Ever find yourself in the position where you are caught in a rat trap? That’s how the average Iranian feels under a conservative and brutal regime that forbids dancing, homosexuality or uncovering a woman’s hair in public. A woman just died in the hands of the hands of the morality police and you can get sentenced to life in prison for posting against the Regime on Facebook. 

Using a VPN is not enough to get you around Iran’s censors. Elon Musk is hoping to dodge American sanctions against Iran to help researchers and anyone who wants it, access uncensored internet via his satellite-based Starlink internet service. My friends who live in rural Canada swear by Starlink, giving them a lifeline where cellphone data plans would cost hundreds of month. Many people can’t connect via cell phones even if they wanted to.

Musk’s Starlink network has set up thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth to provide a high-speed broadband internet connection to its users. It’s seen as a way for people in authoritarian states to bypass censors. But it’s a costly service, until now essential for Instagrammers living the #vanlife or in an RV. In Canada the monthly service is about $150 CAN or about $120 USD for a subscription.

Starlink has received attention this year for providing connectivity to the Ukrainian government after the Russian invasion. Still in doing so, Starlink relied on political permission from the Ukrainian government to operate. It’s not clear how it would operate with opposition from Iranian forces who are brutal in their response to dissidents.

American government supports dissidents in Iran

While US sanctions to Iran are in place, there is a loophole: the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the United States has a longstanding license that “authorizes certain exports to Iran of hardware, software, and services related to communications over the internet, including certain consumer-grade Internet connectivity services and residential consumer satellite terminals authorized under General License D-1,” a department spokesperson said in a statement.

“For any exports not covered by existing authorizations, OFAC welcomes applications for specific licenses to authorize activities supporting internet freedom in Iran,” the statement added.

Who’s a dissident in Iran? They can beat you or torture you or send you to jail for 20 years or life if you dance on Instagram or say a bad word against the regime on Facebook. How about a woman’s death in the hands of the morality police which has sparked a nation-wide protest of hijab-burning.

Every day people like me and you with our own free minds and freedom of speech would be considered dissidents in Iran.

Technical challenges of Starlink in Iran

To work Starlink needs three pieces of hardware: A small terminal with a dish for the user, then there are the satellites flying overhead, but critically larger permanent ground stations that plug into the internet itself.

That last part will be difficult to smuggle in and operate under the nose of a regime but Starlink says if enough users are plugged in they can link to each other and operate like ground stations. 

Creative ideas anyone?

The post Elon Musk wants to Starlink Iranian dissidents appeared first on Green Prophet.

Indeed, as a result of climate change and global warming the Middle East has been facing five major environmental security challenges: water security, food security, energy security, desertification, and land degradation.

These issues have been further aggravated by other socio-economic processes, which characterize the Middle East and include: the huge population growth, the rapid urbanization process and the development of mega-cities on the expense of rural areas.

The urban infrastructures, such as sewage and waste disposal, which have been inadequate anyway and are in dire need for modernization, could not stand the ever-growing human pressure and in a few cities, some of them have totally collapsed.

Moreover, the natural resources, such as water and food, which were just sufficient for the cities’ residents, have been stressed to the limit due to the huge population density within the cities. In addition, green spaces within the cities have given place to gray buildings which have been built whenever possible in order to supply the lodging needs of the incessant stream of new immigrants and local citizens.

While the natural resources in the urban areas have been stressed to the limit, the situation in the rural areas has not been much better. The people in the rural areas have been suffering from desertification, the expansion of desert areas, and, as a result, from the degradation of the land and the lack of natural resources to sustain themselves, which has forced them to move to the urban areas in search of a better future. In addition, due to the rapid urbanization process and the influx of more and more people to the urban areas, the rural areas have been diminishing in a very rapid pace.

Most Middle Eastern regimes have not been able to deal with the situation. That is why, in recent years, environmental issues have come to the fore in the region. Whereas until recent years environmental issues were often viewed as secondary in the political agenda, now they have become central within political debates concerning representation, accountability and social justice.

