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Dubai Launches Arabic Carbon Calculator

Cities

Arwa Aburawa

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October 29, 2011

Dubai Launches Arabic Carbon Calculator

A carbon calculator in Arabic will help Dubai residents track everything from food, travel to energy consumption

The carbon emissions of Gulf nations in the Middle East are notoriously high. The UAE has one of the largest carbon footprints per capita in the world and the average citizen in the Gulf produces between two to ten times more carbon than the average global citizen. As such, it’s great to see the Dubai government launch one of the first ever carbon footprint calculators in Arabic to help residents track their green and not-so-green behaviours.

Landmark Wind Power Plant To Be Built In Pakistan

Business

Zaufishan

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October 28, 2011

Landmark Wind Power Plant To Be Built In Pakistan

A landmark wind power project is set to be built in south Pakistan, which will form part of the 6% target renewable energy in the total power mix by 2030.

Asian Development Bank has provided a loan of $36.8 million to Pakistan’s first privately owned wind farm by the Turkish company, Zorlu Enerji Electrik Uretim, that is utilising it to raise the power output from the current 6 megawatts (MW) to 56.4 megawatts.

A statement issued by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) said the total cost of the project is $159 million, out of which 30% is being financed through equity provided by Zorlu Enerji and the rest through loans from Asian Development Bank (ADB), and ECO Trade and Development Bank, as well as a Pak Rupee loan from Habib Bank.

World Bank Supports Turkey-Built 56.4 MW Wind Project in Pakistan

Energy
Tech

Karin Kloosterman

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October 28, 2011

World Bank Supports Turkey-Built 56.4 MW Wind Project in Pakistan

With crippling floods every year and regular power outages, a new internationally financed wind project in Pakistan is breezy green news to us.

Iran, finding itself increasingly isolated due to US-backed sanctions, has been pressing energy-deficient Pakistan to connect with Iran’s natural gas “peace pipeline“. Natural gas is better than coal (which is killing miners) and dirty fuel that Pakistanis use in their households, but it is not the greenest. We laud a new announcement by the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, which is investing $38.1 million in the company Zorlu Enerji Pakistan Limited, a Turkish energy firm to build what it is calling a landmark wind energy project in Pakistan, the Associated Press Pakistan reports.

Can Nuclear Power Ever Be Justified For Environmental Reasons?

Energy

Arwa Aburawa

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October 28, 2011

Can Nuclear Power Ever Be Justified For Environmental Reasons?

Jordan looks into the advantages of nuclear and we debunk the ‘green’ arguments for going nuclear

Whilst Turkey reassesses its own nuclear plans following a devastating earthquake, Jordan is still exploring the pros and cons of going radioactive. A recent meeting held in Amman brought together various NGOs, experts and academics for the 4^th International Symposium on Nuclear Energy. Issues such as the Fukushima incident, safety and the need for transparency came up but so did the advantages of nuclear power for water security. So can nuclear power ever really be justified on environmental terms?

Solar Powered Taxi To Stop in Israel Next Week As Part of Worldwide Tour

Transportation

Karen Chernick

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October 28, 2011

Solar Powered Taxi To Stop in Israel Next Week As Part of Worldwide Tour

Beep beep! This solar powered taxi intends to tour the globe on zero gas and a full tank of sunshine.

Swiss inventor Louis Palmer‘s solar powered taxi will be rolling into Israel next week, after having traveled to over 40 countries and through 60,000 kilometers already. Without a single drop of standard fuel. Powered by the sun, this revolutionary taxi will teach Israelis (and the world) that solar powered cars are a viable option for our future. The country is already awaiting the widespread launch of Better Place’s more sustainable electric cars, but in the meantime, Palmer is showing us that the Middle East’s strong solar rays can be used for transportation as well.

Trees4Life Tell British Muslims To Plant Trees In Palestine And Reduce Waste

Zaufishan

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October 27, 2011

Trees4Life Tell British Muslims To Plant Trees In Palestine And Reduce Waste

British Muslims are breaking the terrorist stereotype in a new eco-awareness campaign. Trees4Life, a British grassroots organisation has branched out as far as Palestine and Indonesia, to facilitate positive solutions to environmental problems in the form of tree-planting programs.

In the faithful hopes of trying to make us aware of our environmental obligations, Trees4Life believes planting a tree is the first small step in being a green Muslim. “We are just trying to open the door in thinking ‘green’,” says founder Naweeda Ahmad.

Green Prophet writer Zaufishan Iqbal asked the Trees4Life team how British Muslims can help the Middle East and whether planting trees is really the way to go about it.

