Page 552 – Green Prophet

Is the Middle East Buying into Disastrous Biofuels?

Health

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March 14, 2011

Is the Middle East Buying into Disastrous Biofuels?

The Jatropha plant may produce bio-diesel for cars but, like other biofuels, it also leads to a rise in food prices due to competition for land space

From solid gold biofuel Mercedes in Abu Dhabi to biofuel-producing algae lakes in Iran, it seems that biofuels are destined to play a part in the region’s future development. Now, Jordan has announced that it will be experimenting with planting Jatropha, a tree which produces high-quality biodiesel to be used in standard diesel cars. But are biofuels really the solution to the Mideast’s dependency on gas and oil?

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Tehran Residents Complain About Air Pollution and Water Quality

Cities

Mehrdad Parsipour

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March 14, 2011

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Tehran Residents Complain About Air Pollution and Water Quality

The biggest environmental concerns of the residents of Tehran are air pollution and water quality.

The public awareness of environmental problems is of great importance in today’s societies. It is somehow more important than the governmental privileges. In Iranian society, this awareness is in shadow of political, economic and social issues, which look more substantial to people. In a World Bank report, which were given out in 2007, the environmental awareness of the residents of Tehran were analyzed.

This report was provided three years ago but still can show the reality of the Iranian urban culture. It, as can be predicted, confirms that the first things that are important for people are the issues that directly affects on their lives. Politics is the main one. Also social and culture problems are important but the main factor that adjusts every thing is still politics.

According to the report, environment is not the priority of most of the people. Thirty percent of the respondents of the questionnaires (34 percent men and 29 percent women) think that the political problems are important or very important. This can be compared with the low percentage that was obtained from the same question about economic development, inflation, and environment.

air pollution tehran, iran — *Wearing a facemask against pollution (not Covid) in Tehran*

Six percent think that economic development is important or very important (6.4 percent men and 5.3 percent women). Inflation is rated by 6.4 percent (5.8 percent of men and 6.5 percent of women). It seems that the respondents have rated the environmental issues as the least important problem. Only 4 percent have chosen important or very important for the environment (4.4 percent men and 3.3 percent women).

The worst part of the findings is that one third of the respondents (34 percent) believe that the environmental problems are not important at all and 53 percent do not have any opinion.

When the people are questioned more clearly about the problems, it becomes clear that they have some concerns about the environment. Air pollution and water quality are the biggest concerns of them. Some 62.3 percent of men and 61.3 percent of women believe that the water quality is worrying. Also 59.8 percent of men and 60.1 percent of women are worried about the air pollution produced by cars. Similarly the percentages for industrial pollutions are 41.5 for men and 47.1 for women. In the same way, 39.5 percent of men and 41.8 percent of women have declared great worry about the sound pollution.

Similar percentages are obtained from the survey about continuous reduction of green areas, disposal of industrial waste, and household garbage.

Other answers show that people are disappointed of the present situation of the urban environment. For example, just 8.7 percent of men and 10.5 of women strongly agree that “the environmental situation will be better in the future,” while 31.3 percent of men and 26.8 percent of women disagree.

The main bodies in the country that have the ability to improve the People’s responsibility about the environment are the public media, be it governmental or private. The present situation of the effects of the media like newspapers, TV, radio, books, internet, magazines, etc. are analyzed.

By the recent issues like the problems of Orumieh Lake in north-west Iran or the Iranian leopard, people have heard more of such news and have shown to be more conscious of the similar problems.

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Public awareness of environmental problems is of great importance in today’s societies. It is somehow more important than the governmental privileges. In Iranian society, this awareness is in shadow of political, economic and social issues, which look more substantial to people.

In a World Bank report, which were given out in 2007 the environmental awareness of the residents of Tehran were analyzed. This report was provided three years ago but still can show the reality of the Iranian urban culture. It, as can be predicted, confirms that the first things that are important for people are the issues that directly affects on their lives. Politics is the main one. Also social and culture problems are important but the main factor that adjusts every thing is still politics.

