Death Valley peaks hot – the highest since ’31 at 130F
Death Valley, USA. It's looking pretty hot out there. Climate change is forcing its effects.
Kuwait
Kuwaitis drive social change with new fund. N-mu?
A few years ago, Jordan launched an initiative called BADIR to support budding young entrepreneurs, eager to contribute to positive change in their communities. Now Kuwait is following suit: the “n-mu” program endows participants with the skills and resources necessary to create real social change. N-mu? That’s a funny name, you might be thinking. But […]
Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE among world’s top 10 wasters
Bahrain, in the Middle East is one of the most wasteful nations on earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) 2014 Living Planet Report (download the PDF here), published recently. Bahrain as the ninth worst offender in terms of the environmental impact it has on the planet, per head of population. But Bahrain is not lonely among […]
Enlightened Kuwait boycots IRENA energy event over Israel
In another “interesting’ move for the planet, Kuwait decided to boycott an international energy event in Abu Dhabi because Israelis would be there. This news comes hot on the trails of a Kuwaiti official banning gays from entering his country, and its fish markets serving up “extinct” and illegally caught sharks.
Amazing “Atlas” tracks Arab world habitat destruction over time [video]
Commercial and private real estate development in the United Arab Emirates threaten whales, dugongs, coral reefs and all marine life in the Arabian Gulf. Now some 80 regions in the Arab world are being tracked by satellite to show us how much environmental destruction happening is man-made.
Kuwaiti Gaydar Test to Ban Gays Entry to Arab Countries?
Circling around the news is something that may violate human rights in the Middle East, pointing out just how bad it might be for gays living in these countries: some Arab states are looking to develop a “gay” test to bar gay travellers from entry.
Powerful Middle Eastern Graphics from Kuwait’s Mohammad Sharaf
Kuwaiti graphic designer Mohammad Sharaf serves up powerful pictures based on current events, salted with modern Middle Eastern humor and instantly provocative.
MENA Mayors Put Heads Together to Build Stronger Cities
Middle East city heads want to make their cities more sustainable. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is 60 percent urbanized compared to the global average of 52 percent and is home to one of the world’s most rapidly expanding populations. By 2030, a 45 percent increase of MENA’s urban population will add […]
Export Oil, Import Water = Risky Economics for Middle East
Water scarcity has already become a fact of daily life for Egyptians The world’s driest region, the Middle East* and North Africa (MENA), is getting drier at an alarming rate. And yet, despite massive population growth (the Middle East’s population grew 61 percent from 1990 to 2010 to 205 million people) predictions of so-called “water […]
Four Gulf Countries Are Among the World’s Fattest
Ramadan period expected to add to weighty population Eat less, and go to the gym more. Alas, easier said than done in some Gulf states, especially during Ramadan. Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are among the world’s top ten overweight nations, a new report by BMC Public Health has found. The extra […]
3 Ways a Gulf Federation Could Build a Greener Middle East
I know I know, the proposed federation of six gulf countries has nothing to do with anything remotely green. I also realize that the ulterior motive is to gain political strength and stability in the region and it is possible that this may even escalate the unrest, given that not everyone is happy with this […]
MENA Is Changing Drastically & NASA Has The Pictures To Prove It
From urbanisation in Morocco to lake shrinkage in Iran, these shocking NASA photos prove how this region is in dramatic ecological flux. Unless you have been living in a consumer-induced coma, it will not have escaped your attention that the world is under serious environmental stress. And a large chunk of that stress has been human-induced. […]
Tire Fire In Kuwait Seen From Space
A fire which broke out in a Kuwaiti tire dump last week could be seen from space Kuwait hardly has a green reputation (in fact, it’s been pretty obstructive in global efforts to set emission targets) but recent events have definitely undermined what left of its eco credentials. As well as shocking stories of animal […]
Gentle Kuwaiti Marine Activism (VIDEO)
Recent images of a dead, bloody wolf and broken flamingos that young Kuwaiti men killed for sport gave the oil-rich state a dark reputation. But a new video narrated so eloquently by Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, a Kuwaiti Phd candidate studying Gulf marine ecology at the University of British Columbia, provides a glimpse into a less-celebrated segment […]
Was the Arab Spring Good for Renewable Energy?
