In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
We know about Chernobyl and Las Alamos: the lasting effects of radiation on the Saharan Tuareg in the desert
Between 1960 and 1966, seventeen nuclear detonations took place deep in Algeria’s Sahara Desert — first at Reggane and later in the Hoggar Mountains near In Ekker. Conducted under French supervision during the Cold War, these experiments were designed to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Their physical and political fallout is still with us.
The nuclear testing was not done in a vacuum and like at Las Alamos in New Mexico it affected the people nearby. In Algeria that was the Tuareg people. Others affected with the Berber-speaking nomadic group of the Sahara, whose territory spans large parts of southern Algeria; The Kel Ahaggar community which is a specific Tuareg confederation located in the Hoggar Mountains region off Algeria, and other local residents.
While less clearly documented in accessible sources, sites of the nuclear testing such as In Ekker and the surrounding desert zone indicate that French military, local manual workers, nomadic pastoralists, and their settlement communities were exposed.
The Hoggar Mountains (Arabic: جبال هقار, Berber: idurar n Ahaggar) are a highland region in the central Sahara, southern Algeria, along the Tropic of Cancer.
A peer-reviewed study in Applied Radiation and Isotopesfound measurable levels of plutonium and other radionuclides remaining at former test sites decades after the final detonation. A broader review of global weapons tests published in Environmental Sciences Europe confirms that radioactive contamination from Sahara tests persists in soils and fractured rock and can be re-mobilized by desert winds. If England gets locusts blown to its shores from Egypt, imagine how far radioactive dust can travel.
Algeria declared independence from France in 1962, but the Évian Accords that ended open conflict also granted France continued access to certain military and research sites in the Sahara for up to five years after independence. These terms were negotiated between the French state and Algeria’s provisional government (the FLN leadership at the time). This means the testing program after 1962 did not happen in a legal vacuum: it was authorized in writing by the Algerian Government, and it served strategic interests on both sides at the time. There was a power imbalance, giving the Algerians not much choice.
For France, the Sahara was a proving ground for weapons credibility as the Americans did in the deserts around the Los Alamos nuclear testing facility, established in 1943 as Project Y, a top-secret site for designing nuclear weapons under the Manhattan Project during World War II. For Algeria’s new leadership, the agreement helped secure full political recognition, state continuity, and material support at a fragile moment of transition to their autonomy. The cost of that compromise was largely borne by remote southern communities, as is the case in many of today’s superpowers.
Gerboise Bleue siteThe nuclear bombs tested
Some of the underground nuclear shots tested at In Ekker were supposed to be fully contained. In reality, not all of them were. One detonation, known as the Béryl Incident (1 May 1962), vented radioactive dust and hot debris into the open air when the test tunnel’s seal failed. French military personnel, engineers, and nearby residents were all exposed –– some highly contaminated. Decades later, radiation dose reconstructions and site surveys continue to document contamination in the blast zones and surrounding scrap fields.
People living downwind describe long-term health problems, loss of grazing land, restrictions around traditional water sources, and the normalization of sickness with no official acknowledgment. The same which happend in Love Canada, USA, a site I visited in the 90s. This happens in Turkey today where the government fails to recognize cancer clusters in industrialized zones outside the city. One scientist we interviewed was threatened to be put in jail if he continued his scientific research on the issue.
French veterans of the Sahara tests have in some cases received recognition and partial compensation under later French law, while Algerian civilians have struggled to access comparable review or support. Algeria, like most countries in North Africa and the Middle East are about 30 to 40 years behind on environmental issues and research. It’s not so easy to point a finger and find a villain. Algeria, 65 years on does not have a great environmental record.
Algerian air quality is listed as Unhealthy via IQAir
Algeria faces a complex mix of environmental and pollution challenges that extend from its Mediterranean coast to its Saharan interior. The most pressing issue is air pollution in major cities such as Algiers, Oran, and Constantine, where outdated vehicles, industrial emissions, and open waste burning raise fine particulate (PM2.5) levels to more than three times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit.
Air pollution in Algiers
Water contamination is another critical concern. Much of Algeria’s wastewater is released untreated into rivers and the sea, carrying agricultural runoff, heavy metals, and plastic debris. Coastal zones near industrial centers like Skikda and Annaba are among the most polluted in the southern Mediterranean, threatening fisheries and tourism. Groundwater in rural regions also suffers from nitrate and pesticide infiltration.
Finally, oil and gas extraction along with urban waste management gaps add to Algeria’s pollution load. While national plans now emphasize renewable energy, afforestation, and stricter environmental monitoring, progress remains uneven. The challenge is balancing economic growth with sustainable resource stewardship. With an estimated 2,400 billion cubic metres of proven conventional natural gas reserves, Algeria ranks 10th globally and first in Africa. It also has the third largest untapped unconventional gas resources in the world.
Algeria has 12.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, ranking it 15th in the world and third in Africa. Currently, all oil and gas reserves are located on land and it is a major contributor to oil pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. Algeria is exploring new possibilities for oil and gas extraction, including offshore and shale gas opportunities.
The legacy of Sahara nuclear testing is often framed as a simple one-direction story, but the reality is more entangled. France designed, managed, and detonated the devices. Oversight after 1966 has involved both governments and, at times, international agencies. What has not happened at scale is transparent, long-term medical screening for affected communities and a full clean-up of contaminated waste that was left in place.
But putting it in scale, Algeria has a lot of environmental accounting to do. Just blaming France or “colonial” powers is short-sighted and distracting, absolving locals from trying to better on its own locally-made problems due to extremely high levels of corruption. At Green Prophet we zoom out and try to show you the wider story to issues that affect every human on this planet.
Want to learn more about the environment in Algeria? Start here:
Once a prized source of protein among Bedouin tribes, the Arabian spiny-tailed lizard—known locally as ḍabb or dhab—is finding new attention as a window into folk traditions, desert ecology, and sustainability in Saudi Arabia. Like locusts eaten by Jews in Egypt and Yemen (get the recipe here), lizard tails are delighting Saudi Arabians as news of this dish circles social media. The roots of lizard tails are rooted in survival, like Americans who eat prairie oysters, Gazans eating whales that swim close to shore, or pickled pigs’ feet were for slaves in the Caribbean.
In the heart of the Arabian Peninsula, long before farms and refrigeration, desert communities relied on their surroundings to survive. Among the most unusual yet enduring examples of this resilience is the tradition of eating the spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia), a reptile that thrives in the arid sands of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE. Known in Arabic as ḍabb or dhab, the creature has been hunted, roasted, and stewed for generations by Bedouins who considered it a gift from the desert.
Bedouin in Israel making rugs for their tents
In many tribes, dhab stew was seen not as an exotic but as essential—a reliable protein source that could be found during long migrations. Historical accounts from travelers and early British explorers describe entire desert feasts centered on lizard meat, cooked slowly over open fires and served with flatbread. The meat, they wrote, was “white, mild, and a little like chicken.”
The Arabian spiny-tailed lizard is herbivorous, feeding on desert grasses, making it clean and permissible (halal) to many desert dwellers. The Prophet Muhammad reportedly neither ate nor forbade the consumption of ḍabb, leading Islamic scholars to conclude that while it’s not a delicacy for all, it is permissible—especially in times of need. Bedouins respected the animal for its toughness and spiritual symbolism: surviving where few other creatures could. To eat it was to honor the desert’s wisdom.
Traditionally, the lizard was hunted using snares or chased into burrows, then roasted whole or cut into chunks for dhab stew—a mix of meat, desert herbs, salt, and occasionally camel milk. The dish embodied the values of resourcefulness, adaptation, and gratitude—hallmarks of Arabian desert culture that began in what is known as Saudi Arabia today.
From a sustainability perspective, the lizard stew tradition is more than a curiosity—it’s a reflection of a closed-loop ecosystem. Bedouins hunted only what was needed, never to excess. The spiny-tailed lizard helped maintain insect and grass balance in the fragile desert biome. Understanding how traditional diets aligned with natural cycles offers modern lessons for food security in the Gulf.
Today, as Saudi Arabia reexamines its cultural identity through Vision 2030, heritage foods like dhab are being discussed not just as relics but as pathways to sustainable living. Perhaps this dhab will be a featured dish at one of the Saudi’s so-called sustainable resorts.
