill 15 of his own through negligence, or is the vet to blame? More than two dozen racing camels in Qatar died after their breeder administered a toxic pesticide to their skin. Misfer Safran Al Merri purchased Diazinon from the Al Shahainya veterinary center and then […]
Green Prophet has followed the Renaissance Dam project for months, on which another Ethiopian dam project sheds some light. On its list of dams to be constructed, Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam project (formerly known as the Grand Millennium Dam) has drawn passionate commentary to our site. Despite the country’s inability to afford the dam and its potential […]
There’s a lot of buzz about overfishing, but navigating what is sustainable to eat is not so easy in the Middle East, where we don’t have such well-established research institutes as the Monterey Bay Institute in California. Luckily, we do have the WWF-EWS in the United Arab Emirates, which has been doing an excellent job […]
This attractive Adhoc canoe packs down to the size of a backpack and weighs pretty close to nothing! It’s time to face the truth: I am an eco-nomad. Although it’s sometimes challenging to live up to my fullest green fantasies on the road, I do my best, though I often miss having easy access to […]
Greater flamingos and chicks found in Abu Dhabi once again. Abu Dhabi’s remaining wetlands and its well publicized Bu Tinah archipelago have been mentioned a number of times by Green Prophet; especially with it being nominated for designation as one of the earth’s Seven World Wonders. But now this natural wonder, along with other designated […]
Can Wadi Rum cope with a predicted influx of tourists attracted by its World Heritage status? In June, the Jordanian desert valley of Wadi Rum joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a decision which has been much predicted since the end of 2010. According to Green Prophet’s Tafline Laylin, writing in September 2010, UNESCO […]
Led by Berber guides, five Australians and I head out on the Chebbi dunes outside Merzouga, Morocco for an unforgettable night under star-filled skies. Yesterday, Merzouga in southern Morocco (a stone’s throw from the border of Algeria) was so hot that I almost passed out in the internet cafe where I worked all day. There’s […]
Despite disgusting facilities and maltreatment of wild animals, Egyptian zookeeper Ahmed-Al Timsah’s permit has been renewed. When Apartheid ended officially in South Africa, racism didn’t go away. Likewise, though we had hope that a post-revolution Egypt would usher in a period of more humane treatment of animals, Egypt remains a corrupt society with a terrible […]
In a moment of unabashed self-aggrandizement, Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi commissioned beach graffiti visible from space. We have nothing against Sheikhs per se. A member of Ajman’s royal family, HRH Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Al Nuami, also known as the Green Sheikh (who knows how to treat a lady), has […]
If the thought of walking around a bustling city doesn’t feel like eco-tourism to you, maybe it’s time to think again and implement ‘The Art of Mindful Walking’. The term ecotourism often conjures images of mud brick eco lodges in the desert or visiting rare endangered plants on a nature reserve, but it can and […]
Climate change could derail Ethiopia’s grand plan to produce 15,000 MW of electricity with a series of controversial dams. The initial rhetoric surrounding Ethiopia’s Grand Millennium Dam seems to have subsided, but the plans to proceed with Africa’s largest hydroelectric plant are still very much in place. Although it is yet unclear how Ethiopia will […]
New Mediterranean jellyfish invasions are causing big problems for coastal power plants Ever since new species of jellyfish, such as one known as Marvigaria Stellata began to appear in the Mediterranean, numerous warnings have been issued by media sides concerning this “plague” that is getting worse. Some say this partially being attributed to global warming. […]