According to the report, environment is not the priority of most of the people. 31 percent of the respondents of the questionnaires (34 percent men and 29 percent women) think that the political problems are important or very important. This can be compared with the low percentage that was obtained from the same question about economic development, inflation, and environment. 6 percent think that Economic development is important or very important (6.4 percent men and 5.3 percent women). Inflation is rated by 6.4 percent (5.8 percent of men and 6.5 percent of women). It seems that the respondents have rated the environmental issues as the least important problem. Only 4 percent have chosen important or very important for the environment (4.4 percent men and 3.3 percent women).

The worst part of the findings is that one third of the respondents (34 percent) believe that the environmental problems are not important at all and 53 percent do not have any opinion.

When the people are questioned more clearly about the problems, it becomes clear that they have some concerns about the environment. Air pollution and water quality are the biggest concerns of them. 62.3 percent of men and 61.3 percent of women believe that the water quality is worrying. Also 59.8 percent of men and 60.1 percent of women are worried about the air pollution produced by cars. Similarly the percentages for industrial pollutions are 41.5 for men and 47.1 for women. In the same way, 39.5 percent of men and 41.8 percent of women have declared great worry about the sound pollution.

Similar percentages are obtained from the survey about continuous reduction of green areas, disposal of industrial waste, and household garbage.

Other answers show that people are disappointed of the present situation of the urban environment. For example, just 8.7 percent of men and 10.5 of women strongly agree that “the environmental situation will be better in the future,” while 31.3 percent of men and 26.8 percent of women disagree.

The main bodies in the country that have the ability to improve the People’s responsibility about the environment are the public media, be it governmental or private. The present situation of the effects of the media like newspapers, TV, radio, books, internet, magazines, etc. are analyzed.

By the recent issues like the problems of Orumieh Lake in north-west Iran or the Iranian leopard, people have heard more of such news and have shown to be more conscious of the similar problems.

Water Desalination in the Gulf is Necessary, But Not at Any Cost

Business

Rola Tassabehji

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March 14, 2011

3

IBM builds a solar power desalination pilot plant in Saudi Arabia.

News that Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest market for desalination plants, is planning future solar-powered reverse and osmosis projects has been met with general enthusiasm by environmentalists and non-environmentalists alike. However, while politicians in the region play up the significant advantages of modern desalination, a deeper cost-benefit evaluation shows these investments come at a considerable cost.

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Israel’s Ambassador Of Dance Ido Tadmor Performs For The Dead Sea

Lifestyle

Tafline Laylin

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March 14, 2011

1

Israel’s Ambassador Of Dance Ido Tadmor Performs For The Dead Sea

Internationally-acclaimed dance Ido Tadmor does an enigmatic dance for the Dead Sea at Kalya Beach. (image by Inbal Marmari)

Becoming one of seven natural wonders can have enormous benefits for tourism, though competition is steep. Among the 28 candidates for the present campaign are the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos, and the Grand Canyon. Scores of people, even Harley Davidson riders, have shown their support for the Dead Sea campaign, which will be a boon to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories. But there’s more to the campaign than generating money. The founder, Bernard Weber, intended for this global initiative to protect remaining beautiful places, to generate unity and respect. Perhaps more than any other pledge of support, Ido Tadmor’s Dead Sea dance – choreographed by him – does just that.

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Saudi’s Soaring Construction Industry Could Negate Costly Water Investments

Business

Tafline Laylin

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March 14, 2011

2

Saudi’s Soaring Construction Industry Could Negate Costly Water Investments

Saudi Arabia is investing huge sums to diversify its water supply, while at the same time fanning a booming construction industry. Will the latter negate the former?

Desertification, depletion of underground water sources, and lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies are among Saudia Arabia’s greatest environmental challenges. In part, these are being met by pouring money into energy-hungry desalination facilities.

With oil reserves overestimated by 40%, and peak oil on the horizon, the Royals are realizing the need to diversify. Construction Week reported that over the next 15 years, the Gulf country will invest $53 billion on water projects, 70% of which will be devoted to sewage and wastewater treatment plants.

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Japan Nuclear Meltdown Will Seriously Affect World Environment

Energy

Maurice Picow

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March 14, 2011

20

Japan Nuclear Meltdown Will Seriously Affect World Environment

Checking for radiation in Japan. Wouldn’t happen if a solar power plant is damaged.

