WASHINGTON — Inhabitants of the oil-exporting sheikhdoms and emirates of the Persian Gulf wolf down an average 3,700 calories a day —leading to the highest rates of obesity on Earth — even as at least 805 million people, one-ninth of the world’s population, go hungry. Such huge disparities will ultimately lead to widespread unrest, warns […]
Severe air pollution in many locations is making it hard to breathe in the Middle East. Every year there is a massive black-out in Egypt during the season when straw waste is burnt. Now you can see the fires, thanks to NASA. Although countries like Egypt are trying to lessen air pollution by relying more on […]
While visionaries like Elon Musk are trying to make electric cars like Tesla mainstream in America, electric cars have yet to become commonplace, largely due to their cost and low driving range. A number of countries are now involved in developing electric car technology that will give these vehicles a sufficient cruising range, while being […]
The Israeli company Sys Technologies are ramping up efforts to produce their special isolation tents in the global fight against Ebola. The special inflatable tents isolate the environment around the patient so that others, including doctors are not infected. Sys has already started selling its special tents, pictured in white below, to Guinea, while nearly […]
A new student campaign at a British university is urging people everywhere to “take the piss out of water shortages” by peeing in the shower. You heard right. The practice is pitched as a time-saving tool with a significant environmental payoff – each time you indulge in this guilty pleasure you stand to save up […]
It’s officially a craze! People are starting to garden everywhere in the urban environment. From rooftops in San Francisco to patios in Tel Aviv and Dubai, people are starting to understand that producing one’s own food is a smart way to take control of one’s own diet and carbon footprint. Spotted here is a nice urban […]
A fascinating report published by Mumbai-based think tank Strategic Foresight Group (SFG), asserts that trans-boundary water cooperation directly correlates with regional stability and peace. The inverse also holds true: failure to collaborate when managing shared water resources raises the risk of war.
Sderot’s dusty streets and woeful aspect come naturally after enduring years of rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. In this Western Negev town in Israel, all bus stops are small bomb shelters. A traffic roundabout represents the town center, with a pizzeria, a stationary store, and some tired-looking clothing shops around it. The young, […]
We were quite taken with these long-standing caves in Iran, and with this eco-boutique hotel in Turkey, but neither match the style of the restored Yunak Evleri hotel in Cappadocia. With fixings such as marble in the reception area, it isn’t the most modest tourism facility we have featured, but we do love to see history, nature, and travel merge in creative harmony.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will soon require increased insulation in all new buildings across 24 major cities that, in total, account for 80% of the country’s population. The action intends to substantially cut energy consumption and waste; electricity bills can be reduced up to 40% with a properly insulated structure. Building codes have been around […]
Weird, wonderful and sometimes toxic algae blooms at sea attract attention. But algal blooms, known as harmful algal blooms or HABS, can actually be a living carbon sink, a good thing for the sea and our climate, Israeli researchers have found. When we talk about global carbon fixation in the context of climate change “pumping” […]
Want to make a splash with your water tech idea, vie for a chance to get funded and earn customers right away? In an X-factor style, water innovators are being called on to submit their company ideas for a competition being held at the International Water Summit (IWS) during the now famous Abu Dhabi Sustainability […]
A battalion of vegan soldiers dissatisfied with military menus have fired off a complaint to Israel Defense Force (IDF) ombudsman Brigadier General (res.) Yitzhak Brik. The soldiers claim that IDF policy doesn’t give special food for vegan troops yet prohibits them from bringing their own home-prepared food into military dining halls. They contend that an alternative solution […]
Winter has rolled around again in the Middle East. The colder fronts have moved in, the winds are blowing, and the rains have started – again. After 105 degree heat in summer, it’s hard for us to remember how cold it can really get. And after months of dry spells, that we can suddenly see […]
Dragon trees in the background, Yemen The Latin name of the endangered Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree is Dracaena cinnabari and it is native to the Socotra archipelago of islands in Yemen in the Indian Ocean. It is called a dragon tree due to the red sap that the trees produce.