Protect the environment by eating the (animal or plant) species trying to invade it. What does a Middle Eastern invasivore look like? Environmentalists have a lot of crazy eating habits. You’ve got the hardcore vegans who avoid all meat and animal byproducts, the vegetarians who will not eat meat (but eat dairy and eggs), the […]
A last hurrah for the age of oil as Saudis look to build the Gazl gas guzzler. History, if there is any, will not look kindly on our 20th Century addiction to oil in the face of the looming danger of 100,000 years or more of a dangerously destabilized climate staring us down with the […]
A gigantic electricity network would link electric grids throughout the Middle East and extend them much further in a massive infrastructure investment in a smart grid. At a press conference in the Cairo office on Saturday, Mohie Eddin said the World Bank is considering a smart grid plan that would link the eastern Arab states, […]
Enoc collects fuel vapors and incorporates other green elements into Dubai residential filling station. Last September, Dubai ran short on gas, while other Gulf countries re-evaluated their long term energy plan as a result of looming peak oil. Now The National reports that Dubai has installed a “green” petrol station that not only captures and […]
A vulture fitted with Tel Aviv University tags was “arrested” in Saudi Arabia. The charge? Espionage. Fitting migratory birds with tags and GPS transmitters allows ornithologists and other researchers to track their migration. Important questions are answered: where do the birds fly? Where do they rest? How far do they travel. Dubai researchers recently tagged […]
Egypt is planning ahead for climate change with a new generation of wheat. This declaration raises some questions about its intent for Sudan. Following the drought in Russia, Egypt’s resultant shortage of wheat, and high summer temperatures throughout the Middle East, the Egyptian Agriculture Ministry is taking steps to avert another potential wheat shortfall. Faced […]
Once considered an aphrodisiac drink, true sahlab is now becoming rarer. Sahlab, based on an increasingly rare orchid, is a popular winter drink all over the Levant, like hot almond milk. The tubers of Orchis macula are boiled, dried, then ground to a gray powder that, cooked in milk, makes a creamy drink something like […]
For me, cloth diapers meant two or three extra loads of laundry a week. When I read that Karin decided to “walk the walk” and switch to reusable diapers with her young baby, I could see that she and her husband, along with readers, have the same questions that people asked back when I used […]
From snow leopards to the Pakistani sand cat: The vast deserts, rough mountains and scarce waterways of the Middle East are home to many unique animals. Enjoy these 8 unique exquisite Middle Eastern mammals, birds and reptiles threatened with extinction because of hunting, loss of habitat, lack of prey, or poisoning. Share them with your […]
Oil booms and other rubber and plastic wastes are now becoming car parts The recent 5 month oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has created a “by product” in the form of oil soaked plastic booms that will be recycled to make plastic components in General Motor’s new Chevrolet Volt hybrid car. The […]
Fertility is big business, but new research suggests new challenges to harvesting eggs via IVF: a common compound in baby bottles has been shown to reduce the viability of a woman’s eggs. Baby bottle makers in the US voluntarily removed it from their products a few years back, and while Israel follows EU standards, compromised […]
There are only 28 days before the World Future Energy Summit from January 17-20, 2011 Abu Dhabi is beset with a kind of sustainability schizophrenia. On the one hand there is Masdar City – an effort to achieve carbon neutrality and zero waste – and on the other certain irresponsible and extravagant moments such as […]
A UAE facilities management company and a Swiss non-profit have teamed up to create the UAE’s first carbon-neutral bus. Just this week we learned that Gulf countries are considering ending oil subsidies and that an Eco-Playbus is tooting around Bethlehem, showing some signs that the Middle East is moving towards a more sustainable future. That […]
Plastic bottles might not work in the Emirate Palace Hotel – but opulent jewelry decor isn’t fitting either. Image via AFP “Deck the halls with boughs of diamonds tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la”. Over extravagant Abu Dhabi has done it again! This time it’s with an opulent bejeweled Christmas tree that is now “decking” the main entrance hall of […]
Huge oil subsidies in the Middle Eastern oil-producing nations mean that residents pay very little for oil. One big problem in getting everyone to reduce use of harmful fossil fuels is that gas is too cheap some places. The worst offenders pay the least for gas, and it has long encouraged grotesque over-consumption. Most of […]