But Saudi Arabia recently sentenced nearly two dozen people to prison in connection with the drowning deaths of approximately 100 people. The first two men were convicted one year ago after the 2009 and 2011 floods in Jeddah, and the most recent convictions were announced in local press on Thursday.

In early January of 2011, a record 111mm of rain fell in Jeddah, where annual rainfall rarely exceeds 50 mm. The largest sea port on the magnificent Red Sea and an important commercial hub, the city has a population of 3.2 million.

Images from the flood show cars floating down the road, houses inundated with water, and debris strewn everywhere. And dramatic stories emerged of men and women being saved from drowning, though 100 were not so lucky.

Instead of glossing over the question of why their houses were built in a flood zone in the first place, which is what happens almost everywhere else, the Saudi government went after the culprits.

“A senior municipal official was sentenced to five years in prison,” according to Khaleej Times, “and fined $186,700 for giving permission for people to buy and build houses in areas hit by the floods.”

While this story is unlikely to receive much international attention, this is one of the few cases where developers and government officials have been held responsible for negligence related to the environment.

:: Khaleej Times

The post Saudi Jails 21 People for 100 Drowning Deaths appeared first on Green Prophet.

Thousands of readers were enthralled by the cardboard bicycle from Israel and the Egyptian scientist who discovered a way to generate biofuel from plastic. McDonalds finally succumbed to international pressure to drop pink slime from their menu, and The Shard by starchitect Renzo Piano, which was financed by Qatar, was finally inaugurated in London. Hit the jump to see these and other stories that captivated our readers in 2012.

1. Cardboard Bike From Israel Makes Green Cycling Easier

Nobody, least of all inventor Izhar Gafni, could have predicted the popularity of Israel’s $9 cardboard bike. Perfected after a series of false starts, this extraordinary design made from recycled cardboard can handle everything that would seem impossible – including moisture and weight. Gafni and his partner became so popular they had to hire someone to respond to all the email inquiries they received from every reach of the globe. And now they’re working on commercializing the product, along with cardboard wheelchairs for Africa.

2. Are ESL’s a Mercury-Free Replacement for CFL Lights

In 2012 we brought on a new science writer Brian Nitz, who wrote this fantastic piece about ESL’s and CFL lights, and our readers hung on every word. “If only there were a light bulb as efficient as a compact fluorescent light (CFL), but without the ghastly green light and brain-eating  toxic mercury,” Brian wrote before proceeding to complete a thorough analysis of Electron Stimulated Luminance (ESL) lights. The popularity of this post revealed to what extent our readers are concerned to reduce their energy consumption, but not to the detriment of health.

3. Biofuels from Plastic for Young Egyptian Scientist

Just 16 years old, Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad from the Zahran Language School in Alexandria discovered a new catalyst that facilitates the conversion of plastic into biofuels. As soon as news of this hit the blogging world, Faiad became an international sensation. This is due in part to the context in which her inspiring story came to light. Egypt has spent the last year lifting its head over a wall of socio-political problems such that basic goods and services have been neglected and the economy has tanked. The country needed good news and so did you – our readers.

4. Dead Dugong With ‘Tears of Blood’ Found in Egypt

People aren’t suffering Egypt’s transition alone. With opportunists keen to exploit Egypt’s all-time sluggish regulatory environment in order to make a fast buck, a host of new developments are being planned without any of the necessary environmental oversight. Nowhere is this more true than the Sinai Peninsula, which has long been a haven for foreigners, and the Red Sea is suffering the consequences. Recently a dead dugong that was discovered quickly became a symbol of the tragedy that has befallen Egypt’s wild creatures.

5. Renzo Piano’s The Shard Inaugurated

As Europe and the United States continue to battle severe economic problems, Gulf nations are quietly building up their economies on the back of fossil fuel sales. Qatar has cast a particularly wide net. In addition to developing several projects back home, such as the solar-powered World Cup stadiums, the emirate stepped in to finance Renzo Piano’s controversial pyramidal structure in London. The latest tallest building to dominate Western Europe, the tower is 1,016 feet tall and 95% of it is owned by the government of Qatar.

6. Abu Dhabi’s Electric Superbus

Probably more than any other Gulf nation, Abu Dhabi has surged ahead with a host of sustainable initiatives. Masdar continues to grow from strength to strength, forging connections with forward thinking progressives across the globe in order to make the emirate more resilient to climate, energy and hydrological challenges, and various government agencies have implemented other initiatives. However, the emirate tends to add a touch of extravagance to just about everything it does, which is certainly true of the electric Superbus – a 15 meter long luxurious commuter vehicle that was certified as road legal this year.

7. Pink Slime

Nothing hooks readers better than a title like Pink Slime, and so it should. Used for years in fast food chains as a meat enhancer, ammonium hydroxide is also said  kill e-coli bacteria – a common problem when using meat scraps to create meat patties. When news broke alongside a series of disturbing images of a pink foam substance, outrage ensued and McDonalds and other restaurant chains were forced to find an alternative.

8. Cooking Pans That Kill With Color

Slightly less inspirational than the cardboard bicycle, this story from Israel caused all kinds of drama. An Israeli consumer protection show called Kolbotek alleged that ceramic cookware may be damaging to health as it may contain lead and cadmium, which cause a number of serious medical problems such as brain damage and cancer. One company in particular – Neoflam – was signaled out and subsequently filed a law suit against the TV show.

9. Underwater Hotel Plans Revived in Dubai

Dubai has pitched a slew of insane projects over the years. Some have soared, like the Burj Dubai, while others have yet to reach fruition. We thought the The Water Disqus Hotel (WDH) would inevitably fail, but the plans have been revived and the project’s new investment team has received exclusive rights to build in all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Which means that in time, wealthy residents of Dubai and other Gulf countries could soon spend the night underwater looking at whatever pretty fish are left to see.

Thanks for reading folks! Happy 2013 from all of us at Green Prophet.

The post Top 9 Eco Stories From the Middle East in 2012 appeared first on Green Prophet.