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Grabbing Foreign Lands to Buffer Resource Shortages

Faisal O'Keefe
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Grabbing Foreign Lands to Buffer Resource Shortages

land grab israel, saudi arabia middle east, tea, rice paddyIt’s real-life Hunger Games, and the Middle East is among the busiest land-grabbers.

In the last decade, nearly half a billion acres of land – eight times the area of Great Britain – were sold or leased in transnational deals, according to a 2012 report published by the Land Matrix project, a coalition of research centers and civil societies.

It’s a real-life Hunger Games, with investors targeting underdeveloped countries that are poorly integrated into the world economy, have a high incidence of poverty and hunger, and weak land institutions.  Is this smart business or inequitable resource grab?  And who’s looking out for the environment?

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Better Place Israeli CEO Quits EV Car Company

Karin Kloosterman
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Better Place Israeli CEO Quits EV Car Company

moshe kaplinsky better place, charge spot, electric car
Better days for Better Place EV car company. Moshe Kaplinsky at the company’s first battery charge station in 2008.

It seems things at Israel’s Better Place electric car company are going from bad to worse. Israeli news outlets are reporting that the company’s CEO Moshe Kaplinsky has quit, over disagreements with the company’s main shareholder Idan Ofer. This comes in the wake of its leader Shai Agassi having been fired, and massive layoffs at the Israel branch of the company. Kaplinsky is an ex-IDF general and the rumors on the ground are that he plans to get into politics.

After quitting, the company’s new global CEO, Evan Thornley from Australia sent a letter to all the staff stating that the company would need to tighten its belt in order to survive.

Over all the sales of Better Place, Renault-built electric cars have been extremely disappointing. Despite all the marketing and fanfare among local celebrities and Jews from around the world who excitedly who come to the center to test drive one of one of the cars, people aren’t really buying. Except for these guys we interviewed who bought two of the 490 cars sold, one-eighth of its anticipated sales till now. Some 38 of the 45 battery change “quick drop” stations have been built.

Lifesaving Sahara Forest Project to Start With COP 18 in Qatar

Tafline Laylin
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Lifesaving Sahara Forest Project to Start With COP 18 in Qatar

Sahara Forest Project, desert agriculture, seawater greenhouse, clean tech, concentrated solar power, CSP, Qatar, COP18The opening of the Sahara Forest Project’s first pilot plant in Qatar is set to coincide with the United Nations Climate Conference (COP18) in Doha, Qatar, which kicks off on November 26, 2012, and operations are expected to be fully underway in December.

By combining a seawater greenhouse with concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, SFP aims to provide fresh water, food and renewable energy in hot, arid regions. Initially presented to delegates of the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen, the scheme has received wide acclaim, and is expected to spread to Jordan, Egypt and even southern Spain if successful.

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Trash Talk in the Middle East- Interview with Salman Zafar

Arwa Aburawa
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Trash Talk in the Middle East- Interview with Salman Zafar

middle east, trash, rubbish, salman zafar, waste management, north africaWe speak to waste management expert Salman Zafar about the region’s mounting trash problem and why it’s outpacing all efforts to deal with it

A recent report by the World Bank predicts that by 2025, city dwellers could produce as much as 2.2 billion tonnes of solid waste a year – that’s a 70% increase on the current 1.3 billion which is generated. It’s a scary thought to have to live in all that trash. However cities across the Middle East already appear to be living in mountains of trash with rubbish strewn across deserts in Gulf nations, on busy streets in Tunisia, in canals and open waterways in Egypt and in dangerous landfills in Kuwait.

“On the whole, MENA countries are slowly, but steadily, gearing up to meet the challenge posed by waste by investing heavily in [sold waste management] projects, sourcing new technologies and raising public awareness,” explains waste-expert Salman Zafar. “However the pace of progress is not matched by the increasing amount of waste generated across the region.” I caught up with Zafar to find out more and ask what the region can do to get a grip on its trash problems.

