Harsh winter storms have damaged crops in Israel to the tune of $5.5 million, according to Meir Ifrah, CEO of the Vegetable Growers Association. The recent drought had already damaged local produce. See our post on Israel’s shriveled vegetables here. Prices are close to double what they were last year at this time. Growing your […]
Can you guess where this winterland is located? In Dubai! In the middle of the desert. In a recent post, Pablo from Treehugger (a site we deeply admire) concluded that Ski Dubai’s indoor ski slope is not that bad. He based this conclusion on a beautifully calculated analysis of the facility’s energy consumption compared to […]
Transplanting seas to inland ocean lakes? A good idea for the Middle East? The two century-old and highly respected Japanese engineering giant Shimizu has hatched a wild and crazy proposal to rehabilitate the desert for human use. Their idea is to move vast amounts of seawater along canals that would track deep into desert landmasses […]
Lake Urmia (Persian: دریاچه ارومیه, theDaryache-ye Orumiye, Azerbaijani Urmu gölü, Kurdish Wermy, Armenian: Կապուտան ծով, Kaputan ts'ov; ancient name: Lake Matiene) is a salt lake in northwestern Iran near Iran's border with Turkey. Like the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan, and Aral Lake in Iraq we could lose this lake forever if we don't take action today.
As the Muslim world marks the Islamic new year, Arwa reflects on the past 12 months of environmental action (and inaction) in the Middle East Believe it or not, this busy week saw the start of the Islamic new year of 1432 A.H. Unlike the typical new year celebrations with parties, fireworks and new year […]
Middle East cities started “compact” and dense but now suffer from the same problems as the west. Tehran’s recent Smog Holidays show’s us something is wrong in Middle East cities. “Is compact urban growth good for air quality?” The research conducted by Brian Stone, Adam C. Mednick, Tracey Holloway, and Scott N. Spak in 2007 […]
Despite high temperatures and desertification, FIFA awarded Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup Finals. Despite our huffing and puffing to blow out its scorching world cup bid, Qatar has won the bid to host the 2022 finals. FIFA announced this afternoon in Zurich that the small Middle Eastern country – the first […]
Mr. Amin claims that government subsidies given to the fossil fuel industry impedes serious growth of the renewable sector. On Sunday, Israel made a public NIS2.2 billion (US$0.6 billion) commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That announcement came just days after Rupert Murdoch and Lord Jacob Rothschild bought shares in Genie Oil & Gas Inc., […]
These are the savvy ladies behind Dubai-based Goumbook, an online directory of all-things eco. This morning I was doing my usual rounds on the internet, read a few inspirational poems, caught up on the day’s big news: wikileaks, Cancun, and Goumbook – apparently the first online directory of all things eco in the Middle East. […]
Corruption, poor management, and climate change have driven away nearly half a million Eastern Syrians and impoverished thousands more. Nearly half a million people have abandoned an area in Eastern Syria near the Euphrates River that has shrivelled under a five year drought. Fierce temperatures and dwindling rainfall, as well as corruption and mismanagement of […]
Try turkey with a Middle Eastern flair this Thanksgiving. Sometimes an entire roast turkey is just too much. And often there’s so much left over, some of it goes to waste. You like to stick to tradition but need a recipe for a smaller, more intimate Thanksgiving celebration. This succulent alternative, with its fragrance of […]
The complicated nature of population growth and movement in the Middle East is highlighted by this note from the photographer’s site: “Shahryar is one of Afghanian children who was born in Iran…Iranian government said all of afghaninan must leave Iran as soon as possible.” Concerned environmentalists in the Middle East may find another worry to […]
No more Mr. Nice Guy! Interpol intends to step up regulation of illegal wildlife trade and other environmental crimes. What eventually became The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) began with fits and starts in the early 20th century. Then the Nazis and disturbing fellows like Reinhard Heydrick, Chief Executor of the “Final Solution to the […]
If Egypt’s Nile Delta is flooded by rising seas, half of its population will be at risk. We’ve written about the topics dealing with the effects of climate change in the Middle East before on Green Prophet, and will undoubtedly write about it again. The sad truth is that the Middle East and much of […]
Two of the five winners of the $200 million GE Ecomagination Challenge for powering the grid are companies from the Middle East – GridON and WinFlex. This summer GE turned to the internet global hive mind by issuing an open invitation to any and all to compete for the best ideas for greening the grid, […]