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Israel and Palestine: The Place of Politics In The Mideast’s Environment

Arwa Aburawa
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9
Israel and Palestine: The Place of Politics In The Mideast’s Environment

Do you feel that the politics behind environmental issues in Israel-Palestine are being sidelined? 

A couple of weeks ago, Green Prophet reported on the news that Israelis and Palestinians were working together to build a restorative eco-park. It was a relatively feel-good piece showing that despite the political conflict, joint projects could be useful in building bridges between the two nations. One commentator, however, felt that our coverage was politically naïve.

H.Shaka remarked: “I appreciate that GP is trying to report on ‘green’ in the whole Middle East, including both Israel and the Arab world, and I have come to see this as a step in the right direction. However, given the strong political drivers in the region, I think GP should aim to be much more politically informed and balanced if it wishes to gain the respect of its readers, at least in the Arab world.”

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Pollution From North Africa Shuts Down Israeli Airports

Tafline Laylin
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0
Pollution From North Africa Shuts Down Israeli Airports

pollution, north africa, dust storm, air pollution, tel aviv, eilat, israel, co2 emissions, climate changeHazy conditions stemming from dust particles that traveled from North Africa to Israel shut down two Israeli airports last week.

Last week two airports in Israel had to shut down because the sky was so hazy and visibility was so limited, Haaretz reports. Both the Sde Dor Airport in Tel Aviv and Eilat’s airport shut down on 7th of February as a result of air pollution concentrations more than twelve times higher than usual. These conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday.

Israel’s Environmental Ministry explained that a low pressure weather system over Southern Greece moved into Israel and trapped particulates that traveled from a dust storm in North Africa. This is not the first time that Israeli researchers have discovered pollution stemming from outside the borders – sometimes laced with heavy metals.

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Silicosis Kills 50th Worker At Turkish Denim Sandblasting Factory

Julia Harte
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0
Silicosis Kills 50th Worker At Turkish Denim Sandblasting Factory

sandblasting silica dust turkey jeans killerYour sandblasted Armani jeans could be killing people.

“Distressed” jeans are commonly made by blasting the denim with silica (pictured above) after it has been pressurized into miniscule dust particles. But this fashion trend has been lethal for workers in denim sandblasting factories around the world. In Turkey, İdris Oral has become the 50th factory worker to die from inhaling too much silica dust, according to Bianet Independent Media. The 28-year-old spent the last two months of his life at the hospital in his home district of Bingöl, in southeastern Turkey: a province where there are 320 other known cases of silicosis.

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Communities in Oman Face Growing Risk of Floods

Arwa Aburawa
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1
Communities in Oman Face Growing Risk of Floods

oman-floodsDue to the threat of flooding, communities in low-lying valleys in Oman are being encouraged to relocate

It may be a hot and dry country most of the year but Oman, like Saudi Arabia, is prone to flash flooding. In November 2011, around 14 people were reported to have been killed and more than 200 more injured after flash floods hit Oman. The year before, a tropical storm killed 50 people in Oman. Now, Omanis living in places such as Wadi Dayqah are being asked by the government to leave their homes and farmlands behind and relocate to safer areas.

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5 Stories For a Freer, Greener Tunisia

Tafline Laylin
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1
5 Stories For a Freer, Greener Tunisia

green design, sustainable design, graffiti, urban art, environmental art, tourism, eco-tourism, Middle East, Tunisia, map, clean tech, solar energyWe have collected five inspiring stories that point to the possibility of a freer, greener Tunisia  

TIME Magazine paid allegiance to the brave hearted souls in the Middle East North Africa region who rose up against despotic regimes by naming “The Protestor” as their 2011 person of the year. Known now as the Arab Spring, this powerful movement was sparked by the self-immolation of a college-educated fruit vendor in Tunisia who was fed up with corruption and dismal living conditions. Since the subsequent Jasmine Revolution, the country has teetered between its tainted past and uncertainty, but these five stories point to the very real possibility that its residents can look forward to a freer and greener future.

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Does the Skyscraper Index Predict Economic Turmoil?

Brian Nitz
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1
Does the Skyscraper Index Predict Economic Turmoil?

Sharjah, UAE, Middle East, skyscrapers, urban development, unsustainable development, architectureBrian argues that skyscrapers are not only “un-green,” but they could be a precursor to economic turmoil.

