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 […]
While the final votes were being counted in the Iraqi elections this week, a three-day conference was held in Kuwait to discuss efforts to repair the environmental devastation inflicted by a previous Iraqi regime nearly two decades ago. In retreat from its seven-month occupation of Kuwait that triggered the Gulf War of 1991, Saddam Hussein’s […]
We covered the grand opening ceremony of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa Tower, formerly called Burj Dubai. But amidst all the fireworks and fanfare, does this 818 meter high monument to human engineering achievement represent any innovations towards combating global warming, climate change, or other environmental breakthrough – or is it simply another “Tower of Babel,” constructed […]
Running for green issues in Beirut: but will the government listen? The year 2009 was bleak for Lebanon’s environmental track record, according to the country’s Daily Star. Despite the impressive action of IndyACT, Lebanon’s delegation brought little effect at December’s COP 15 climate change summit; they were not able to accomplish much of anything insofar […]
“You smell it before you can see it,” says Mohammad who talks of Lebanon’s utterly toxic dumping ground by the sea. Image: BBC. We’ve written about Israel’s infamous garbage (sh*t) mountain and national “landmark” Hirira outside of Tel Aviv. We learn that another large regional garbage mound, the Sidon Rubbish Dump or the Saida dump is attracting […]
Want to read the most popular green stories of 2009 on your favourite Middle East environment blog? Read on. Every blog and news site does it as a way to gain perspective: Whether you’ve celebrated the Muslim New Year more than a week ago, or the Jewish New Year a couple of months ago, our […]
The waste produced by Arab cities is among the highest in the world. Dubai, United Arab Emirates – “The short version of the story is that we’re not doing a very good job of managing waste,” says John Roosen, Technical Director of AECOM Environment Middle East. “Nowhere in the world does. We are going to […]
(Bechtel International, Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf), Oil Drill-head; about 1950. Kuwait or Saudi Arabia.) They say the world is a global village. If so, and if the environment is a global concern, more emphasis needs to be put on helping countries like Kuwait where their marine life, its atmosphere and soil levels, according to the […]
When we wrote about the new Herbawi Home Center in Jenin earlier this year, we wondered if it would bring suburban living to the West Bank. Another change is afoot this month in the town of Ya’abad, west of Jenin, reports the Maan News Agency. With most of the town’s 8,000 residents working in wood-coal, […]
Putting picnic trash in the can or taking it home with you for disposal is a type of education a lot of people in Middle Eastern countries are lacking. I’ve seen families at city parks and in the forests leave behind mountains of trash after their BBQs, shaking out the picnic cloth to leave behind […]
The Alberta oil sands, or tar sands as some people call them, are top on the list of Greenpeace’s agenda. The same people who climb trees to stop loggers from chopping down Old Growth forests, are looking to stop the oil extraction operations in the Canadian province. The oil is located under Boreal forest, and […]
We’ve all seen them – those tall, ugly masts holding any number of cellular transmitter/receivers. Without them we wouldn’t have the modern convenience of the cell, or mobile, phone in Israel or the rest of the Middle East. Are these cell phone towers simply eye-sores, or cause for real concern? Are the NIMBY’S – Not […]
(Waiting for flights at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel). There’s no denying that wall of Mediterranean heat that hits you like a brick when you disembark at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv. Soon, Israel’s major international airport will take advantage of all that sun and be partially powered by solar energy. That will make […]
The first thing visitors to the Bedouin town of Rahat notice is the litter. Household garbage lies strewn at the sides of treeless streets. When the wind picks up, plastic bags, newspapers and sacks billow across the surrounding desert wasteland. Discarded construction materials mar the landscape. “First you have to understand why they throw litter […]