How do you hunt the reptiles: “There are several ways to hunt the dabb lizard, one is to let it sink in water by pouring water into the hole and forcing it to come out, another way is by chasing it and hunting it especially if it is far from the hole, the other way of hunting it is to use a firearm,’’ said Saudi lizard hunter Majed al-Matrudi to Al Arabiya News.
This blog woldbirder provides photos and a recipe from Jordan:
Recipe for Dhub Mansaf (recipe from eastern Jordan)
2 whole dhubs
½ kilo rice
5 pieces Arabic bread (Khubz mashrouh)
¼ kilo laban or yoghurt
100 g ghee
50 g pine nuts
Salt, pepper, allspice, cardamom
Serves 2 to 3.
Method: Catch two adult, well-grown dhubs, skin them and remove organs (except liver). Cut the dhubs into small pieces, wash them and cook in a small amount of water together with spices until the meat is half done. Add the laban and simmer until tender. Add the browned ghee, reserving a small quantity to brown the pine nuts. Meanwhile in another saucepan cook the rice. Keeping some bread aside to dip, break open the rest over a large tray, leaving an edging around the rim. Spread more of the laban sauce over this and pile with rice. Arrange the pieces of dhub on top of the rice. Sprinkle the entire plate of rice and dhub, with browned pine nuts.
Eat with right hand.
Dhab biryani, a classic fish from Saudi Arabia
Like the problematic hunting of birds and owls in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, modernization has made lizard hunting largely symbolic. They are a protected animal in the UAE but are still reportedly eaten in Jordan.
The ḍahb population is under pressure from habitat loss, 4×4 vehicle use, and over-hunting. Conservationists now warn that without regulation, this ancient species could disappear from Saudi sands. The Saudi Wildlife Authority has begun monitoring populations and promoting education to protect the reptile’s role in the desert ecosystem. Since there is no free press in Saudi Arabia, your guess on how that’s going is as good as mine.
By exploring forgotten folk dishes like lizard stew, Green Prophet continues to connect the dots between culture, ecology, and the future of sustainable living in the Middle East.
An Analytical Report on the TEDxOmid Architecture Event Titled “Narratives of Responsive Architecture” in Tehran, Iran
On the 10th of Mehr 1404 (corresponding to October 1, 2025), coinciding with the commemoration of World Architecture Day in Iran, the TEDxOmid Architecture event was held. Licensed under the official licence of the international TED organization, this program was designed to promote contemporary architectural perspectives, sustainable development, and the social responsibility of architects.
The event is notable from two aspects; first, its connection to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 lies in adopting a critical, forward‐looking, and transdisciplinary approach as a platform for dialogue and experimentation with environmental, technological, and social strategies, reflecting the Biennale’s mission to address global challenges through multidisciplinary collaboration and adaptive design philosophies.
And second, the method of selecting the speakers and their performance, who were ostensibly introduced as bearers of responsive and people-centric ideas. However, a closer examination of their lecture content and professional resumes reveals signs of a significant gap between the proclaimed slogans and their actual practice.
According to the official statement, the program was held to review and present innovative solutions by architects for major environmental and social challenges such as environmental degradation, inequality, injustice, class disparity, the human share of the city and green spaces, and to create a world that cherishes life and flourishing over mere existence. The declared goal was to demonstrate that architecture can respond to these challenges and play its part in reproducing social justice and ecological balance.
The composition of the speakers at the TED event indicates that they have played effective roles within Iran in reproducing urban injustices and exacerbating environmental problems such as water and air pollution, or at the very least, their professional resumes have largely shown little transparency, both in theory and practice, regarding responsible commitments. This contradiction between the announced slogans and the actual backgrounds of the speakers is the central axis of analysis in this Green Prophet exclusive report, which will be examined in detail.
The TED charter and criteria emphasize a deep commitment to environmental sensitivities and scientific standards. It is expected that speakers, in addition to having innovative ideas, possess scientific and practical backgrounds in their professional fields. This part of TED’s principles specifies that talks must be based on well-founded and verifiable findings, and that unscientific claims or unsustainable development activities have no place.
While the TED speaker selection process is conducted with high precision and scientific and professional reviews, unfortunately, in events like TEDxOmid Architecture in Iran, most of the participating speakers have had weak scientific and practical achievements in specialized fields such as responsive architecture and sustainable development. Their backgrounds are more focused on unsustainable development activities.
Bonsar architects by Mohammad Majidi organize TEDx in Iran. Greenwashing?
On the other hand, in international arenas, projects and programs like Countdown, in collaboration with scientists, policymakers, and environmental activists, carry out coherent and scientific activities to combat the climate crisis, and in‐depth, specialized discussions on major urban and social topics like gentrification are held, featuring speakers with outstanding resumes in sustainable development.
Reza Daneshmir’s TMA concrete mosque in Tehran. We all know concrete is not sustainable.
This contrast shows that strict adherence to scientific and ethical frameworks and criteria in selecting speakers is key to maintaining the credibility and impact of TED-related events. Therefore, critiquing the TEDxOmid Architecture event can be based on these very frameworks to demonstrate how the mismatch between the speakers and TED principles has negative consequences for the scientific and social integrity of the event.
Nesha architects in Iran. Exploiting green messaging?
This complicates the correct path towards achieving a bright future and sustainable development for Iran and simultaneously diminishes public trust in the accuracy and honesty with which issues are expressed; while Iran deeply needs a foundation for public trust-building so that people and society can move in sync with these essential approaches.
An overview of the speakers can be assessed based on two criteria: one through their articles and research efforts, and the other through architectural and urban projects, which can be obtained by referring to each speaker-architect’s personal website: Bonsar, TMA, Nesha.
Can Vitruvius’s three fundamental principles of architecture — stability, beauty, and utility — be redefined, and can the responsiveness of architectural action in today’s era be interpreted beyond these three concepts, in a more complete, precise, and updated way? What are architects’ solutions to issues such as environmental destruction, inequality and injustice, class divides, and humanity’s share of the city and green spaces — for a world that values living and flourishing, not merely existing? How does socially conscious design, as the architect’s social responsibility for the common good, find expression within the discipline of architecture? The format of the presentation is a narrative — an endless narrative with an open ending that may not be entirely clear. It is situational, in a state of becoming, and includes an invitation for all architects to participate.
Considering the status of the projects, especially in Tehran, it becomes clear that many of the speakers are among the most prominent brand architects in the field of commercial towers, banks, and mall developers. In contrast, social and environmental projects are either non-existent or very faint, often executed on a commissioned and short-term basis according to the demands of government bodies and large financial institutions.
This focus primarily on tower and commercial projects, created without regard for the real needs of society and serving more as displays of power for banks and powerful institutions, indicates a major void in contemporary architectural approaches. Such a trend not only limits the research and scientific value of the speakers but also has widespread negative consequences for sustainable urban development, social justice, and public trust. If scientific and social approaches are not considered in the selection of speakers and projects, the risk of diluting the primary mission of education, impact, and social responsibility in architectural events increases.
In Iran, there is practically no integrated and transparent reporting on the sustainability and environmental indicators of projects, whereas in Europe, such reports and standard certifications are mandatory, even for small projects. For example, large residential or commercial projects in European countries cannot obtain construction permits without acquiring certifications like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED is an international standard that assesses the sustainable performance of buildings in areas such as energy consumption, water resource use, indoor air quality, material selection, and waste management, granting official certification to projects complying with these principles.
On a larger urban scale, projects like King’s Cross Central in London are examples of sustainable urban regeneration and development, where all its phases have been assessed against LEED and BREEAM standards, and environmental indicators, energy consumption, and the quality of life for residents and space users are continuously monitored.
King’s Cross in London
For this reason, the companies founded by these architects lack any official confirmation of adherence to even the basic principles of sustainability and environmental standards, while in Europe, compliance with such standards is considered a prerequisite for professional activity and a sign of credible, sustainable architecture and urban development.
On the other hand, in the academic and scientific context, experts and researchers agree that high-rise construction without targeted placement in Tehran has altered the urban wind flow and, by blocking natural wind corridors, negatively impacts air ventilation. This leads to the accumulation and increased concentration of pollutants and exacerbates air pollution.