The Empire State Building was completed in 1931, the same year E.Y. “Yip” Harburg wrote these lyrics: “Once I built a tower up to the sun, brick and rivet and lime. Once I built a tower, now its done. Brother, can you spare a dime?” The song grew to become an anthem to unemployed American builders during the Great Depression. But these words could easily apply to those put out of work after building Burj Khalifa or one of hundreds of other skyscrapers that now cast long shadows across the Mideast.

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Piping Sunlight with Solotubes, Plastic Bottles and Islamic Architecture

Brian Nitz
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4
Piping Sunlight with Solotubes, Plastic Bottles and Islamic Architecture

green design, sustainable design, Solotubes, daylighting, Islamic Architecture, Middle EastIslamic architects piped sunlight into homes using star-shaped skylights but Brian and his wife installed Solotubes.

One of the first changes my wife and I made to our house was to install a Solotube in the kitchen. This device consists of a translucent dome on the roof which is connected to a highly silvered six foot long pipe through the attic. The bottom end of the pipe spills sunlight into the kitchen even during the dullest winter days. But we have discovered that the idea isn’t new. Islamic architects have been using a variation of the technique for hundreds of years.

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Iran’s Energy Minister Looks to Green Energy After Sanctions

Tafline Laylin
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0
Iran’s Energy Minister Looks to Green Energy After Sanctions

green energy, clean energy, renewable energy, solar, Iran, sanctions, Middle East, subsidies, Jameh Mosque, YazdSanctions have backed fossil-rich Iran into a corner, which could bode well for the country’s renewable sector. 

The western-led sanctions against Iran have crippled the country’s ability to provide for its 74 million strong population, Reuters reports. Food prices have skyrocketed and many ships holding supplies are waiting for payment before allowing Iran to collect inventory. Meanwhile, sanctions have made conducting financial transactions virtually impossible. While the government’s failure to act could be disastrous for Iranian nationals, one potential upside is that the Energy Minister has recently admitted the importance of beefing up the country’s renewable energy sector.

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World Bank to Fill in till Global Climate Deal?

Susan Kraemer
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World Bank to Fill in till Global Climate Deal?

The funding for many of the great renewable energy projects within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and other developing regions, will continue to be directed via the World Bank, Reuters reports.

The funds support projects which cut climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions in developing nations under the EU’s cap & trade law, and is likely to be needed for the next five years while the UN designs the climate deal that will supercede it.

A typical example of funding of clean energy projects to cut climate change: Egypt Now Contracting a Whopping 1000 MW Wind Farm!

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New Israeli Railway Line Approved Between Tel Aviv and Eilat

Karen Chernick
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New Israeli Railway Line Approved Between Tel Aviv and Eilat

"eilat underwater eco tourism"Eco-tourists may be able to get to see these underwater creatures in Eilat faster due to the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv.

Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel, draws both local and international tourists year-round due to its warm weather and marine biodiversity.  Though not equipped with an international airport, it does receive domestic flights since the only alternatives are to drive yourself (which takes about six hours from Tel Aviv) or take a public bus (which takes even longer).

The Israeli Cabinet is hoping to improve public transportation to this popular destination and approved the construction of a new railway line from Tel Aviv to Eilat this week.  The train would shorten the travel time to a speedy two hours.

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Reporters Notebook: The Ethical Aspects Of Islamic Banking

Arwa Aburawa
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1
Reporters Notebook: The Ethical Aspects Of Islamic Banking

islamic-banking-ethical-arms-industryAre Islamic banks anti-war? Islamic banks discourage investment in the arms and military industry as well as speculation and taking excessive risks

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked by a fantastic organisation to look into Islamic banking and how ethical it really is. Whilst I learnt that most Islamic banks may not have the best environmental record, I did discover that they do have some distinct ethical selling points. One of which is their reluctance to invest in the arms industry as well as an aversion to speculation and excessive risks which can destabilize the market. At a time when no-one trusts their bank, Islamic banking doesn’t look like such a bad alternative to the conventional profit-driven financial system.

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Dubai Breaks its Own Record for the World’s Tallest Hotel

Tafline Laylin
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0
Dubai Breaks its Own Record for the World’s Tallest Hotel

Dubai, green building, unsustainable development, tourism, Emirates Airlines, JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai, Gold, United Arab EmiratesWhen it is complete, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel will be the world’s tallest.

