Israel Energy Initiatives has received serious opposition to its plan to extract oil from shale rock in the Adullam region. While the riots in Egypt escalate, potentially compromising Israel’s natural gas supply and casting significant doubt on the region’s energy future, a quieter battle continues to take place in Israel. On January 31, 2011 the […]
Earthworms to the rescue! Egypt plans to use them to eat through millions of tons of organic waste each year. Waste, after corruption and smog, is probably Egypt’s number one nemesis. Everywhere one travels – even the most popular tourist spots – is overrun with organic and solid rubbish. Finally, the Ministry of Agriculture is […]
Abu Dhabi is to green up desert oil fields using composting of waste products, including those from the oil industry itself. The French start-up company Microhumus Analysis & Engineering made the announcement that this year it will begin field trials in Abu Dhabi of a novel technology to compost oil-contaminated desert land, at this week’s […]
Everybody wants a greener Cairo, but residents don’t trust the government’s compensation plans. The Egyptian government can’t consistently strongarm elections and beat certain citizens to death and then expect its constituents to fall down with gratitude when their first serious green plan is rolled out. Especially when thousands of people will be pushed out of […]
Is nothing holy anymore? The Iranian Government rubber stamps oil exploration in the country’s most important national park. The Iranian government has decided to start an oil exploration project in a national park in Kavir National Park in the Semnan province, south east of Tehran. The opponents of the project, from the Iranian Environmental Organization, […]
Sperm Wars: What happens to sperm today has long term consequences for a male’s offsprings health and wellbeing, new research suggests, as a result of changes to the DNA. A recent article on this site documented the increased levels of toxins in pregnant women in Jerusalem vs. their counterparts in the states. It was an […]
Artificial islands are sinking in the mire: Dubai has to face new environmental woes that come with “progress.” When one thinks of Dubai shopping, economic prowess and cleanliness come to mind. While all three have become staples and synonymous with the Gulf city, the environmental toll that has been unleashed as a result is beginning […]
Israel reclaims 75 percent of its wastewater. Besides being a world leader in reverse osmosis desalination plants, this little country of 7.5 million people is the world leader in reclaiming sewage water for use in agriculture, especially in the country’s dry Negev region. What goes down the john can also water our crops: Israel now manages […]
To stop boaters from dumping trash in the sea, Abu Dhabi set up trash facilities at Yas Marina Port. It’s hard to know where trash comes from, since we seem to be brimming in it. Every single piece of plastic ever made still exists, and a lot of it gets washed into our waterways. The […]
If you’ve ever wondered what’s happening in cleantech in Iran, here’s your event: The First International Clean Energy Conference will be held from February 23 to 24 in Kerman, Iran. The main focus of the conference will be on the latest technological developments in clean tech energy projects. Also issues related to electric power distribution […]
Israeli and Turkish delegations joined European and American counterparts in Spain to draw attention to environmental factors causing a killer disease. Strengthening community will be an integral part of a sustainable future. A “community of angels” in my notes referred to the delegates from more than 20 countries in the European Union, Israel, Turkey and […]
A handy chart to plot which Middle East countries are going nuclear. Ever since oil was discovered in the Middle East around 1950 it has gas been the driving force behind the region’s transformation. But as of late a new focus has emerged based on both an ever increasing demands for electricity but also a […]
Despite recent beach cleanup efforts, much more needs to be done to protect the Mediterranean. Meet Dr. Ruth Yahel, a marine ecologist for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, who specializes in studying and protecting Israel’s Mediterranean marine environment. She said that the Med is “going through an enormous change, and that 50% of the […]
Lebanon faces a number of environmental threats, including air and water pollution, risks associated with climate change, and the impact of the 2006 war with Israel. IRIN, the United Nations environment news source, takes a look at the top five.
Israel’s green campaigners note the quiet streets and clear skies on Yom Kippur Day Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism and begins this Friday. For non-Jews in Israel it is a day when the streets are quiet, peaceful and vacant of anything but feet. But […]
Will the Nile River diesel spill bolster lower nations’ claims to the river? Who has rights to the Nile’s sometimes polluted water is under dispute, catering as it does to numerous nations up and down its long and winding length. Egypt has kept control, but other African nations are beginning to stand up to claim […]
US President Nixon offered to build eight nuclear power plants for Egypt during the Cold War; Matt questions whether the first such plant will finally be built by 2019? How long is its worth waiting on your country to build its first nuclear power plant? If you are Egyptian, the answer is 45 years. That […]
Better insulation and passive building techniques could go a long way to reducing energy demand An outsider would think that Egypt is roiling is soot and rooting around in the dark as the annual black cloud season begins and blackouts continue to wrack the nation. And they would be close to correct. In order to […]
Israel’s entry into the OECD will mean more stringent pollution standards for industries, but it comes with a cost – especially for smaller businesses Frequently people argue that it’s pointless to curb one’s personal habits when the big industries are most at fault for driving up greenhouse gas emissions. What difference does it make if […]
When you’re stuck in the middle of a crowded, noisy city like Cairo, where waste piles up on the side of the street, and you can’t manage to peel back what you hope is a mirage of decrepit buildings to reveal the earth below, let the hawksbill turtle inspire you. Undisturbed by light pollution from […]
Abu Dhabi tells its residents not to pollute the environment by abandoning their cars. [image via: k.a.r.e.n] We’ve heard of personal cars causing all kinds of pollution – air pollution, noise pollution… But abandoned cars polluting the streets and parking lots of a city? That’s taking pollution to a different level. And the Municipality of […]
Anti British Rhetoric Placing the two Nations on a Collision Course As the White House starts crunching the numbers behind the costs of BP’s Gulf of Mexico debacle, the projected costs – and future debt of BP – begins to become clearer, placing Washington and London on a collision course. In the US, the spill […]
Testing to begin on device developed by Kevin Costner and Brother to separate oil from water In their desperate search for a way to clean up the gulf oil spill, BP has just announced they will begin testing a device nicknamed “Ocean Therapy.” The Ocean Therapy device is based on an invention bought by Kevin […]
The tragedy of it all- why should they have to suffer? A Russian oil dump in Egypt raises more red flags in Middle East about oil spills and drilling practices. The giant Gulf of Mexco oil spill is now more than two weeks old and although intensive efforts are being made to “cap” the well, […]
Despite its impressive shoreline, Alexandria – the self-proclaimed “Capital of Arab Tourism” – seems to be a city in decline. (Hint: watch out pedestrians). When the Green Prophet’s editor heard I’d be stopping in Alexandria en route to the MENASOL solar energy conference in Cairo next week, she asked (implored) me to write a post from […]