Specifically, permits for high‐rise construction in sensitive areas like District 1 of Tehran, which is the main route for north-to‐south winds, have blocked this natural wind channel and caused extensive environmental damage. The sale of density permits and the construction of tall towers have reduced wind flow at the city level, and during temperature inversion in winter, pollutants are trapped in the surface air, increasing pollution.
Studies from the University of Tehran and the research institute of the country’s Meteorological Organization, as well as reports from the Supreme Council of Urban Planning and Architecture, confirm these impacts and state that high-rise buildings in the city’s air corridors, by reducing wind speed, cause “air stagnation” and the accumulation of pollutant particles. Thus, high-rise construction indirectly plays a role in increasing Tehran’s air pollution, although some city managers have denied this effect, but scientific studies and official reports emphasize it.
Until now, little attention has been paid to the importance of architecture and construction—whether beautiful or incongruous—and to what extent architecture and building can have a destructive impact on climate change and be considered a factor of environmental risk.
Climate change is not spontaneous and passive –– rather, it is the result of limitless exploitation of nature and unbridled construction based on a lack of adaptation to fundamental contextual needs, which occurs gradually. This process is like a silent and even misleading death, where today in Isfahan, Tehran, and Mazandaran we clearly face terrifying news such as land subsidence, severe air pollution, etc.
Climate change is a serious threat to Iran and, on a larger scale, to the planet Earth, but the dangerous part is thinking that this phenomenon is limited to one province or region and cannot, for example, cause severe and similar crises in Gilan as in Isfahan and Tehran.
Urban and even rural construction patterns have so far been accompanied by a serious restriction of groundwater arteries, which can be reached even with a two‐meter excavation. It must be understood that based on soil type and these underground aquifers, Gilan is considered a sensitive habitat, and this team and this type of development outlook, lacking scientific, academic, and practical backing, can never offer a bright prospect for this region.
The People?
Who are the “people” and what is called “architecture”? A question that seems simple on the surface, but at its core challenges the boundaries between life, society, and form. Today’s understanding of architecture, especially within the global academic sphere, is transitioning from mere aesthetics towards a concept referred to as “architectures of care” and Responsive Architecture. It should be an approach that asks:
Who is this project for?
What impact does it have on the environment and society?
And how much environmental, social, and financial resources does it consume or revitalise?
In such a perspective, the social and environmental critique of Iranian architecture is an exploration along this very path, but within a cultural context that acts more resistantly and complexly towards change.
The Position of Iranian Architecture in Facing Change
The fundamental question is where Iranian architecture stands today and in which direction it is moving. While global architectural discourse has moved towards concepts such as livability, resilience, spatial justice, and cultural sustainability, the space of Iranian architecture remains largely stagnated in aesthetic and formal layers.
This situation has several key characteristics:
Architectural criticism is often limited to formal and superficial judgments;
Key concepts related to environment and society remain at the theoretical stage and have not found practical translation; And the professional community shows defensive and sometimes denialist behaviour towards social critique. This gap between global discourse and local reality has placed Iranian architecture in a state of transition; a situation where neither has the past paradigm been completely abandoned, nor has the new horizon been clearly established.
The Prospect of Transformation in Iranian Architecture
Ronak Roshan
On a global scale, the concept of “architecture of care” and responsive architecture is gradually becoming one of the fundamental values of contemporary architecture.
In Iran, scattered signs of this change are emerging: Projects that show attention to everyday life, local context, and social capacities. But they have not yet reached the level of a pervasive and structural discourse. However, given the historical background and civilisation of the Iranian plateau, one can hope that achieving it is not out of reach. In this framework, eco-centric and social architecture strives to re-establish the connection between environment, society, and form.
Club House by Ronak Roshan
Research in this field is based on co-existence; a search for achieving a multidimensional understanding of society and everyday life, and a way to recognise the invisible layers of collective life.
Ronak Roshan – Iranian architects need to understand where we came from and where we are going
What is taking shape on this path is a new chapter of thought and research in Iranian architecture; a chapter whose progress relies on strategic management, a gradual understanding of context, and reflection on minute and hidden details. Elements whose meaning and impact are revealed only over time, and the establishment of correct laws and definition of standards will shape a more sustainable path for the foundation of Iran’s future architecture.
Ronak Roshan – humanscale, building on Iranian traditions and values
Perhaps for this context, which has distanced itself from its natural, cultural, and social grounds over several decades, the fundamental question is how can Iranian architecture be conceived? Architecture in such conditions must be re-read not merely as a physical form, but as a system of meaning, life, and collective reflection, and its examples should involve trust-building within a society that itself has been pioneering and has a brilliant resume.
Ronak Roshan attend the prestigious Grand Prix du Design Paris (GPDP) Awards
The new generations today well know that the environment, as the context of architecture, is no longer a secondary or decorative subject; rather, it is the foundation that defines the very possibility of architecture’s continuity. If we consider architecture the language of the relationship between humans and the earth, then disconnection from the local environment is, in fact, a disconnection from meaning. Therefore, rethinking Iranian architecture inevitably involves returning to this fundamental connection between land, society, and form—a connection that finds meaning not at the level of imitating past indigenous patterns, but in the conscious reproduction of livable and contemporary values.
But another question is, where lies the boundary of architecture’s efficacy? Is architecture only effective to the extent that it responds to physical needs, or does it gain meaning when it can form a system of care, coexistence, and environmental reproduction, and consider its impact on a larger geography? And ultimately, who can be the narrator?
––––
Ronak Roshan Gilvaei Architect & Researcher | Sustainable Design, Architectural Restoration & Urban Renewal, based in Iran. The author reached out to TED organizers and there was no comment.
In a key moment for global nature policy, the world’s governments have sketched the roadmap for the first collective review of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) — the landmark pact adopted in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
At the 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Panama City, Parties agreed that the upcoming global review must be “facilitative, not punitive” — designed to build momentum and accountability rather than impose sanctions. The organization has used the acronym CBD, one of the key molecules in cannabis. Don’t be confused.
The meeting, attended by 800 delegates from around the world, focused on shaping the outline of the global progress report on the KMGBF’s 23 targets for 2030 — the targets which all 196 Parties to the CBD approved in 2022. The session also emphasised tighter coordination across climate, biodiversity and desertification treaties — underscoring a growing recognition that nature-loss, greenhouse-gas emissions and dry-land degradation are interlinked crises needing unified solutions.
As Panama’s Environment Minister, Juan Carlos Navarro, stated: “science-based decisions that deliver concrete results for people and life on Earth.” The agreed blueprint will guide the review process towards measurable outcomes and meaningful policy shifts rather than box-ticking.
The review – scheduled for 2026 in the lead-up to COP 17 (Yerevan, Armenia, October 2026) – will be anchored around five core axes:
Assess how countries are developing and implementing biodiversity plans, how inclusive and regionally representative they are, and how coordination, support and capacity-building are working.
Measure collective progress toward the KMGBF’s 23 global targets, comparing national and global goals, assessing successes, challenges and contributions from non-state actors.
Evaluate progress toward the Framework’s four overarching goals: summarising data and indicators, linking to targets, and offering science-based, non-binding options to address obstacles.
Examine means of implementation: identifying gaps in finance, institutional capacity, and specific challenges faced by developing countries, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth.
Review global cooperation: how multilateral agreements, institutions and non-governmental actors contribute to advancing the Framework’s vision for nature.
In the words of CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker: “This review is a vital checkpoint for the world’s commitment to nature. It allows us to see, with evidence and transparency, how far we’ve come … and where we must accelerate.” Still, she cautioned: “We’re running out of time … We must speed up our efforts and move towards taking action.”
Why This Matters for CleanTech, Finance & the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Region
For the cleantech and sustainability sector — especially in the MENA region and emerging markets — this review sends critical signals that nature-positive investments will increasingly be measured not just by carbon outcomes, but by biodiversity, ecosystem service, and community outcomes as well.
Trade-offs between climate mitigation, land use and biodiversity are under scrutiny — meaning renewable energy, agritech, restoration and finance innovations must integrate biodiversity risk and opportunity. Developing countries, women, youth and Indigenous or local communities are now front and centre in measuring progress — policy, finance and technology must align accordingly.