Never mind that scientists have discovered giant plumes of methane that could speed up global-warming, which could contribute to even higher temperatures in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other countries.

Pay no attention to the fact that hundreds of partially unoccupied towers already line the Gulf shoreline: JW Marriott is building the world’s newest tallest hotel in Dubai.

72 Stories tall, the Rose Reyhaan Rotana on Sheikh Zayed Road currently holds the record as the world’s tallest hotel, but it is soon to be surpassed.

When the twin 1,165 feet JW Marriott Marquis Dubai hotel towers are complete, they will have ten additional floors each and 1,608 rooms between them.

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Akrya Resort for Japanese Sensibility on Koh Samui, Thailand

Karin Kloosterman
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4
Akrya Resort for Japanese Sensibility on Koh Samui, Thailand

akyra hotel review
An excellent time to get away from the cold weather, Thailand can easily become the Cancun or Ibiza for the Middle East. This week I’ve landed at the Japanese-influenced resort called Akyra. And while it is not a certified eco-hotel, which I am going to seek out and review later, there are a few elements of the resort that are in line with some of the values we might be looking for when looking to tread lighter on the planet. Of course sleeping on a beach bungalow without air-con is the best option for eco-travel in Thailand and something I do in Sinai. But not for me at this point in my life with a baby who’s now walking. I am looking for simplicity, quiet aesthetics and the kind of quality that will stand the test of time.

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Palestinians Attempt to Build Secret Renewable Energy Plants

Tafline Laylin
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1
Palestinians Attempt to Build Secret Renewable Energy Plants

Renewable energy, Israel, Palestinian Authority, solar power, green design, sustainable design, eco-design, Palestinians living in Masafer Yatta who do not have access to the electrical grid have been developing home grown renewable energy plants.

Palestinians living in the Masafer Yatta village have been secretly pursuing wind and solar energy projects in order to mitigate a serious shortfall of energy in the village.

But the 150,000 residents that live in Area C, which has been under Israeli control since 1993, live in constant fear that Israeli authorities will demolish their projects. Why? Because Israelis are opposed to any new infrastructure projects that are built outside of construction and planning laws.

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Siemens Headquarters at Masdar City Scoops Coveted Architecture Award

Tafline Laylin
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0
Siemens Headquarters at Masdar City Scoops Coveted Architecture Award

green design, sustainable design, eco design, Masdar City, Siemens, architecture,The LEED-hopeful Siemens headquarters in Masdar City has been awarded the coveted 2012 MIPIM future projects award. 

It wasn’t long ago that the first batch of photographs depicting the new Siemens headquarters made its way through the virtual world, but the LEED Platinum-hopeful building designed by Sheppard Robson has already scooped a coveted architecture award, Zawya news reports.

The MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Award in the office category acknowledges the resource-efficient construction’s contribution to Masdar’s overall goal to become a leading center of all things renewable and sustainable, and the designers will receive their prize at the MIPIM international real estate even in Cannes, France, on March 7.

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SunZia comes online and America’s 11B, and largest renewable project begins wind power

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The impact is already being felt. California has broken its wind generation record multiple times in recent weeks as SunZia begins feeding electricity into the grid. It’s a glimpse of what a renewable-powered future could look like when large-scale infrastructure finally comes online. Can we start saying goodbye to Saudi Aramco and Arabian Gulf oil? 

Married People Have Lower Cancer Risk, But the Reason is Complex

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According to the research, cancer risk was 68% higher in never-married men and 85% higher in never-married women.

40 more migratory animals need protecting, warns UN group

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The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), governments agreed to extend protection to 40 more migratory species, from cheetahs and striped hyenas to snowy owls, giant otters, and great hammerhead sharks. Too many of them are slipping toward extinction .

When peace returns, will we rediscover Saudi Arabia’s mud-brick soul?

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When the region settles after the American war with Iran, and it will, American and European travelers will come back. Not just for spectacle or headline projects, but for places that feel real. Places that haven’t been engineered to impress and which get into your soul. We predict that visitors to Saudi Arabia will want to see places like Rijal Alma.When the region settles after the American war with Iran, and it will, American and European travelers will come back. Not just for spectacle or headline projects, but for places that feel real. Places that haven’t been engineered to impress and which get into your soul. We predict that visitors to Saudi Arabia will want to see places like Rijal Alma.

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