The people have resented the inability of the governments in the region to deal with their urgent needs. Even more so, they have resented the fact that the governments have ignored them and their rights to use and enjoy access to basic natural resources as well as to health and other essential services and goods.

This feeling of resentment felt by many people has just added fuel to an ongoing fire, which was initially fed by other resentments, such as political and ethnic discrimination, socio-economical hardships, political oppression, lack of basic freedoms (freedom of speech), and so on.

Thus, in recent years, the region has witnessed an ever-increased environmental activism and mass environmental protest movements whose aims have been to alter the policies of the governments so that they will take more care of the people’s needs as well as to protect the environment and to ensure that the people will enjoy access to basic natural resources, health and other services.

Indeed, protests about environmental issues (like Gezi Park in Istanbul) are also political and social claims about rights, access, livelihoods, and power, as can be seen very clearly in the current protest taking place in Turkey these days as well as in protests elsewhere. Mass environmental protest movements in the local and national level have been organized all over the region, from Morocco and Mauritania to Iran and from Turkey to Somalia.

Not all mass environmental protest movements have proven themselves to be successful. Its success has often depended on the ability of its organizers to mobilize the media, some of the politicians, and the civil society. When one or more of these players has not been present, it has usually meant failure to achieve the goals.

It should be mentioned that these environmental protest movements have served not only as a proof to the rise of environmental activism in the Middle East but also as a proof for the rise of civil society within the region.

To sum up, especially following the revolutionary wave of demonstrations, protests, riots and civil war in the Middle East, nicknamed the Arab Spring, which was originated and triggered, at least partly, by environmental issues, the environmental mass protest movements throughout the Middle East, including the current one in Turkey, should be taken very seriously. For the first time in the history of the Middle East, the people feel powerful and feel that they have the power to influence policies and to topple long-ruling dictators. They want that the governments in the region will hear them and take note of their demands and needs. In case the governments will not do so, the people have the power to replace or topple the current regimes.

Thus, for example, in the case of Turkey and Gezi Park at Taksim Square, even if the current mass environmental protest movement does not achieve its aims in the short run, it might still have the power to ignite a chain of reactions which will cause the downfall of Erdogan’s government in the long run.

The post Environmental Protests of the Middle East Show Eco Awareness in Arab World appeared first on Green Prophet.

For now the square has cleared as protestors have been subdued with water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas used by riot police to disperse them.

They have since moved to nearby Gezi Park, where last week police attacked activists who had set up tents to protest against the development of a new shopping center at one of the city’s last remaining urban green spaces.

That heavy handed response set off a firestorm of anti-government anger that swept through dozens of cities across the country. Hundreds of people were treated with injuries and at least four deaths were recorded, according to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation.

Now Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims that “it’s over.”

BBC News reports that Erdogan has vowed to show zero tolerance for the people he claims aim to “hurt Turkey,” although he is said to have agreed to meet an actress, a singer and a writer who will mediate with protestors.

Taksim Solidarity, the group that organized the protests, claim that they have not been contacted by the Prime Minister, nor would they be willing to speak with him. They also say they do not know the team of three with whom he is scheduled to meet.

The United States and Germany have been critical of Turkey’s handling of protests.

“We expect Prime Minister Erdogan to de-escalate the situation, in the spirit of European values, and to seek a constructive exchange and peaceful dialogue,”  German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement.

Although the square is now clear, there is very little evidence that the protestors are ready to go home. They have been critical of Erdogan’s increasing authoritarianism and what some perceive as the Islamification of a secular state.

Meanwhile, the kind of development schemes that first catalyzed a surge of anti-government sentiments continue apace.

Here are five of the most unsustainable projects on the charts that are bound to have a long lasting negative impact on both people and the environment.

:: BBC News

Image via Wikimedia

The post All Quiet in Taksim Square, for Now appeared first on Green Prophet.