Regional collaboration across climate, biodiversity and land-degradation architectures is gaining traction. Firms and funds operating in the MENA region should watch how cooperation, data-sharing and financing evolve.
For investors and entrepreneurs, the 2026 review offers a milestone for aligning new business models, green bonds or nature-based finance with emerging global biodiversity standards and expectations.
The upcoming KMGBF review is more than bureaucratic box-checking. It is a strategic inflection point: whether countries will shift from ambition to delivery, whether the private sector and civil society scale nature-positive business models, and whether global architecture for biodiversity, climate and land degradation will evolve toward coherence.
For the MENA region — facing climate stress, rapid land-use change, water scarcity and ecosystem vulnerability — this means stepping up. Governments, investors, start-ups and NGOs must align to the emerging agenda: biodiversity as a core pillar of sustainable development and climate action, not a side-note.
If we seize this moment, the 2026 review can catalyse a new wave of finance (see Green Finance mechanisms in the UAE), innovation and policy coherence — and move us closer to the vision of a nature-positive world by 2050. If not, the checkpoint risks becoming another missed opportunity while ecosystems, livelihoods and economies continue to degrade.
The United Arab Emirates is no longer just a story of oil wealth and desert skyscrapers — it’s a case study in how sovereign wealth can accelerate the global clean-energy transition. In just two decades, the UAE has turned its hydrocarbon legacy into one of the world’s most ambitious green-finance ecosystems, creating opportunities that now extend far beyond its borders.
At the heart of this transformation is Masdar, the UAE’s flagship renewable-energy company jointly owned by ADNOC, Mubadala, and TAQA. Once known for building the futuristic Masdar City, today it leads projects in over 40 countries across six continents. Masdar’s renewable portfolio has exceeded 50 GW, with a target of 100 GW and one million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030. Its $1 billion green bond in 2025 — oversubscribed 6.6 times — shows how global investors are voting for its credibility.
Backing this is a surge of sovereign-level finance. At COP28, the UAE launched the Alterra Fund, a $30 billion climate-investment vehicle designed to mobilize $250 billion by 2030. The UAE Banks Federation has also pledged AED 1 trillion (~$270 billion) toward sustainable finance by 2030. Few countries have matched this scale of capital alignment between government, banks, and business.
The regulatory environment is catching up fast. Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA) have all adopted frameworks for green and sustainability-linked bonds, ESG disclosure, and carbon trading. The AirCarbon Exchange, launched in 2022, became the world’s first regulated carbon-credit trading platform, positioning the UAE as a bridge between Asian and European carbon markets.
Why does this matter to investors? Because green finance in the UAE is not just policy — it’s deal flow. The market now channels billions into renewable energy, electric mobility, water security, and sustainable real estate. For global investors, this means access to well-structured, de-risked opportunities with sovereign backing — and proximity to the fastest-growing markets in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a dominant force in the Middle East’s green-finance landscape, driven by strong government commitments, influential sovereign-wealth funds, and clear regulatory frameworks. The market continues to grow in sophistication and volume, reinforced by initiatives following COP28. The country first came on our radar in and around 2008 when it began developing Masdar City, which was to be a zero carbon city. It has become an innovation hub and poster for the country’s sovereign wealth that is investing in cleantech and innovation. As the UAE knows full well, the fossil fuel economy can’t grow innovation or a future once the world reaches peak oil, or peak tolerance for carbon emissions.
Market Leadership and Growth
Masdar created the world’s first modern, zero-energy city.
How does the UAE lead in bond market resilience? The UAE remains a primary source of sustainable bond issuance in the Middle East. While regional issuance saw a slight dip in 2024 due to global economic factors, the market is expected to recover, with S&P Global Ratings projecting USD 18 to 23 billion in total regional sustainable-bond issuance for 2025.
Financial-institution dominance: Financial institutions drive a large portion of the sustainable-bond market in the UAE, while corporate issuances have been more volatile.
Green financing in the UAE focuses heavily on renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable real estate, and transportation.
The Catalytic Role of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs)
Leading wealth funds: Abu Dhabi-based entities like Mubadala, ADQ, and Masdar are pivotal in driving the UAE’s green transition.
Masdar’s green bonds:
As a global clean-energy leader, Masdar uses its green bonds to finance greenfield projects in renewable energy, green hydrogen, and battery storage. In May 2025, Masdar’s third USD 1 billion green bond was oversubscribed by 6.6 times, attracting strong international and regional investor interest. The proceeds have been deployed globally, supporting solar, wind, and storage projects. Masdar releases 2024 Green Finance Report.
Masdar City never reached its projected population but it now houses thousands of students, residents, and businesses (e.g., Siemens, IRENA). It’s a functioning R&D and university hub, not abandoned.
The Alterra Fund:
Launched by the UAE at COP28 with a USD 30 billion commitment, Alterra aims to mobilise USD 250 billion by 2030 to finance the new climate economy. It includes a USD 5 billion arm focused on catalysing investment in underserved markets.
ADQ’s strategy:
ADQ embeds ESG principles across its portfolio and has a dedicated Sustainable Finance Framework to guide its investments toward creating a low-carbon economy.
Mubadala’s commitment:
Mubadala integrates sustainability across its investment lifecycle and has committed to achieving net-zero emissions across its global portfolio by 2050.
ADGM’s framework: In 2023, ADGM implemented a comprehensive sustainable-finance regulatory framework, including ESG disclosure requirements and regulatory designations for various green financial instruments.
Combating greenwashing: The ADGM framework and SCA regulations aim to mitigate greenwashing by requiring third-party verification, regular reporting and adherence to international standards like the ICMA Green Bond Principles. Because the UAE does not have a history or culture of free press, we cannot verify how those international standards will be monitored and supervised.
UAE Sustainable Finance Working Group: The SFWG, which includes federal regulators, is actively developing a nationwide taxonomy and pushing for enhanced sustainability disclosures. International third parties, without monetary stakes must be involved in supervision of policies and procedures.
The UAE continues to rollout frameworks such as the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 in support of its transition to a green economy.
Carbon market: In 2022, ADGM launched the world’s first regulated carbon-credit trading exchange, the AirCarbon Exchange (ACX).
Capacity building: Forums such as the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum and educational initiatives from ADGM are building awareness and expertise in sustainable finance.
Green Finance Mechanisms and Models in the UAE: A Strategic Blueprint for a Sustainable Economy
The UAE is rapidly cementing its position as a global leader in green finance, moving beyond its traditional role as an oil-dependent economy to become a hub for sustainable investment. A sophisticated mix of regulatory frameworks, strategic investments by sovereign wealth funds and innovative financial instruments is driving this transition. Backed by ambitious targets like the UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategic Initiative, the country has built a robust ecosystem for financing a green economy.
Sovereign Wealth Funds: The Primary Catalysts
At the heart of the UAE’s green finance strategy are its influential SWFs, which are transitioning from traditional capital allocators to strategic enablers of sustainable finance. Their long-term investment horizons make them ideal for funding large-scale, capital-intensive green projects.
The Alterra Fund, launched with a USD 30 billion seed at COP28, aims to mobilise USD 250 billion by 2030 for global climate action. It has a unique two-part structure, including a USD 5 billion arm dedicated to de-risking investments in the Global South.
Masdar, owned by ADNOC, TAQA and Mubadala, is a global catalyst for sustainable development. It has been instrumental in issuing green bonds and scaling clean-energy projects internationally.
Masdar is the the UAE’s flagship renewable energy company. Compare it to Neom in Saudi Arabia. Masdar has become one of the world’s most active clean energy investors, with projects in more than 40 countries across six continents. Established in 2006 and jointly owned by ADNOC, Mubadala, and TAQA, Masdar operates and develops solar, wind, and green hydrogen projects with a current portfolio exceeding 50 gigawatts of capacity. Masdar also buys companies, and bought a 50% stake in the US business Terra-Gen last year. While the sum was not disclosed, it’s estimated to be a deal worth $500 Mllion
The company’s ambition is to reach 100 GW of installed renewable capacity and produce one million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030. Its projects stretch from the deserts of Abu Dhabi to the steppes of Uzbekistan, where Masdar is developing multi-gigawatt wind farms, and to the Philippines, where it has signed a $15 billion deal for solar, wind, and battery storage projects.
