Bush era US climate science policy seems to have moved north to Canada, argues Susan. A student researcher at the University of Toronto has exposed a draconian shut-down of climate science in Canada. This is a first for Canada – an advanced democracy, but a democracy that has the resource-curse of vast oil sands potential. James Birch does research in a thirty […]
Scientists have always been worried about the runaway effects of climate change. Did anyone think that we might have rising concentrations of cholera-causing bacteria in our oceans as a result of higher temperatures? If rising temperatures on land are enabling bed bugs and drug-resistant diseases to proliferate, it stands to reason that something similar might […]
Power and water are inextricably linked in the rapidly growing Middle East. An exhibit hopes to green up both Desalination and water treatment have seen massive growth in the MENA region, which has now emerged as the largest market in the world. The region will have to build approximately three million cubic meters per day […]
Climate change hits America’s Red States hard – but there’s plenty of wood waste there for clean biofuel energy production – that could head off even worse climate change Politicians in America’s Southern Red States are notorious for decrying clean Renewable Energy Standards on the grounds that they have no solar or wind resources, and […]
Over the last thirty years, carbon emissions in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) have doubled with citizens in the Gulf states producing up to 10 times the amount of CO2 as the average global citizen Awareness of the dangers of climate change may be on the increase in the Middle East but action […]
Farms like these must be cut off from fossil water under the desert, now “as precious as gold” With just 4 inches of rain a year, Saudi Arabia is already one of the driest places on earth. But unlike neighboring Israel, conservation is not part of the culture. Saudi water use is profligate, almost twice […]
At its extreme, it is human life itself that is at risk from water scarcity Can you imagine being this child’s mother? Perhaps she herself is also dying of starvation nearby, too weak to protect her dying child from this vulture that hovers expectantly nearby. Or already dead, perhaps. It may seem inconceivable that something […]
Israeli inventor Meidad Marzan has a vision of solar-powered futuristic city lights Solar power embedded in tiny tiles cladding the sides of skyscrapers could be used to efficiently power programmable light-scapes like lamps creating ever-changing patterns on buildings at virtually no energy cost, using the nascent technology of OLEDs, suggests Marzan.
Eco-tourism holidays in Lebanon offer picturesque fishing villages and ancient remains British walking holidays specialist Ramblers Worldwide has added Lebanon to its list of destinations, according to a recent announcement. Ramblers Worldwide have long included Jordan, Morocco, Oman and other Middle East and North African destinations on their itineraries, although some scheduled trips to Egypt […]
According to a recent survey, Africa and the Middle East is the second region in the world that is most concerned about climate change For those of us dealing with climate change and environmental issues in the Middle East, it can feel like the region is constantly playing catch-up to the rest of the developed […]
Oil and gas companies believe that CCS will allow fossil-burning to continue unabated, but health leaders expose the potential for widespread human fatalities in the event of accidental leaks. The United States Department of Energy has pledged to match Masdar’s $700,000 carbon capture research program with $3 Million of US taxpayer money. In collaboration with […]
Bill McKibben isn’t the kind of guy who takes getting arrested lightly. He’s doing it to save humanity from one of the most catastrophic dangers we have ever faced. The right wing has long maintained that America should reduce its oil dependency on the Middle East. Considered the root of the last war in Iraq […]
In our warming world, ever more moisture is being held by ever warmer air. This means more places now suffer from humid heat more of the time. Humid heat is a problem that regular air conditioning technologies have failed to successfully address. An ingenious solution from Israel’s Advantix, inspired by its native Dead Sea, could […]
Carboun, an organisation which promotes sustainability in the Middle East, has produced its first infographic which does a great job of mapping out the region’s carbon emissions I am huge fan of infographics – information as graphics – for the simple reason that they are a great way to get a handle on lots of […]
Weather paradox: severe drought in south with flooding elsewhere With 122 degrees in New York City, intense drought and wild fires in several American states, and mass starvation due to abnormal drought in the Horn of Africa. Middle Eastern countries like Yemen are “running dry” , and ones like Egypt are in danger of […]