According to the latest findings by global risk-analyser Maplecroft, Arab Spring countries are at greater risk of rising food prices in the coming year

It’s no secret that the high price of basic food staples were a contributing factor to the revolts which began in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked the ‘Arab Spring’. The protesters took to the streets waving bread and asking for equality and an end to corruption. Today, however, it seems little has changed since those protests in terms of the cost of food. According to the latest food price forecasts for 2013 by global risk-analyser Maplecroft, food prices are actually likely to rise again in the region. What’s more: countries involved in the protests around the Arab world are particularly at risk of rising food price shocks.

“The drivers of the ‘Arab Awakening’ were varied and complex and included long standing public anger at high levels of governmental corruption and oppressive tactics against populations and political opposition,” states Maplecroft CEO Alyson Warhurst. “When these factors combine with food insecurity, sparked by rising global prices, it can create an environment for social unrest and regime change.”

Back in 2007/8, a global food crisis resulted in several food riots across the region including places such as Yemen and Egypt. This year, the tenuous nature of global food security was back on the agenda due to the USA’s worst drought in 50 years and a 10% drop in production across countries from the former Soviet Union. These low crop yields have lead to to a global food price rise of 6% in July 2012. A report by Rabobank, a financial specialist in agro-commodities, estimates that price of food staples could rise by as much as 15% by June 2013, resulting in record high food prices.

“Food price forecasts for 2013 provide a worrying picture,” states Maplecroft’s Head of Maps and Indices Helen Hodge. “Although a food crisis has not emerged yet, there is potential for food related upheaval across the most vulnerable regions, including sub-Saharan Africa.” In the Middle East and North Africa region, the countries at greatest risk include Yemen, Syria and Libya (who along with Iraq are classified as ‘high risk’). Those defined as at ‘medium risk’ of food price hikes include Egypt and Tunisia.

Maplecroft explains that the region remains at elevated risk of food price fluctuations due to its heavy reliance on US and Russians crops. Whilst they are so dependent on cereal imports they wil remain vulnerable to market prices.

The Food Security Risk Index has been developed for governments, NGOs and business to help identify those countries which may be susceptible to famine and societal unrest stemming from food price fluctuations. Maplecroft reaches its results by evaluating the availability, access and stability of food supplies in 197 countries, as well as the nutritional and health status of populations, the organization states.

For more on food prices across MENA see:

Rising Food Prices Behind Riots in Algeria and Tunisia

Arab Protests Affect World Food Prices

How Climate Change Contributed to the Syrian Uprising

Image Arab girls harvesting in Bethlehem via Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

The post Arab Spring Countries Face Increased Risk of Food Price Shocks in 2013 appeared first on Green Prophet.

While hundreds of protestors surrounded the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt last week, someone managed to sneak in and steal some of its radioactive material. One safe containing radioactive material was seized while another was broken open and some of its contents removed, according to Khaleej Times.

The government has alerted security officials to the theft and a search party is underway.

Located on the Mediterranean Sea, the Dabaa nuclear plant still under construction was the scene of violent protests as 500 Egyptians showed up to demand its relocation.

The protestors, who exchanged gunfire with soldiers, claim that the plant development project has usurped their land. Dozens of people were wounded and employees have refused to return to the plant until security is re-established.

The 1,000 megawatt El Dabaa nuclear power station is expected to cost US$1.5bn – if locals allow it to proceed – and it is the first such plant in the country.

Another reason to abandon nuclear power plants in our troubled land and vote for solar instead? We think so.

:: Khaleej Times

image via Radio Netherlands

More on Nuclear Power in the Middle East:

Your Neighbor’s Keeper When it Comes to Nuclear

Turkey Expected to Cancel Nuclear Plans After Massive Earthquake

Can Nuclear Power Ever be Justified for Environmental Reasons?

The post Radioactive Material Was Stolen From an Egyptian Nuclear Power Plant appeared first on Green Prophet.

Sicilian photographer Giusi Cosentino and her partner Alex Tricani were commissioned to document life in Cairo in order to boost tourism. Fate pushed us together a couple of weeks ago when our bus to the Siwa oasis near Libya broke down, and we subsequently traveled together to meet the Veiled Weavers of Siwa and the One-Eyed Salt Carver who still loves his craft.