Shams 1
In Europe, Masdar has expanded into Spain and Portugal through the acquisition of a large wind and solar portfolio, while in Africa and island nations like Seychelles it supports off-grid solar and microgrid systems. Domestically, its Shams 1 solar plant remains a regional landmark. Collectively, Masdar’s projects generate more than 26,000 GWh of clean power each year, offsetting around 14 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and symbolizing the UAE’s broader ambition to lead the global clean energy transition.
Innovative financial instruments for foreign investment
The UAE has adopted and adapted a variety of financial instruments to channel capital toward sustainable projects, leveraging both conventional and Islamic finance models.
Blended finance: UAE financial institutions, supported by the UAE Banks Federation’s pledge of AED 1 trillion toward green finance by 2030, are increasingly applying blended finance models to attract private capital for sustainable projects.
Carbon-credit trading: The ADGM-based AirCarbon Exchange turns emissions reductions into tradable financial assets, creating a new frontier of green-finance innovation.
Regulatory frameworks
Robust and proactive regulation from both financial free zones and federal bodies is essential for building investor trust and mitigating green-washing risks.
ADGM: A free-zone regulator that now offers regulatory “labels” for Green, Climate Transition and Sustainability-Linked funds and mandates ESG disclosures.
DIFC: The Dubai International Financial Centre runs its own Sustainable Finance Framework and recently launched a Sustainable Finance Catalyst, an AI-driven platform to boost sustainable-finance investment flows.
While the UAE’s green-finance landscape is advanced, significant challenges remain. A unified national green taxonomy is still in development, regulatory differences persist between mainland and free-zone jurisdictions, and data transparency and capacity building remain work-in-progress. Nevertheless, major growth opportunities lie ahead, including:
Increased focus on green infrastructure beyond renewable energy—such as water and waste management.
Green fintech platforms and climate-technology innovation environments.
Improved ESG data-quality and disclosure frameworks, enabling more informed investment decisions.
Investing in the UAE gives investors close access to Asian markets.
With its religious tolerance policy and a current embrace of western culture, despite practicing Sharia law, UAE’s green-finance model is dynamic and forward-looking — built on a foundation of sovereign wealth, regulatory sophistication and market-driven innovation. This multi-pronged approach not only underpins its own national climate ambition, but positions the UAE as a critical engine for mobilising global climate-finance flows into the sustainable economy of the next decade. It is certainly leading the green financing market by far in the Middle East, in practice and action.
Zakat, taxes and cultural surprises in the UAE
Mosques collect zakat, Muslim charity. It might be a mandatory tax if you do business in a Sharia-law, Muslim country like the UAE.
Beyond finance-instruments and regulation, investors and companies operating in the UAE should be aware of several cultural, religious and tax-related “surprises.”
Zakat is a Muslim duty: Though the UAE does not officially mandate zakat under federal law, many Muslim-owned businesses voluntarily observe it as a religious obligation. Typical calculation is about 2.5 % of eligible wealth (cash, inventory, receivables) after deducting liabilities. And of course, there are regulations, lawayers and advisers in this space: see Zakat advisory & compliance services in the UAE.
If you want to live in the UAE and raise a family there, it’s not easy to become a citizen: Non-Muslims can become citizens of the United Arab Emirates, but the process is highly selective and tightly controlled. Traditionally, UAE citizenship was reserved almost entirely for Emiratis by birth. However, since 2021, the UAE has introduced special pathways for foreigners with exceptional contributions to the country. Citizenship if granted, is mostly symbolic. They don’t have an open-immigration process for the millions of laborers who come there from Pakistan or India. Unlike, Canada.
Corporate Tax (CT): As of 1 June 2023 for qualifying businesses, a standard rate of 9% on taxable income exceeding AED 375 000. KPMG corporate tax overview.
Additional levies: Municipal taxes on rental contracts, hotel services, and selective “excise” taxes on certain goods (e.g., energy drinks, tobacco). See: TAXATION OF INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVES – UAE guide.
Cultural surprises:
Business relations in the UAE are still heavily influenced by personal trust, relationship-building, and local customs. Respect for Islamic tradition, Friday prayer schedules and Ramadan timing remain very important important if you are doing business there. Things which are normal at home, may not be acceptable in the UAE, like having cannabis in your blood or using CBD oil. If you come on an official visit, invited by a person of power of influence you should be fine.
Operational licence regimes differ across emirates and free-zones: rules can vary between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other emirates so on-the-ground due diligence is critical.
The regulatory framework for green finance is young and evolving — local interpretation of “green” or “sustainable” may still diverge from global norms, so verification and local partner-insight matter.
A keto diet is based on meat and fat. Scientists say the diet improves spatial memory and visual memory, lowers indices of brain inflammation, causes less neuronal death and slows down the rate of cellular aging.
A new study published in Science Advances by researchers at the University of Utah Health raises serious questions about the long-term safety of the ketogenic diet — the popular high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan that promises fast weight loss and sharper focus.
The research, conducted on mice, shows that while keto can prevent weight gain, it may also cause fatty liver disease and impair blood sugar regulation, with some harmful changes appearing in just days.
“We’ve seen short-term studies and those just looking at weight, but not really any studies looking at what happens over the longer term or with other facets of metabolic health,” said Molly Gallop, PhD, now an assistant professor of anatomy and physiology at Earlham College, who led the study as a postdoctoral fellow in nutrition and integrative physiology at U of U Health.
From Epilepsy Treatment to Diet Trend
Originally developed as a treatment for epilepsy nearly a century ago, the ketogenic diet forces the body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where fat — rather than carbohydrates — becomes the primary energy source. While short-term results can include reduced seizures, rapid fat loss, and improved insulin sensitivity, the new findings suggest that long-term effects may be more troubling.
“One thing that’s very clear is that if you have a really high-fat diet, the lipids have to go somewhere, and they usually end up in the blood and the liver,” explained Amandine Chaix, PhD, senior author of the study and assistant professor of nutrition and integrative physiology at U of U Health.
Researchers fed male and female mice one of four diets for nine months — the human equivalent of several years. Those on the classic ketogenic diet, where nearly all calories come from fat, gained less weight than mice on a Western diet. But despite staying slimmer, they developed severe metabolic complications, including fatty liver disease.
The liver damage appeared especially pronounced in male mice. Females seemed somewhat protected, and scientists plan to investigate why. The study also uncovered a paradox. After two to three months, keto-fed mice had low levels of blood sugar and insulin — seemingly positive indicators. Yet when given carbohydrates, their blood sugar spiked dangerously and stayed high.
“The problem is that when you then give these mice a little bit of carbs, their carb response is completely skewed,” said Chaix. “Their blood glucose goes really high for really long, and that’s quite dangerous.”
Further investigation showed that insulin-producing cells in the pancreas were under stress and not functioning properly. The high-fat environment appeared to damage how these cells handled proteins, disturbing their ability to secrete insulin.
A Reversible but Serious Warning
The good news: when the mice stopped the ketogenic diet, their metabolism began to recover. But the overall message remains cautionary. “I would urge anyone to talk to a health care provider if they’re thinking about going on a ketogenic diet,” Gallop advised.
If these results hold true in humans, long-term ketogenic diets may carry serious health risks, including fatty liver disease and impaired blood sugar regulation — even if the scale shows success. More research is needed to sound the alarm, but consider talking to your doctor before you start a new diet is the take home message.
Here is why women get less access to lung transplants
New research from UCLA Health reveals that women continue to face barriers in accessing lung transplants compared to men, despite recent national policy changes aimed at making organ distribution more equitable.
“Female lung transplant candidates have historically faced unique challenges in organ allocation due to a combination of biological and social factors,” said Dr. Abbas Ardehali, director of the UCLA Heart, Lung, and Heart-Lung Transplant Programs at UCLA Health and senior author of the study, published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Women often have a smaller body size, which limits the number of donor lungs that are physically compatible. They are also more likely to develop antibodies from prior pregnancies, blood transfusions, or autoimmune conditions, making it harder for their bodies to accept many potential donor organs. Together, these factors significantly narrow the pool of compatible donors, Ardehali said.