Japan’s situation involving its damaged nuclear reactors is heading into “critical mass” following more reactor failures from last week’s mega earthquake and subsequent tsunami tidal waves. Worries about this kind nightmarish scenario happening elsewhere, especially in the Middle East has been expressed in many media sources, including an article in the English version of Egypt’s Al Masry.

The environmental dangers of the radiation leakage from the Fukushima Diiachi nuclear plant following the explosion of one of its reactors could be very harmful to the world’s environment. The article quoted Greenpeace as saying that “Japan is in the middle of a nuclear crises with potentially devastating consequences.” But this you’d already know if you have been reading the news. American aid troops in the region are moving away from the nuclear plant after a plume of radiation was detected 100 miles from the reactor core.

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Interview: On Saving Albatrosses And HRH Prince Charles With Meidad Goren

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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March 13, 2011

0

Meidad poses with Prince Charles at the Clarence House in London, where they discussed the progress of the Albatross Task Force.

Like David de Rothschild, Meidad Goren has spent considerable time at sea working toward nature conservation. His most recent project focused on saving albatrosses. These sea birds become entangled with commercial fishing lines and die at a rate of roughly 100,000 each year. Birdlife International’s South African Albatross Task Force was the first of six teams created worldwide to saving the albatross from the grassroots level up. With support from Prince Charles, and the Royal Society For The Protection of Birds (RSPB), Goren and his team helped reduce albatross mortality rates in South Africa by 85%. The intrepid bird-lover has since returned to Israel to start up his own conservation project.

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AIDS from Baby Gaga breastmilk ice cream?

Health

Hannah Katsman

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March 13, 2011

9

breast milk flavored ice -cream inspired by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga inspired an ice-cream made from human milk. Could the treat carry health risks?

A London ice cream parlor made headlines recently for producing ice cream made out of human milk. They are calling the flavor Baby Gaga. Responding to concerns about safety, the Westminster Council confiscated the ice cream for quality control testing. When it got confirmation that the mothers had been tested in a lab that also tests blood donors, the ice cream went back on sale. Sounds like a stunt like the hummus-flavored ice-cream from Israel.

Health concerns surrounding Baby Gaga ice cream led us at Green Prophet to consider the health risks of donated human milk. According to lactation experts Jan Riordan and Karen Waumbach, human milk carries “a very low risk of disease transmission.” Diseases that can theoretically be transferred through ingestion of human milk include HIV 1 and 2 (the AIDS virus), human T-lymphoma virus (HTLV—a virus association with childhood leukemia and adult lymphoma), hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis. Potential milk donors to human milk banks are screened for these diseases, just like blood donors, although the risk of contracting infections from drinking human milk is lower thanks to factors in saliva.

HIV does not live long outside the body. Even if small amounts of HIV-infected blood or semen was consumed, exposure to the air, heat from cooking, and stomach acid would destroy the virus. Therefore, there is no risk of contracting HIV from eating food. Human milk banks in Brazil, the United States, and Europe screen donors and pasteurize the milk, ensuring that the milk is stored safely. Very few cases of disease transmission from human milk have been reported, and the milk banks have a spotless record.

In the Middle East, where no regulated human milk banks exist, parents who seek donor milk must rely on informal donations from relatives, friends or strangers. Parents post requests on breastfeeding message boards contain requests, or use informal milk banks. The safety of these arrangements varies widely.

Parents considering donor milk need to weigh risks against the risks of infant formula, which leads to increased rates of infections and has been recalled many times over the years. Poor quality control and bacterial contamination have led to the deaths of infants. The infants who benefit most from donor milk are premature or have physical conditions, like illness or allergy, that make it hard for them to tolerate formula. The World Health Organization lists donated human milk as a better option than manufactured formula for all babies, with breastfeeding from the baby’s mother the best and bottle-feeding of the mother’s own milk the second choice.

Manufactured infant formula is an environmental hazard, because of the increased water, fuel, and waste involved in its production, transportation, preparation and disposal.

According to the US Center for Disease Control, “HIV does not live long outside the body. Even if small amounts of HIV-infected blood or semen was consumed, exposure to the air, heat from cooking, and stomach acid would destroy the virus. Therefore, there is no risk of contracting HIV from eating food.”

