Hezbollah’s stake in the “cleaner” natural gas wells at sea expose “government inefficiency, incompetence and corruption and the lack of adequate services in transportation, water, education, health.” Israel’s northern neighbor is scrambling to set up a legal basis to challenge the Jewish state’s discovery of a gigantic natural-gas reservoir in the Eastern Mediterranean. Lebanese leaders […]
Fights over rights to a natural gas field between Israel and the Hezbollah, has gone to the higher powers at the UN. Israel has struck natural gas, and a new cause for conflict with its northern neighbour Lebanon which also lays claim to the massive gas field. The current Leviathan natural gas field dispute between […]
Policy makers, water experts and peace lovers might be interested in the Strategic Foresight Group’s research on water as a means to resolve conflict in the Middle East. Read about their latest efforts in Jordan. WANA, a North Africa and West Asia forum convened not long ago in Jordan to discuss the environment, a green […]
Before its garbage situation gets out of control, Lebanon is urging citizens to Think Before You Throw. [image via: blinkofaneye] With the average Lebanese person allegedly producing 1 kilogram of waste a day, the situation is pretty trashy (especially when Lebanon garbage trucks dump into the sea). Delegates attending the launch of Lebanon’s new recycling […]
Lebanon looks to lay claim to natural gas find off Israel’s coast. Image of Mediterranean Sea from Beirut. Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is not only trying to pose a threat to Israel’s security, but to its pocketbook as well. Israel has announced striking gas – natural gas– and now the Hezbollah (Arabic: حزب الله, […]
Lebanon is eager to replant their cedars – a national symbol. But a sustainable, community-wide vision is in need. The Hebrew bible is replete with references to the cedars of Lebanon, and uses them as a metaphor for steadfastness, might and great stature. The cedar trees for the construction of King Solomon’s Palace and the […]
Social housing can be eco-friendly too, in Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia [image courtesy of seir+seir] Syria says no to plastic bags, Lebanon is pushing for more sustainable transportation, and Tunisia makes good shakshuka. But what do these three countries have in common? They are all participating in the So’Eco program under the auspices of the […]
Green Prophet launches a new weekly series taking an in-depth look at the Middle East “green” blogosphere. This week: Mazen Abboud – a Christian minority’s view on green issues in Lebanon. The growing awareness of environmental issues throughout the Middle East is manifested in the Internet, which includes an ever growing number of websites, forums […]
A bicycle? A train? A bus? What is the best mode of public transportation for Lebanon? [image via: 350.org] Fast Forward, the organization that led a protest composed of 150 cyclists storming the streets of Beirut a few weeks ago in order to promote sustainable transportation, isn’t tired yet. It believes that the Lebanese people […]
Is the solution to Lebanon’s reliance on carbon emitting personal vehicles as simple as a two-wheeler? [image via: mozzoom] One hundred and fifty cyclists demonstrated how easy it could be to cycle through Beirut on Saturday morning, starting at Biel and going to the Luna Park – Manara and back. The eco-friendly protest, led by […]
If Lebanese sewage dumping can be seen from the air, it is centainly seen, and smelled on ground level. Rampant corruption and nepotism among Lebanese government officials is causing a delay in improving the country’s environment, according to the Lebanon Daily Star. The remarks were made by the country’s environment minister, Mohammad Rahhal during a […]
The Honey Council, Hive Thievery and Bee Ecology education in Arabic: In Israel and Lebanon, honey is both a problem and a solution. Image via orinrobertjohn Archeologists have uncovered beehives in northern Israel that date back 3 000 years. A courtyard in the ancient city of Rehov was home to bees producing honey in at least […]
Not yet into the organic food craze of America, the thin craze is taking over the Middle East as sedentary women pop pills to make them thin. Image via hamed Obesity is on the rise in the Middle East. Many Arabs in the Gulf are now overweight after oil wealth has fueled a sedentary lifestyle […]
Get Your Green On in The Dmit Valley Ecovillages are slowly sprouting in the Middle East. There’s Kramim in Israel’s Negev Desert, as well as the well-known Kibbutz Lotan, and now the first of its kind in Lebanon. Called simply EcoVillage, this project was grown from the ground by Karim al Khatib and a group […]
Built on the profits of oil, should Masdar hold the mantle of energy leadership for the world? Yosef asks. According to the Masdar City website, the undertaking is intended to be Abu Dhabi’s “multi-faceted response to the challenges facing a sustainable future.” The city, intended to house 50,000 residents in a kind of technosphere designed […]