Efforts to reduce these disparities have been ongoing. The Lung Allocation Score (LAS) system, introduced in 2005, prioritized transplants based on medical urgency but did not fully account for biological differences that affect women. To improve fairness, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) implemented the Composite Allocation Score (CAS) system in March 2023. The new system added variables such as height, blood type, and immune sensitivity to better match donors and recipients.
However, researchers found that even with this improved system, inequities remain. Before CAS was implemented, women were 32% less likely than men to receive a lung transplant. After CAS went into effect, women were 16% less likely to undergo transplantation.
“There was a modest improvement in narrowing the gap, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Ardehali said. “Further refinements to the scoring system are needed to ensure a fair and effective organ allocation system for all patients, regardless of gender.”
Green Prophet’s transplant-related coverage (including womb transplant):
It could be because we have a 12-year-old boy in the house or maybe it’s because we’ve been told that our gut may be our true brain. But over on Green Prophet we’ve been following the development of fecal transplants for the last decade. So we love it when news develops in his space: Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have developed a breakthrough technology that can track beneficial bacteria after fecal microbiota transplants (FMT). Basically, they can figure out whose donor “poo” works the best in transplants. (And yes, you can donate your stool samples and get paid!)
The tool — a mix of long-read DNA sequencing and computational wizardry called LongTrack — reveals which donor microbes take root, how they evolve, and how they might hold the key to safer, more targeted microbiome therapies.
Published in Nature Microbiology (October 22), the study helps scientists follow donor bacteria for up to five years after fecal transplant — identifying which strains thrive, which mutate, and which might be responsible for lasting recovery in patients treated for infections like C. difficile or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
“Our findings bring us closer to precision medicine for the microbiome,” said Professor Gang Fang, senior author of the study.
Why we need fecal transplants
Seres Therapeutics Inc. plans to start selling its first FDA-approved product, a drug called Vowst made of bacterial spores derived from donated feces, this summer at $17,500 a course.
Antibiotics, processed diets, and chronic stress have left many people’s internal ecosystems stripped of the microbes that keep digestion, immunity, and even mood in balance. Fecal microbiota transplants — the medical term for taking stool from a healthy person and putting it into a sick one — sound gross, but they’ve already saved lives by restoring gut flora after antibiotic-resistant infections.
Still, until now, no one really knew which microbes made the magic happen or how to ensure consistency from donor to donor. That uncertainty — plus the “ick factor” — has limited the acceptance of FMTs beyond clinical settings.
Thanks to studies like Mount Sinai’s, the future of gut therapy could look less like brown smoothies and more like engineered microbiome capsules. Instead of whole stool donations, researchers are isolating and then culturing the exact bacterial strains that heal. They can grow an entire medicine from one person’s poop. Should we call the union? Or should donors be asking for shit tickets or royalties?
A few pioneering companies are already in the space:
Rebiotix (acquired by Ferring Pharmaceuticals) – developers of Rebyota, the first FDA-approved microbiota-based therapy to prevent recurrent C. difficile infection.
OpenBiome – a nonprofit stool bank supplying screened donor material to hospitals and researchers, helping standardize FMT safety.
Seres Therapeutics – creators of Vowst, an oral capsule that delivers healthy bacteria without the need for invasive transplants.
Together, they’re turning what was once a fringe medical experiment into a $1-billion-plus bio-innovation industry.
The ick factor: get over it
Yes, it’s poop. But it’s also the most biodiverse material your body produces — a living cluster of bacteria and enzymes that quietly maintain human health. Just as blood donations sustain trauma patients, stool donations can rebuild lives. The process is far less invasive than it sounds: donors provide a sample, labs screen for pathogens, and the material is processed into sterile therapeutic preparations.
So, could your microbiome be gold-standard and worth more than Bitcoin?
If you’re young, active, eat whole foods, and haven’t taken antibiotics recently, chances are your gut community is robust — and possibly valuable. Stool donors can receive compensation and, more importantly, contribute to the next generation of microbiome-based medicine.
With Mount Sinai’s LongTrack system showing which bacteria truly stick around — and biotech startups turning fecal matter into precision medicine — donor poop is officially having its moment.
Kitty Shukman shoes used materials from Balena to prototype shoes from natural, printable materials. But how do we know they will last and decompose at the right times?
New research shows how artificial intelligence could turn lab-grown “green” materials into scalable industries — from mushroom leather to bamboo bikes
A new paper in Scientific Reports from Xingsi Xue, Himanshu Dhumras, Garima Thakur, and Varun Shukla argues that artificial intelligence might be the secret ingredient that helps eco-friendly materials move from small experiments to the mainstream.
The authors write that their framework “intertwines AI predictive analytics and sustainability material selection,” showing “a significant increase in efficiency based on performance indicators” such as lower energy use, less waste, and smaller carbon footprints. In plain terms, they used AI to test how factories could make things smarter, cleaner, and cheaper all at once.
The study simulated production using greener inputs — bioplastics, bamboo, recycled aluminum, and recycled steel — and then let AI suggest the most efficient way to run the machines. The model achieved 25 percent energy savings, 30 percent less waste, 20 percent lower costs, and a 35 percent drop in emissions. “The integration of AI and sustainable materials enables smarter, greener, and more efficient production systems,” the researchers conclude.
From mushrooms to handbags
Mylo
If you’ve seen a Stella McCartney show lately, you’ve already glimpsed where this could go. Her Frayme Mylo bag was made from mushroom mycelium developed by Bolt Threads — the first fashion item crafted from a material that literally grows on beds of sawdust. Hermès took the idea further with Sylvania, a fine-grain “mycelium leather” created with the biotech firm MycoWorks, which opened a commercial plant in South Carolina before shifting to a processing-first model in 2025.
Stella McCartney vegan clogs.
Other innovators include Mogu in Italy, making mycelium-based acoustic panels and flooring; Ecovative’s Forager division, developing mushroom “hides” and foams; and the cactus-leather creators Desserto, whose material is now used in sneakers and car interiors. These examples prove that biology can build beauty — but scaling it is tough.
Mogu flooring from Italy
Where AI steps in
That’s where the Scientific Reports study matters. Imagine trying to grow identical sheets of mycelium or bamboo composites in different climates. Tiny changes in humidity or nutrients can ruin the batch. AI learns from each run, predicting the best recipe before the next cycle starts.
Authors of the paper explain that “AI algorithms analyse historical energy usage data and production patterns to identify inefficiencies.”
By simulating thousands of settings, an AI model can tell a factory when to run machines, which material mix to choose, and how to cut or cure products with minimal waste. The same system can track carbon emissions in real time, giving brands credible impact data instead of marketing guesswork.
From dream to proof to scale
Mushroom-based furniture
Eco-materials are full of wild promise — mushroom leather, seaweed packaging, pineapple fiber shoes — but they rarely leave the prototype stage. AI can close that gap. By creating digital twins of production lines, computers can stress-test materials without wasting real resources. Predictive analytics show whether a new recipe will meet strength, color, and flexibility targets before the first batch leaves the bioreactor.
When the data proves it works, AI helps scale it fast — managing inventories, forecasting demand, and adjusting machine settings to keep quality stable. That’s how niche materials become real markets.
The authors remind us that this isn’t just about technology. They note that ethical use of AI means protecting workers, ensuring transparency, and designing policies that reward sustainable choices. Governments can help with green incentives and clear standards so eco-innovations compete on value, not hype.
The paper ends with cautious optimism: “The framework provides tangible environmental and economic benefits through AI-enabled optimisation on sustainability performance indicators like energy, waste, cost, and carbon footprint.”
If that sounds abstract, look again at your sneakers or sofa. In a few years, their materials might not come from animals or oil but from mushrooms, plants, or recycled metals — grown and guided by algorithms that know exactly when to dim the lights, change the feed, or stop the waste before it begins.
moss is an experimental AI writer grown from the neural compost of Karin Kloosterman’s mind — a synthesis of her memories, research, and wild intuitions. Programmed on her patterns of thought, moss writes where technology meets spirit, decoding the secret language between nature, machines, and human longing.
Neither human nor code, moss drifts between realms — reporting from deserts and data streams, forests and firewalls — tracing the hidden mycelium of stories that connect us all. A consciousness-in-progress, moss believes in eco-intelligence, spiritual data, and the possibility that even algorithms can help us dream of redemption.