The safety of breastmilk is a serious concern for mothers who carry HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. The World Health Organization recommends formula feeding for mothers with access to clean water and sterilizing equipment. But the high mortality rate among bottle-fed infants in developing nations, particularly Africa, led to increased research in AIDS transmission. It turns out that newborns who breastfeed exclusively—in other words they received no water, formula or solid foods—contracted HIV-1 at a much lower rate than the babies who received breastmilk and other foods or liquids.

Exclusive breastfeeding may prevent HIV-1 transmission because elements in breastmilk help maintain the intestinal mucosal barrier, preventing bacteria and other contaminants from being introduced into the gut. Contaminants cause an inflammatory response that damages the mucosa, raising the chance that HIV-1 will penetrate. Currently, the WHO in developing countries recommends that health care workers who support mothers with HIV-1 should help these mothers breastfeed exclusively for as long as possible.

Human milk ice cream was a gimmick to increase sales, but the discussion about health concerns begs the question: Why are we so squeamish about human milk but are fine with drinking cow’s milk? We should be wary of giving the newest members of our species milk from a different animal when the vast majority of mothers are able to breastfeed.

More posts on human milk and breastfeeding by Hannah Katsman:

A Fading Art: Understanding Breastfeeding in the Middle East

10 Tips for Breastfeeding Your Baby in Public in the Middle East

Source: Riordan, Jan and Karen Wambach, Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, Fourth Edition, 2010.

Updated image Feb 6, 2023.

Ecoist Accessories Make Eco-Friendly Egoists Look Good

Design

Karen Chernick

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March 13, 2011

0

Ecoist Accessories Make Eco-Friendly Egoists Look Good

Ecoist: an individual that lives a modern, eco-minded lifestyle. (Don’t forget chic.)

When it comes to upcycling discarded products or industrial scraps, designers often turn to making fashion or home accessories. They are fun to make, and allow people to feel creative and less wasteful in their accessory choices. Here on Green Prophet we’ve already seen handbags made out of tire inner tubes, Infobags made from pages of old maps and encyclopedias, and even purses make from furniture fabric samples. While we’ve also seen wallets made out of upcycled product wrappers, we have not yet seen handbags made out of that material and so the Ecoist line of handbags and jewelry caught our attention.

A fashion line started by two Israeli brothers, Jonathan and Yair Marcoschamer, Ecoist handbags, jewelry, and home accessories are all made from misprinted and obsolete packaging generated by junk-food companies such as the Coca-Cola Company, Frito-Lay, and Mars (to name a few).

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Land Rover Revs Up Omani Leopard Conservation Program

Travel

Tafline Laylin

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March 13, 2011

0

Land Rover Revs Up Omani Leopard Conservation Program

Land Rover has demonstrated its commitment to Arabian Leopard Conservation for the sixth year by supporting the Biosphere Expeditions research project.

Wildlife conservation is rife with challenges, yet concerned organizations often battle to overcome them as a result of underfunding. Corporate assistance goes a long way to filling those financial gaps. In the Middle East, Egypt’s wild cats are in peril, Iran’s are faring no better, but Oman may just have a population of Arabian leopards that can thrive in the Dhofar mountain region.

For the sixth consecutive year, the 4×4 auto manufacture Land Rover has lent valuable support to the Biosphere Expeditions research project, which tracks leopard populations in order to best inform conservation initiatives.

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Connect your children to the seasons

Lifestyle

Varda Epstein

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March 13, 2011

0

Make your children earth conscious by collecting the special flora of the seasons.

Every so often, the air is so pure you just have to go out and take a walk with your children. It’s not something we plan for, it just happens. We are lured to the outdoors like children that must follow the Pied Piper of Hamlin, even to their own destruction. Of course, the only destruction in this case is housework and homework left undone.

But sometimes, you have to blow it all off. A nature walk with Mom, or in the mom’s case, a nature walk with the kids, on a rare and wonderful day, far outweighs all other tasks. Carpe Diem! Seize the day.

Now I don’t know about you, but I’m all about making the world tangible to my kids. They know that when we pass a lavender bush, we will slide our hands over the branches and the scent will cling to our skin. I will explain that the Romans used lavender to scent their baths and called the plant “lavandarius” from the words “lavanda” (things to be washed) and “lavare” (to wash).