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5-Star Yas Hotel Lit Up by a Dazzling Crown of 5,000 LED Panels

Tafline Laylin
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5-Star Yas Hotel Lit Up by a Dazzling Crown of 5,000 LED Panels

LED lights, energy efficiency, Abu Dhabi, Yas Hotel, 5 star hotel, tourism, travel, urban designAbu Dhabi is full of contradictions. Despite a devoted mix of forward-thinking, eco-savvy organizations, students and government officials that strive hard to bring the emirate in line with the realities of the 21st century, society overall maintains an unabashed commitment to the very good life.

Of course, not all Emiratis are driving a white gold mercedes, but an overall lack of economic hardship is reflected in much of the capital’s architecture. Including the 5 star Yas Hotel on Yas Island, which is wrapped in a dazzling crown of 5,000 LED panels.

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Fate of Bluefin Tuna Dangles in Morocco

Tafline Laylin
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Fate of Bluefin Tuna Dangles in Morocco

bluefin tuna, ICCAT, Morocco, Meeting, fishing quota, sustainable fishing, biodiversity, WWF, animal conservationDelegates from around the world have gathered in Morocco to determine the fate of a fish. It’s a strange thing – men and women in suits locked behind closed doors, poring over statistics and spreadsheets, jockeying for position and power – all to decide how many bluefin tuna may be legally hauled out of the Atlantic each year.

Rarely has a species caused so much rancor, but the coffers of thousands of people will either expand or shrink depending on what new quotas are set at the 18th Special Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna in Agadir. Although stocks are gradually improving thanks to past quotas, conservation experts warn that the species is in no way out of danger.

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Egypt and MENA Set to Exploit Solar Power?

Green Prophet
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Egypt and MENA Set to Exploit Solar Power?

egypt-sun pyramids solar energy

Egypt and sunshine. The two go hand in hand. Ask any tourist, or come to that, any solar panel maker pulling in the profits. Both are grateful for the sunshine. Even in December, Egypt enjoys an average 6.4 hours of sunshine a day. In June, the average jumps to an incredible 11.9 hours a day.

Plenty of solar energy to exploit then. If we could somehow harness even just a couple of hours worth of sunshine falling across the Earth then that would provide the planet with enough energy for a full year. An incredible thought. And, given the rising cost of oil and gas these days, the race for cheap solar energy is well and truly on.

Indeed, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report published early this year concluded that recent falling costs of solar power, excellent fit to demand patterns, and rising regional gas prices, meant PV was now economically viable or close to it in most Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, overturning conventional wisdom.

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Controversial Renovation of Istanbul’s Taksim Square Has Begun

Julia Harte
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Controversial Renovation of Istanbul’s Taksim Square Has Begun

taksim sqaure istanbul, Turkey, public protests

Despite all the criticism the plan received from urban planners, lawyers, activists, academics, and concerned citizens, Istanbul has begun remodeling its central square, a focal point for transportation and protests.

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Jordan’s Nuclear Ambitions are Doomed, Claims Industry Expert

Tafline Laylin
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Jordan’s Nuclear Ambitions are Doomed, Claims Industry Expert

Jordan, nuclear power, AREVA, AtomStory Export, radiation symbol, water scarcityThere has been a lot of fuss about Jordan’s nuclear ambitions and activists in the kingdom have been vocal about their opposition, but all this hullabaloo might be for nought according to an industry expert.

Speaking with The Jordan Times, Steve Thomas from Greenwich University said that high construction costs, complicated regulatory requirements and the expensive water infrastructure required to maintain nuclear reactors within the context of an already burdened economy are more than likely to doom the plans before they lift off.

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Spain Ditches Morocco’s Desertec Solar Project Meeting

Joseph Mayton
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Spain Ditches Morocco’s Desertec Solar Project Meeting

solar energy, Spain, Desertec, Morocco, clean tech, alternative energyMorocco’s ambitious Desertec solar energy project received a setback after Spain failed to show for the official signing of the agreement that aims to transform North Africa’s energy market. The first Desertec project between the EU and Morocco is now under threat as Spain had been an instrumental partner in the project.