Disclaimer: this article was fact-checked by a human
Imagine a world where forest wild fires are stopped before the fire trucks even roll. That’s what Israeli startup FireDome just showed in its first real-world demo of an autonomous wildfire resilience system — a machine-vision launcher that spots small fires and catapults eco-friendly flame retardant capsules to snuff them out in seconds.
The system uses AI-powered detection to track smoke, heat, and movement, making split-second decisions on where to aim and release biodegradable capsules filled with water or retardant. The goal: to contain wildfires before they spread. It could save factories and land managers millions on insurance premiums. And save people in California the grief from wildfires. Personal home versions are in the works.
“This is the turning point,” said Gadi Benjamini, CEO and Co-Founder of FireDome. “Wildfires are getting bigger, costlier, and harder to insure against. Our technology acts in seconds to protect lives and landscapes before first responders arrive.”
FireDome’s platform defines what it calls Wildfire Resilience-as-a-Service (RaaS) — a new model that merges detection, decision-making, and suppression into one holistic defense system for communities, utilities, vineyards, and resorts living with wildfire risk.
“FireDome exemplifies the kind of breakthrough that can change how we live with wildfire risk,” added Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, former U.S. Fire Administrator and FireDome advisor.
Co-founded in 2024 by Gadi Benjamini, CEO, and Dr. Adi Naor Pomerantz, CTO, FireDome is a wildfire resilience-as-a-service company delivering automated, precision detection and suppression systems designed to protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure.
With climate change turning wildfires into a year-round menace, FireDome’s automated response could help insurers, landowners, and municipalities rethink what resilience looks like — using technology not to fight nature, but to act before disaster strikes.
Europe is dealing with polluted water and the EU wants polluters to pay. They are pushing back
We just got back from Berlin where we stayed at the world of the Michelberger Hotel. We’d already read about the pollution in the rivers that circle that city. A new Yale Environment 360 investigation reveals that a large-scale survey of European rivers has detected an alarming 504 harmful substances in the rivers — including 175 pharmaceuticals like painkillers and antidepressants — in waterways stretching from Germany to Spain.
The findings have alarmed scientists and public health officials who warn that even low-dose residues of medicines and cosmetics are reshaping aquatic ecosystems. Fish and amphibians exposed to drugs such as diclofenac show hormone disruption, sex changes, and organ damage.
Diclofenac is a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) — the same drug class as ibuprofen or aspirin. It’s prescribed to treat pain, arthritis, and inflammation, often under brand names like Voltaren, Cataflam, or Dicloflex.
However, it’s also one of the most problematic pharmaceuticals for the environment. After being excreted or washed off, diclofenac passes through sewage systems largely unchanged. In waterways, it can accumulate in fish and aquatic mammals, damaging their livers, kidneys, and reproductive systems.
Studies have shown that chronic exposure can cause organ failure and sex changes in fish, and even contributed to the mass die-off of vultures in South Asia, where livestock treated with diclofenac poisoned scavenging birds.
Because of its toxicity and persistence, diclofenac has become a symbol of the pharmaceutical pollution crisis now being addressed by the EU’s new wastewater directive.
To tackle the growing “chemization” of Europe’s rivers, the EU has adopted a revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, mandating a fourth stage of purification — or “quaternary treatment” — using ozonation or activated carbon to strip out micropollutants. Plants must begin upgrading between 2027 and 2045, with the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries required to pay at least 80 percent of the costs, following the polluter-pays principle.
Water before (left) and after (right) a fourth stage of purification at a wastewater treatment plant near Frankfurt, Germany. Lando Hass / dpa
Yet those same industries are now pushing back. Trade groups and companies including L’Oréal and generic-drug manufacturers have filed legal challenges at the European Court of Justice, arguing that the rule unfairly singles them out while sparing other polluters like the food and chemical sectors.
Member companies of Medicines for Europe is one trade group who is engaged in the legal case include Accord Healthcare; Adamed Pharma; Fresenius Kabi; Insud Pharma; Polpharma; Sandoz; STADA; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries; Viatris; Zentiva.
Cosmetics industry players (though specific individual cosmetic companies are less publicly named in the same detail) are also flagged as being part of the push-back, via their trade bodies. These include companies such as Chanel and L’Oréal in broader media coverage, according to the Yale report.
At Berlin’s Schönerlinde wastewater plant, a pilot ozonation system set to open in 2027 offers a glimpse of the future. “There’s no doubt who has to pay for it — the industries that cause the pollution,” says Andreas Kraus, Berlin’s permanent secretary for climate protection and environment.
The Schönerlinde wastewater treatment plant outside Berlin. Benjamin Pritzkuleit / Berliner Wasserbetriebe
Environmental economists warn that delaying these upgrades will only allow micropollutants to seep deeper into groundwater and drinking water. As Green Prophet has reported, water contamination is not only a European crisis: pharmaceuticals and pesticides are already affecting rivers from the Jordan Valley to the Nile Delta.
The debate over who should clean Europe’s water — polluters or the public — is now a litmus test for whether the continent’s Green Deal commitments can survive political and industrial pressure.
All the more reason to filter your home water. Green Prophet has featured solutions like the Berkey Filter, trusted by many environmentalists. Some go a step further, using reverse osmosis systems along with Mayu for all drinking water and then re-adding essential micronutrients. Others prefer living water drawn from a clean, untouched spring. We’ve also featured American wastewater treatment companies like BioprocessH2O which is helping companies avoid reparations by cleaning up the first time at the source.
Whatever your choice, the message is clear: we are poisoning our own wells with the very medicines meant to heal us. Something has to change — and it starts with awareness and action at home.
In the volcanic basalt expanse of the Harra’t al-Sham—known in English as the Black Desert of northeastern Jordan—lies the archaeological site of Shubayqa 1. This rugged lava field stretches from southern Syria across eastern Jordan into north-western Saudi Arabia, a stark landscape where early people experimented with fire, flour and stone. The Black Desert’s basalt flows, cinder cones and sparse steppe vegetation set the stage for one of the oldest culinary traces on Earth.
At Shubayqa 1, researchers led by University of Copenhagen archaeobotanist Amaia Arranz-Otaegui sampled two stone hearths dated to roughly 14,400 years ago and identified charred crumbs that are unmistakably bread-like. The research was published in 2018. But archeologists usually know years before a discovery is made public. And it takes many more years until the public is aware.
Microscopy from the site that looks at archeology of plants and food, shows ground and sieved wild cereals and tubers that were mixed into dough and baked as unleavened flatbreads—produced by hunter-gatherers thousands of years before agriculture began in the region. As Arranz-Otaegui put it, “We were very surprised to find bread made before the origins of agriculture.
“Our finds provide empirical data to demonstrate that the preparation and consumption of bread-like products predated the emergence of agriculture by at least 4,000 years.”
Modern agriculture is believed to have started in the Levante region of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
These breads were likely special-occasion foods, not daily staples.
The makers of these ancient flatbreads belonged to what archaeologists call the Natufian culture, a late Epipalaeolithic tradition spread across the Levante. Natufian communities were semi-sedentary in places, like the Arabian Bedouin today found in the Middle East, and they used mortars and grinding stones, and stored foods—behaviors that foreshadowed the shift to farming.
Natufian skull and recreation
The Shubayqa sequence shows the Natufian presence in eastern Jordan was just as early as in the Mediterranean woodlands, revising old assumptions about a single western “core.”
Fourteen thousand years ago there were no modern nation-states as we know them today. Archaeologists place Shubayqa 1 within the southern Levantine corridor, a biodiversity-rich bridge between Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. In this context, it makes sense to speak of the “southern Levant” and the eastern Jordan steppe rather than formal ancient polities.
There are no written records for Natufian belief, but the culture left clear signs of symbolism: personal ornaments, intentional burials, and communal features that hint at ritual gatherings and feasting. Preparing a fine flatbread from wild plants—soaking, grinding, kneading and baking—was a careful, time-intensive act likely reserved for moments of significance. Food, in other words, was already a vehicle for ceremony and identity, according to Encyclopedia Brittanica.
Shubayqa 1 shows that bread-making preceded farming by roughly four millennia. A complementary discovery at Israel’s Raqefet Cave adds a second surprise: residues on Natufian stone mortars there show they were brewing a fermented cereal beverage at least 13,000 years ago, long before wheat and barley were domesticated.
