Abu Dhabi newspaper points out renewable energy costs and trends. That renewable energy is good for the environment we have known for a long time, and it’s becoming cheaper as well. An article The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi the United Arab Emirates, outlines some of the dramatic changes in cost of production of […]
Masdar City has experienced knee-buckling setbacks, but we haven’t heard the last of them just yet Masdar City is hanging on tenterhooks. After questioning the dicey science of carbon credits for big energy companies, we then published assurances by Masdar’s CEO Sultan Al-Jaber that although the project will be delayed because of certain hiccups – not […]
The Dead Sea in Israel, PA, and Jordan; the Jeita Cave Grotto in Lebanon, and the Bu Tinah Island Archepelago in Abu Dhabi – are vying for the 7 Natural Wonders list of 28 from around the world. Cast your votes today. It seems like this contest has been going on for years already, but […]
Are oil and gas companies seeking carbon credits simply opportunists looking to make a profit? [image via oedipusphinx] It makes some sense that Masdar City, a carbon neutral city being built in Abu Dhabi, should receive carbon credits. But rewarding large oil companies such as Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC even though they continue to emit carbon […]
Although dust could fill up the Gulf in the next 20-40 years, according to scientists, at the moment it feeds the food chain. [image via treehugger] Whether from nearby construction zones puffing up plumes of dust and contaminating homes, or a sweeping sand storm, dust permeates every crevice of Middle Eastern life. But recent research suggests that […]
Green babies are being born all over the UAE. Coming soon to a hospital near you? [image via: Gulf News] When it comes to setting green patterns, there is no doubt that it is better to create eco-friendly habits early in life. No different than other forms of education, or even good habits such as […]
Faster than a Ferrari, cleaner than a Prius, Tesla’s EV roadster is only $100,000: Is this reason for Tesla’s high IPO result? Tesla Motors, already a popular concept in Gulf countries, but whose high performance electric sports car has not turned a profit for them in the company’s seven year of operation, has suddenly put […]
Abu Dhabi tells its residents not to pollute the environment by abandoning their cars. [image via: k.a.r.e.n] We’ve heard of personal cars causing all kinds of pollution – air pollution, noise pollution… But abandoned cars polluting the streets and parking lots of a city? That’s taking pollution to a different level. And the Municipality of […]
Abu Dhabi’s oil wealth funds energy infrastructure transformation with General Electric at the helm. In 2005, a light bulb went off for GE, which pledged to spend $1.5 billion on alternative technology by 2010. Their Ecomagination department eclipsed that goal in 2009 and has recently committed a further $10billion to the cause. Masdar City in […]
Abu Dhabi City Municipality teaches its employees how to reduce consumption on Paper-Less Day. [image via: hunflickr] Generally known worldwide as bureaucratic, red tape repositories for paper forms, municipalities do not have the most eco-friendly reputation when it comes to paper consumption. (In fact, some environmentalists may claim that all those paper forms are wasteful […]
The United Arab Emirates’s Shams 1 project will incorporate hundreds of parabolic trough collectors. (Image via Solar Thermal Magazine) Abu Dhabi’s Masdar clean energy company has awarded a $600 million contract to a European consortium – the Spanish solar company Abengoa and the French oil and gas group Total – to build what it is billing […]
Does The First Arabian Construction Week Signal a Greener Middle Eastern Building Policy? [image via flickr] We have brought disturbing news from Dubai this week: a smuggled baby crocodile died and hyenas and baboons were confiscated from a private home. So it gives us pleasure to be able to provide our readers with a tidbit of […]
How Many Discs Will Save Abu Dhabi’s Coral Reefs? We have a long history of worrying about the Middle East’s coral reefs. These “rainforests of the sea” – so named because of their extraordinary biodiversity – are at risk of melting if CO2 levels continue to rise. They also face relentless jeopardy from development projects […]
Can environmental awareness campaigns sponsored by major corporate polluters still get the right message across? [image via: alyssakai] Eighty-eight students from 20 different governmental and private schools in Abu Dhabi were honored as winners of the country’s ninth Annual Environmental Competition last week. The competition, which was organized by the Abu Dhabi Education Council and […]
Bring in the mycorrhiza fungi to help crops grow in the desert, suggests new study for the Middle East. Image via DGSgardening Oil rich Persian Gulf states do not have enough arable land suitable for growing food and animal fodder crops; but they at least have the money available to find ways to improve the […]