Convincing the world that Cairo is a good place to visit is becoming increasingly difficult for the pair. Protestors are camped out for the sixth day at Tahrir Square to rebel against the country’s rogue military, which has responded with a potentially lethal brand of tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition.

Nothing brings a story home better than beautiful images, so Giusi has shared hers with us. Please visit her remarkable Manifestanti in Piazza Tahrir photo gallery for an up-close look at what our Egyptian friends are currently facing.

The post Guest Photo Gallery From the Heart of Tahrir Square, Egypt appeared first on Green Prophet.

Many people fear that the Egyptian military is using a lethal new brand of teargas to dispel protestors in downtown Cairo.

During the last two weeks in Egypt there existed a menacing energy that I hadn’t experienced before and which felt certain – like a pressure cooker – to explode at any moment. Sadly, as I was waiting to board my flight to South Africa on Saturday, violence did erupt again with terrible crackdowns from both the Central Security Forces (CSF) and the Military.

Presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei called what is happening a “massacre” and tweeted that “Tear gas with nerve agent & live ammunition [are] being used against civilians in Tahrir.” This potentially new brand of tear gas has received widespread attention and the medical community is concerned about its long term impact.

Facebook and twitter feeds are on fire with updates from Tahrir square.

Journalist Eric Knecht tweeted: “There is both cs, cr , and this third propane-butane gas being used the last being even more toxic.”

An Arabic Media site wrote:”تخفيف اثر قنابل الغاز: يبلع برشام فحم و شرب قرفة و نعناع..منقول,” which prescribes a cinnamon and mint remedy to the effects of tear gas for protestors who endure long term exposure on Tahrir square.

One western journalist warned that people are exaggerating the seriousness of the teargas, while Amr Bassiouny has written an excellent tactical guide that will help protestors achieve the ultimate safety during these hairy days. He recommends scarves, running shoes, and a mask, and implores his readers to map out their exit strategy.

The Arabist rose above the potential hysteria by posting the following tweet from Ramez Reda Moustafa, a Neurologist from Ain Shams University:

To the doctors in the field (tahrir and elsewhere), my experience with the gas used by the police: It causes extra-pyramidal symptoms (involuntary jerks in extremities and trunk mimicking a convulsive seizure, occulo-gyric crisis, etc.) and little respiratory distress. The jerking is relieved by low-dose (3-5mg) diluted diazepam given slowly IV.

The type of gas used is still uncertain but it is certainly very acidic and is not the regular tear gas used in January. Please try to capture as many videos as possible of the symptoms for documentation (and eventually legal action).

This wikipedia entry outlines the properties of CR tear gas – the more ominous type than CS, which is normally used in crowd control:

CR gas is a lachrymatory agent (LA) exerting its effects through activation of the TRPA1 channel.^[2] Its effects are approximately 6 to 10 times more powerful than those of CS gas. CR causes intense skin irritation, particularly around moist areas, blepharospasm causing temporary blindness, coughing and gasping for breath, and panic. It is capable of causing immediate incapacitation. It is a suspected carcinogen. It is toxic, but less so than CS gas, by ingestion and exposure. However, it can be lethal in large quantities. In a poorly ventilated space, an individual may inhale a lethal dose within minutes. Death is caused by asphyxiation and pulmonary edema. The effect of CR is long-term and persistent. CR can persist on surfaces, especially porous ones, for up to 60 days.

The use of this new teargas signals an ominous shift in the rogue Egyptian military’s tactics, demonstrating a fierce determination to hold on to power at all costs. This doesn’t bode well for next week’s parliamentary elections, nor for a more accountable, greener future.

image via Al Jazeera/Reuters

The post Egypt’s Military May Be Using Lethal Teargas appeared first on Green Prophet.

What do the Occupy Wall Street protests and the Arab Spring have in common? A desire for radical change

The Arab Spring protests which swept through the Middle East show us that despite years of apathy, humans do have the ability to make radical changes. As such, the difficult decisions we need to take to avoid the worst aspects of climate change are not as impossible as some would have us think. I wrote a piece explaining why and it is currently on the frontpage of Adbusters, which is a not-for-profit organisation best known for its pro-environment and anti-consumerist stance.