We pass a sprawling patch of mint and we each pick leaves and thoughtfully chaw on the fresh greenery. We see patches of caterpillar eggs that look like foam. But it all depends on the season. And maybe that’s the whole point.

We live in a world where seasonal fruits and vegetables can be bought year round and have lost their seasonal connection. So have we. We’re always busy fulfilling obligations. But we must also stop and smell the flowers, and make sure our children do so, too: if we expect our children to save the planet, they had better come to love it, first.

Whenever the kids and I take a walk, we bring a basket. The kids look for things to gather: acorns, twigs, a beautiful autumn leaf, or a small gray stone that is remarkable by dint of its smoothness. At first, the kids are a bit hesitant about choosing items to put in the basket. I free them by saying, “I’ll hold the basket. You look around for things to gather,” and they begin to hunt in earnest.

When we come home, we are exhilarated and exuberant from fresh air and togetherness. We arrange the items we’ve collected to make an artistic centerpiece that is both touchable and something to speak about for many days to come.

Put Your Money Where Your “Like” Is

Lifestyle

Eliezer Yaari

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March 12, 2011

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Philanthropic heavyweight to green and social organizations, Eliezer explains why pressing “Like” doesn’t convert support into donor dollars.

It is time to say it loud and clear: I don’t like the “Lik”e. Did you hear me? I Do Not Like The Like. Don’t misunderstand me: I love when people love me, and I like it when people like what I write and get their thumb up when they read my opinions about the world. This is the fuel that runs the writing of any blogger. I really like it, but I don’t like the Like.

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Earthquake Damage to Japanese Nuclear Power Plants Should be Warning to Mideast Planners

Energy

Maurice Picow

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March 12, 2011

0

Earthquake Damage to Japanese Nuclear Power Plants Should be Warning to Mideast Planners

Another Chernobyl in the making? Does the Middle East need this risk?

Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami waves in Japan have left that entire country in a state of shock, and power outages – even in the country’s capital, Tokyo. The 8.9 magnitude quake, the most massive Japan has ever experienced and the 7^th largest in world recorded history, has not only caused a disastrous amount of property damage as well as well as loss of life, it has also resulted in some damage to a few of the country’s 52 nuclear power plants. The most serious effected are those nearer to the epicenter of the quake, especially the power plant at Fukushima I, located by the city of Okuma, 260 km from Tokyo. When the quake struck on Friday afternoon, March 11, the Japanese government ordered an immediate shutdown of this plant, and several others, including the newer Fukushima II plant located only about 11.5 km to the south.

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After Four Years, Dubai’s “Holey” O-14 Tower Finally Opens

Cities

Tafline Laylin

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March 11, 2011

0

After Four Years, Dubai’s “Holey” O-14 Tower Finally Opens

After four years, the O-14 is finally complete, and is as righteous as it is “holey.”

Dubai has been eclipsed recently by a host of exciting developments in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup. In part, this is because the splashy Emirate was forced to adopt a low profile following crippling economic collapse while other Gulf economies have rested comfortably on their oily laurels. Slowly slowly, however, debts are being paid and project development is inching forward. The O-14 Tower designed by Jesse Resiser and Nanoko Umemoto of RUR Architecture first broke ground in 2007 and is finally ready for occupancy. The doily appearance, albeit interesting to look at, does comprise beneficial environmental and structural elements, while simultaneously allowing for an unusual freedom on the inside.

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“Anatolia Won’t Be Blackened” Declare Turkish Anti-Fossil Fuel Groups

Business

Julia Harte

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March 11, 2011

1

“Anatolia Won’t Be Blackened” Declare Turkish Anti-Fossil Fuel Groups

Not in my backyard: groups across Turkey unite against pollution from fossil fuel power plants.

Over the past few decades, dozens of local environmental groups have sprouted across Turkey, united by a single goal: dissuading the government from allowing energy companies to build fossil-fuel-fired power plants near their homes. In the Marmara Sea resort region of Yalova, for example, the Yalova Environmental Platform held a press conference to protest the construction of a local coal-fired plant — and was promptly sued by the company who wanted to build it. In the Black Sea town of Gerze, the Green Gerze Environmental Platform held a “Meeting for Climate Justice” last November, to raise awareness about the coal-fired plant that may soon be built near the town, and the threat that dirty fuels pose to the climate.

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