Officials from France, Italy, Luxemborg and Malta were in Berlin last week with Moroccan representatives to ink the deal that would begin the process of developing a 100MW PV power plant, 100MW wind power plant and 150MW CSP power plant to export electricity to Europe.

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Message to Qatar From Arab Youth – ‘Take The Lead On Climate Change!’

Arwa Aburawa
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Message to Qatar From Arab Youth – ‘Take The Lead On Climate Change!’

arab youth, climate change, day of action, cop18, Qatar, Doha, activismThe newly formed Arab Youth Climate Movement held a successful ‘Day Of Action’ which called on the Arab world to take the lead at the upcoming climate negotiations

On Saturday, members of the Arab Youth Climate Movement united in a day of action aimed at encouraging the Arab world to take the lead on climate change. Ahead of the upcoming global climate change conference which will be hosted in Qatar later this month, the campaigners also called on Qatar to lead the region into a more sustainable future.

Activities and events were held in more than 13 Arab countries from Algeria, Morocco, Bahrain to Mauritania, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. These included theatre and dance performances, lectures, talks, protests, marches as well as activities with young children highlighting the issues surrounding climate change.

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An Organic Farm Springs Up in Sinai

Arwa Aburawa
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An Organic Farm Springs Up in Sinai

best friends, safari trek, bedouin, eco farm, organic farm, wadi marawan, egypt, sinaiThe Wadi Marawan Organic Farm is a new project by the ‘Best Friends Safari’ that guides tour groups in Egypt

Located at the terraces of Panorama Mountain Camp, the Wadi Marawan Organic Farm is a veritable paradise in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula. Over 4,000 sq. metres of land is planted with vegetables and fruit trees that organisers hope visitors will soon be able to sample at the Panorama Restaurant in Dahab, Sinai.

The Best Friends Safari group, which leads desert treks and Bedouin evenings and has over twenty years of tour guiding experience, provides a sustainable and environmental mountain camp for guests and volunteers.

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Masdar Aims to Stop Cooling From Gobbling up Gulf Energy

Tafline Laylin
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Masdar Aims to Stop Cooling From Gobbling up Gulf Energy

energy, gulf, demand side energy management, cooling, Abu Dhabi, MIST, Masdar, Masdar City, sustainable development, clean techIf you’ve been to Dubai or neighboring emirate Abu Dhabi in the middle of summer, you’ve not only experienced a kind of heat that drains the life force from your pores, but you will also recall the bone-freezing experience of walking into any public building during these same months.

Counteracting soaring outdoor temperatures with overactive air-conditioners is costly for Abu Dhabi and – in today’s climatic and energy context – no longer tenable. Which is why the Masdar Institute of Technology (MIST) is so fired up to find ways to slash energy demand for cooling.

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Morocco is Building a Mega “Green City” Named After King Mohammed VI

Tafline Laylin
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Morocco is Building a Mega “Green City” Named After King Mohammed VI

Green City, Mohammed VI Green City, Morocco's King, mining, environmental degradation, education, clean tech, green developmentMorocco’s King Mohammed VI recently visited the site of Mohammed VI Green City, a future “eco” development being built just outside of Benguerir – one of the largest phosphate producing areas in the country. Located just 70 kilometers north of Marrakech, the new city will be constructed in tandem with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, which is designed to attract high quality candidates from around the world to produce a thriving new sociocultural “engine” for the city.

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Proposed Tel Aviv SkyTran Project is “Up in the Air”

Maurice Picow
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Proposed Tel Aviv SkyTran Project is “Up in the Air”

Situated above the treeline, SkyTran commuter pods will not interfere with normal traffic: Photo  illustration by NASA/SkyTran

Developing economical and green urban transit systems have not been easy. This includes such planned transit innovations as the commuter pod transit system being planned for Abu Dhabi’s carbon neutral Masdar City and a new commuter light rail line recently completed in Jerusalem and still planned for Tel Aviv.

Now a new type of ecologically clean urban transit system may soon become reality in Israel, with the completion of the SkyTran aerial pod transit system that is being developed by a company headed by Jerry Sanders, a NASA space agency technician and now Chairman and CEO of SkyTran Inc.

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