Nominate Your Green Prophet Eco Hero for 2011

Arwa Aburawa

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October 27, 2011

Nominate Your Green Prophet Eco Hero for 2011

Green Prophet launches the Green Prophet Eco Hero 11 Award for 2011. Who are your eco-heros for the Middle East and North Africa region?

With so much green, inspiring energy in the Middle East North Africa region, we decided to give local green prophets a little pat on the back. At the end of the year, Green Prophet will announce its first list of environmental activists from the Middle East and North Africa region. Top winners will win a small personal cash prize of $200, $100 and $50. All winners will be profiled on Green Prophet, giving credit and credence to their work. Do you know someone who is fighting to save sharks from fin soup, someone fighting for dead seas or lakes, or who is creating new water technologies that could change the water-parched region? If so, let us know about them! Read on for how you can nominate your eco-hero.

Argan Oil: Expert Estimates About 20,000 Trees in Israel

Health

Miriam Kresh

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October 27, 2011

Argan Oil: Expert Estimates About 20,000 Trees in Israel

Nah, nobody does that goat thing anymore…

Our recent post about Israeli argan oil caused a few ripples over the Internet. While we now know that the old-fashioned “goat” treatment of the fruit is no longer used in Morocco except as a tourist attraction, we’ve also learned much about the success of growing the tree itself in Israel.

We interviewed Professor Elaine Solowey of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, responsible for most of of the argan tree’s propagation in Israel. Prof. Solowey has worked with argan trees since 1985. She worked in the National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Morocco, on a 7-year project aimed at increasing fruit yield. In more recent years, she has been developing argan propagation at the Arava Institute.

Making an Ecosexual Stink about Komen’s ‘Promise Me’ Perfume

Design

Tinamarie Bernard

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October 26, 2011

Making an Ecosexual Stink about Komen’s ‘Promise Me’ Perfume

Breast cancer is the boogey man lurking underneath our breastbones, and organizations committed to eradicating the disease are the super heroines wearing pink capes, except when they are selling something that can cause cancer.

That Susan G. Komen’s fragrance ‘Promise Me’ may be laced with cancer-causing ingredients is a blessing in disguise. The world needs a smoking gun to wake up consumers to the toxins we are lathering in as we pursue dangerous beauty. An ecosexual revolution will gain the necessary traction when enough people recognize the inherent value of greening their personal and intimate lives, one vibrator, lipstick, bubble bath, massage oil, sanitary hygiene, condom, lubricant and bottle of perfume at a time. (Just to be clear, that’s a truncated list of ways everyone reading this can be kinder to their somatic and erotic selves; being an ecosexual is actually fairly easy, green and consummately pleasurable.)

Green Pilgrimage Network Promotes Sustainable Religious Pilgrimage

Religion

Karen Chernick

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October 26, 2011

Green Pilgrimage Network Promotes Sustainable Religious Pilgrimage

Religious leaders will gather in Assisi, Italy (home of St. Francis of Assisi) to launch the Green Pilgrimage Network next week.

Religious pilgrimage is an important component of many world religions. Here in the Middle East, the annual Hajj to Mecca draws millions of Muslims from all over the world who want to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam and see an important religious site. Studies estimate that around two million Muslims make the Hajj pilgrimage. Yet such pilgrimages inevitably have a big (and not so positive) environmental impact.

To improve this situation, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) will be launching the Green Pilgrimage Network next week – a network that will come up with sustainable solutions for pilgrims (such as the Mecca Metro that has started to transport pilgrims with fewer carbon emissions).

Scales, Impingement and Entrainment: Know Desalination’s Negative Side

Business

Joshua Basofin

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October 26, 2011

Desalination’s negative environmental risks can outweigh the benefits, argues our environmental lawyer blogger Josh.

Israel will quadruple its output of desalinated water by 2050, according to a report released by the country’s Water Authority Council. The government will also encourage construction of new desalination facilities on manmade islands. These measures will ensure a continuous stream of desalted water without developing coastal lands in the tiny country.

Water experts have sung desalination’s praises far and wide lately. It provides a reliable, secure water supply. It reduces our reliance on natural waterways. And not least importantly it has become cheaper as desalting companies develop more cost-effective technology.

Desalination’s critics have, in equal measure, leveled their own concerns at the industry. The process requires exorbitant amounts of energy, they say, is too expensive, and poses potential health risks.

But these concerns only tell a partial story of desalination’s environmental impacts. It affects the marine environment in an important way: through seawater intakes. Decision makers often ignore or downplay this impact. When desalination facilities suck in huge amounts of water, scores of fish and even marine mammals become stuck to the grates. Scientists call this phenomenon “impingement”.

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