The revolutions that have been taking place in the Arab world since December 2010 have had a significant impact on the economy, not only in the countries involved, but also the rest of the World. How is the Arab Spring, which has caused massive financial losses on one side, also able to influence growth and […]
Kuwait’s Environment REUSE 5.0 Exposition Calls for Applications
For the fifth year Kuwait’s eco en.v REUSE exposition will showcase green companies, retailers, galleries, restaurants, social initiatives, and people. Re-users of all ways, shapes, and forms are now welcome to apply for exhibition space at REUSE 5.0, an exposition that will take place at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) in February 2012. The […]
Aircraft Emissions: Um, Stewardess, Got An Aspirin?
Aircraft behemoth Boeing estimates at least 90,000 commercial planes fly daily: a massive fuel burn that translates into elephantine emissions of toxic air. There is opportunity for change in the Middle East. If you are not already afraid of the giant plume of methane gas now emitting greenhouses gases into the atmosphere, there’s another worry: […]
Rapid Gulf Growth Wrecking Ecological Havoc
Imagine a rapidly growing tourist paradise, but set in the path of a "freeway" line of oil tankers constantly moving through the Gulf region, shipping out a third of the world's oil, polluting the coastline, and you can begin to imagine the scope of the problem assessed by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Toronto.
Travellers Want Trains – What is the Middle East Doing?
Istanbul – a major hub for train travel across the Middle East Survey results published this week reveal that the majority of international travelers would prefer to take trains instead of aeroplanes, if they had the opportunity. The poll of 300 consumers, conducted for train technology company Silverrail, showed that 79% would choose trains over […]
Will Panasonic Be The #1 Green Company in Middle East?
In October 2010 Panasonic Marketing Middle East (PMM) announced the ‘Eco Ideas Declaration’ to become the number one green corporation in the Middle East and Africa region. With over a dozen eco lifestyle and business projects underway, Panasonic is well on its way.
A Growing Gulf Dependent on Imported Food
Skyscrapers (even rotating!) and dreams of vertical farms, but not a greenhouse to be seen. The Gulf is growing more and more dependent on imported food. Many Gulf countries are investing heavily in foreign farmlands that are more fertile, chiefly in Africa, but also India and Pakistan, in a bid to secure a steady food […]
Déjà vu: Kuwait Water Worries Reminiscent Of Other Gulf Region Countries
Kuwaiti desalination plants similar to this one provide all the country’s fresh water at great environmental expense A Gulf Times article that points out the severe water problems Kuwait faces is really nothing more than a déjà vu of all other states that border on the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE Emirates, Oman […]
Only 1 in 25 Emiratis Use Their Legs to Walk
Legs? Who needs them when you can drive. Maybe this is why diabetes rates in the Gulf region are among the highest in the world. We already know about the terrible rates of road accidents in Saudi Arabia, the dangerous practice of car drifting, and the admiration for gold-plated cars. Now, a new study finds […]
Green Prophet Flies To “The Ornithological Society of Kuwait”
A weekly Green Prophet series that looks at the Arabic “green” blogosphere and online communities. After looking at a personal environmental blog from Lebanon , at a Syrian environmental blog that raises environmental awareness among the Syrian public, and at a personal Iraqi environmental blog, we are flying this time to Iraq’s neighbor, Kuwait. Here, we […]
Lights Out for the Sphinx and Pyramids On Earth Hour in Egypt
The Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza shut off their lights for one hour on Saturday evening in Egypt to mark Earth Hour, a global protest for climate change initiatives. The whole world sat in darkness for one hour as an attempt to bring awareness to the growing concerns facing the planet in terms […]