In the grand scheme of things, capitalism is a blip. A flicker on the historical radar and a rather dangerous planetary-scale experiment whose results are easy to guess and hard to ignore. When you have a giant machine pushing for infinite and perpetual growth in a world with finite resources, you know it’s not going to end well. Yet right now, for the average citizen of the West, a world without the hallmarks of capitalism – without Wall Street, the rat race, shopping malls, economic growth, debt and competitive consumerism – is almost impossible to imagine. The very thought of a consumer-free world opens up such a void, such a unknowingness that it scares the bejesus out of us.

Throughout history, however, there have been people willing to place themselves in that white void and be petrified, even liberated by change. The Arab Spring, which has seen ordinary citizens revolt against mighty dictatorships, is the most recent example of that human ability. And for that reason, the Arab Spring gives us hope. Hope that the world will be able to save itself from the system that has pushed the earth and its resources to the brink. That an alternative will not only be imagined but embraced in the name of new possibilities and freedoms.

The Arab Spring also shows that although we can’t imagine how it will happen or where the political and personal courage will come from, it will surprise us all the more. Despite what you may have heard by now, no one saw the Arab Spring coming. Not the political commentators, not the average person on the street and definitely not the Arab ‘leaders’ and ‘presidents.’ It came completely out of the blue, after years of complacency and apathy. Even those who first took to the streets could not have realized the significance of their actions. But once they were there, together, on Tahrir Square and at Benghazi, they didn’t go home – they wanted change now and more desperately than ever.

Gaddafi, who had ruled Libya for 40 years – almost as long as we have known what we need to do to stop climate change – was forced into hiding by rebels who decided that 40years was 40 years too many. For many Libyans before the revolt, the prospect of a Gadaffi-free Libya was unimaginable. Yet Gadaffi is gone now and we are given another hint that one day – when Capitalism is least expecting it – people will say that the destruction of the planet in exchange for constant economic growth is a price too high to pay. It gives us a glimmer that one day capitalism will be gone too, replaced by a new world system that places the value of our existence and the world’s existence before a quick buck.

Some say that capitalism is too big to fail, that there are too many people invested in its survival. But as we discover that the survival of capitalism means the destruction of the planet, we grow hopeful of our ability to stop, look around and step into the void.

:Article originally published at Adbusters.

: Image via Sashsa Y. Kimel/flickr.

For more on the Arab Spring see: 

A Fresh Arab Spring Flows Through Palestine

Arab Spring Female Activist Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Arab Spring May Boost Desertec Solar Power

The post #Occupy Climate Change: The Arab Spring & Occupy Wall St. Movement appeared first on Green Prophet.

In memory of the murdered Nigerian environmental activist who campaigned against Shell, we look at the importance of environmental action in the Middle East

On the 10^th of November 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa who had campaigned against the environmental devastation caused to the Niger Delta by oil companies such as Shell, was hanged by the Nigerian military government.

His life was cut short due to his effort to seek justice for the Ogani people who had suffered at the hands of Shell which extracted oil from their lands whilst leaving them with nothing. The battle for the environment goes on today in various shapes and guises all over the world including the Middle East. Over this last year we have seen everything from Iranian activists risking imprisonment and torture to protect salt lake Orumieh, campaigners in Jordan fighting against nuclear power to Israelis battling with the oil companies who want to drill for oil shale in their neighbourhoods.

Hostile Environment for Climate Action

It’s sad that people still have to risk imprisonment to fight for the environment, but the reality is that all over the world people do- not just in the Middle East or Africa but in countries such as the UK and America. Bill McKibben, the American eco-activist who was himself arrested outside the White House for protesting against the Keystone XL pipeline development insists that we must be more confrontational and take more risks for the planet.

However as Karin Kloosterman, Green Prophet editor observed: “Getting arrested in the Middle East doesn’t allow demonstrators the same level of notoriety, like in Canada, or Israel, where it can even be considered cool to go to jail during an environmental protest. In some Middle East countries, activists go to jail and just never come out.”