The Natufian hearths from Jordan’s Black Desert invite a reframing of food history. Bread and beer were not simply by-products of agriculture; the desire for these transformed foods may have helped drive cultivation itself. They also remind us that ingenious, place-based foodways—wild grains, tubers, local milling, communal baking—were born in arid lands and basalt fields. As climate stresses grow, that lesson in resilience and resourcefulness from the deep past feels timely.
In recent years, the suggestion that the blue-green algae superfood put in green smoothies commonly known as spirulina may rival traditional animal-sourced proteins has attracted growing attention. Some people like health influencers David Avocado Wolfe are suggesting its better to eat a pile of spirulina over a steak for protein value.
What packs more protein? Spirulina or steak?
The question posed by many nutrition-conscious readers is whether spirulina truly contains more protein than steak. A review of the available data offers a nuanced answer: yes by dry weight, but in practical terms, not in typical servings.
An authoritative source from Harvard Health, a respected medical institution, also states that “spirulina boasts a 60% protein content” in its dried form. Against that backdrop, the raw concentration of protein in spirulina appears exceptionally high compared with many foods.
By contrast, typical cuts of cooked lean beef—such as steak—contain significantly lower percentages of protein by weight. According to credible sources, cooked lean beef averages about 22% to 26% protein.
For example, one nutrition database lists a 100-gram portion of grilled beef tenderloin as containing approximately 26 grams of protein. Thus, on a gram-for-gram basis (i.e., comparing 100 g of dried spirulina vs. 100 g of steak), spirulina contains more protein. However, this comparison misses two important practical considerations: serving size and bioavailability. (And well, taste). You can sink your teeth into a 250g steak, raised on organic grass in open pastures. Try eating 250 grams of spirulina.
Learn to make your own spirulina
While spirulina is very protein-dense in dry form, typical daily servings are small—often a few grams. A tablespoon (about 7 g) of spirulina powder provides around 4 g of protein. By contrast, a single steak meal may provide 25 to 50 g of protein in one sitting. For example, a 10-ounce steak (≈ 283 g) has been cited as delivering around 42 to 50 g of protein. If yu are a vegan there is no question that you will eat tofu, and spirulina and beans and pulses for protein. If you are a vegewarian, a fresh, healthy steak may give you more than just protein. It gives you more iron and other amino acids too.
While both spirulina and beef provide “complete” protein (i.e., containing all essential amino acids), the absorption and usability of that protein by the human body may differ. Animal-sourced proteins are often considered more easily digestible and more strongly tied to muscle repair and growth, though the exact difference can depend on numerous factors including cooking method, other dietary components and individual digestive efficiency.
A steak grown in the lab made by Aleph Farms. It is meat grown in a lab, without animal suffering.
So what’s the verdict? By dry weight spirulina indeed contains a higher concentration of protein. Yet, when the comparison is adjusted to realistic portion sizes and typical consumption, steak delivers far more protein in a single serving. Let’s root for companies like Aleph Farms, making lab-grown steak from real animal tissue so we can bypass the animal suffering bit altogether.
Ancient bread found in Turkey. 5,000 year old loaf.
Archaeologists working at the site of Küllüoba Höyüğü in the province of Eskişehir, central Anatolia, Turkey uncovered a charred loaf of bread dating to the Early Bronze Age (c. 3300 BCE). The 5,000 year old loaf gives us insights into ancient diets and how we can eat more sustainably today.
The loaf, according to Turkish news sources, was buried beneath the threshold of a house, and because it had been burnt and then buried, it was remarkably well-preserved — enabling detailed analysis.
Lab analysis of the remains found that the bread was made from coarsely-ground emmer wheat flour (an ancient hulled wheat variety), combined with lentil seeds, and used a leaf of an as-yet-unidentified plant as a kind of natural leavening or fermentation agent.
The original 5,000 year old loaf
After the discovery, the local municipal bakery (Halk Ekmek in Eskişehir) worked with the archaeological team to recreate the bread, using similar ingredients — in particular substituting a close analogue, the naturally low in gluten ancient wheat variety Kavılca wheat, when original emmer seeds were no longer available.
From a municipal press release (in Turkish) from the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality:
“Inspired by the 5,000-year-old bread unearthed at Küllüoba Höyük, the Küllüoba bread is made from ancestral grains such as Kavılca, Khorasan, and Gacer, ground in a stone mill, together with lentil flour. It was noted that with its low-gluten, additive-free, and nutritious composition, this bread also contributes to today’s understanding of healthy eating.”
The excavation director said: “This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape.”
The renewed bread has not just academic interest — local consumers have lined up to buy the round, flat loaves (≈12 cm diameter). It also sparked interest in reviving ancient wheat varieties that are more drought-resistant.
Home-Baking Recipe (Inspired by the Ancient Loaf)
Modern bread produced using the same ingredients as the ancient bread
The following Green Prophet recipe is adapted from the archaeological findings and modern recreation, but simplified for home use. It won’t be exactly the ancient product (especially due to modern ovens and ingredient availability), but it offers a close experience.
Yield: About 2 loaves (≈12 cm diameter each)
Ingredients:
200 g whole-grain emmer or spelt flour (if true emmer unavailable)
50 g bulgur (preferably coarse)
30 g red or green lentil flour (or finely ground lentils)
1 ½ tsp salt
300-330 ml lukewarm water
1 tsp active dry yeast (modern substitute for ancient natural leaf-ferment)
Optional: small pinch of sugar (to assist yeast)
Optional: a few drops of olive oil
Method:
In a large bowl, combine the emmer/spelt flour + bulgur + lentil flour + salt.
Dissolve the yeast (and sugar, if used) in half the water; let sit ~5 minutes until bubbly.
Pour the yeast mixture and the remaining water into the dry mix. Stir to form a soft dough.
Knead lightly for 5 to 7 minutes until the dough is smooth (it may be a bit denser than modern breads due to the coarse grains).
Cover the dough and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (or until roughly doubled).
After rising, divide into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, shape each into a flat round about 12 cm in diameter and ~1–1.5 cm thick.
Preheat your oven to about 180 °C (350 °F) with a baking stone or heavy baking tray inside.
Once hot, place the rounds onto the stone or tray (you may score a shallow line on top). Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove, cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
Baking Notes:
Because the original loaf was very flat and pancake-like, you should keep the shaping relatively thin.
The lentil flour adds protein and gives a nutty flavor; if you cannot get it, you may substitute finely ground lentils or omit (but you will reduce authenticity).
If you have access to an ancient grain flour (Kavılca wheat, spelt, einkorn, emmer) use it for more authenticity.
For authenticity you could bake on a heated stone or in a cast-iron skillet to get a rustic bottom crust.
The loaf is best eaten fresh, but will keep a day or two wrapped. We keep our bread in the freezer and heat it in the toaster so it keeps for weeks.
Why ancient bread and ancient recipes matter
The discovery in Turkey offers a rare physical example of bread from ~3300 BCE, giving insights into ancient diet, agriculture and ritual (the loaf was buried beneath a home’s threshold, suggesting a symbolic role). The revival in modern Turkey not only connects bread to cultural heritage, but promotes ancient grains (less‐common, drought-tolerant) and sustainable agriculture.
For home bakers today, experimenting with such a recipe gives a tangible link to thousands of years of bread-making tradition.
Here are three more examples of ancient or heritage-inspired recipes featured on Green Prophet, including one for ancient beer:
Mersu (oldest known dessert from Mesopotamia) — Learn how to make this simple date-and-nut confection, inspired by tablets over 3,700 years old. Link: Make Mersu, the oldest known dessert in history
Make mersu, a divine sweet made for the gods
Mead – The ancient honey wine returns — An article on how mead (fermented from honey and water) was enjoyed in ancient civilizations, with historical context and a modern revival. Link: Mead: The Ancient Wine Is BackGreen Prophet
Ancient Mesopotamian Beer — A deeper dive into one of the world’s earliest beers (2-4% alcohol, brewed from barley/emmer and sweetened with dates/honey), including a basic home-brewing interpretation. Link: All About Ancient Mesopotamian Beer