Time For Arresting Action on Climate Change

I agree with McKibben that we need to be more serious about our activism and give people a real sense of what’s really at stake. We have to be able and willing to see the injustice in all its forms and speak out against it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean putting yourself in a position where you may be arrested- it could mean taking time to speak to your neighbours about climate change, organising a pro-active and creative green campaign, lobbying your local authorities for more action and even supporting other environmentalists and their work.

The Battle Must Go On

Lending solidarity, as Ken Saro-Wiwa did when he worked for years to secure the Ogani people’s rights, is also vital. Back in October, the popular Jordanian blogger at The Black Iris wrote that he couldn’t help but make a connection between Jordan and Shell’s oily misadventures in Nigeria. Shell has drilled more than 100 oil wells in Jordan in only 2 years and signed an agreement aimed at exploring and potentially producing oil from Jordan’s vast oil shale resources. It is estimated that Jordan has around 40 billion metric tonnes of (energy-intensive and polluting) oil shale.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmI3xjZk_y0[/youtube]

Whilst Jordan may be at the start of its journey with Shell, Nigeria is still struggling to come to terms with its own ordeal with the company. A recent report by the UN said that it will cost up to $1 billion and take 30 years to clean up the damage done to Nigeria by decades of drilling and gas flaring by Shell. Which goes to show that whilst Ken Saro-Wiwa may have gone, the fight for the environment- in Nigeria, the Middle East and elsewhere- must continue.

: Image via www.remembersarowiwa.com

For more on environmental action in the Middle East see:

Greenpeace Raises More Questions Over Jordan’s Nuclear Plans

Why I’m Fighting Air-Megeddon

Palestinian Women In Israel: Breaking Gender Stereotypes In Environmental Activism

Turkish Village Goes Off The Grid With Wind Turbine

The post Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa: Why The Middle East Needs Eco-Activism appeared first on Green Prophet.

With so much green, inspiring energy in the Middle East North Africa region, we decided to give local green prophets a little pat on the back. At the end of the year, Green Prophet will announce its first list of environmental activists from the Middle East and North Africa region. Top winners will win a small personal cash prize of $200, $100 and $50. All winners will be profiled on Green Prophet, giving credit and credence to their work. Do you know someone who is fighting to save sharks from fin soup, someone fighting for dead seas or lakes, or who is creating new water technologies that could change the water-parched region? If so, let us know about them! Read on for how you can nominate your eco-hero.

Who would you like to see honoured on our list? The region is full of eco-warriors but who do you think has gone the extra green mile this year? They don’t have to be any hugely famous, it could be your green fingered neighbour, but they do have to be from the Middle East and North Africa region.

Here are some ideas of what we are looking for:

Despite huge political upheavals due to the Arab Spring, campaigners have still found time to take action on climate change this year. They have rallied to save salt lake Orumieh in Iran (at great personal risk too) and demanded better public transport in Egypt and Lebanon. They have campaigned to stop nuclear power in Jordan and in Israel, the Save Adullum campaigners have been working hard to stop developers from digging up their neighbourhood for oil shale. Solar power has helped a Turkish village go of the grid and was also embraced by an Abu Dhabi prince who installed photovoltaic at the local crown court.

But, who has impressed you the most this year? Is there a fantastic green campaigner working tirelessly in your city? Or maybe a recycling maverick on your street? Give them the recognition and reward they deserve by nominating them!

You can either leave a comment below this post or via the form, or email me directly at arwa[AT]greenprophet.com with your nominations.

We don’t need to see resumes, but please gives us a few details about the person you’re nominating if they aren’t as well known as they should be. We repeat, fill in the form above, send us an email including the info below, or send your nomination in the comments. And don’t be shy to nominate yourself! We need:

Full name
Country
Field of work or organization
Why you have nominated this person
Contacts (for prize)

Deadline is November 25 for submissions and the top 11  will be announced in mid-December after our editorial staff and outside panel reviews the nominations.

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

:: Image via 350.org/flickr.

The post Nominate Your Green Prophet Eco Hero for 2011 appeared first on Green Prophet.