Author Archives: Claire Cosgrove

About Claire Cosgrove

Dr Claire Cosgrove, Ph.D., is an independent Environmental Scientist and Educator. Looking to establish a consultancy company: “Cultural Awareness, Environmental Mindfulness”. Formerly a Professor of Environmental Sciences in the College of Engineering at AMA International University, Salmabad, Kingdom of Bahrain. Before moving to the Middle East in 2009, Dr Claire was a Research Scientist based in the USA at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and at Georgia Institiute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr Cosgrove has lived and worked in a number of countries such as South Africa, USA, New Zealand and the Middle East. Her research work has covered air pollution, weather modification /cloud seeding, rainfall modelling and simulation and flood forecasting, to name a few areas of interest.

How Climate Change is Threatening Life on Kiribati

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Life on an island in the South Pacific has long been considered an idyllic location. But that once reality is becoming a daunting nightmare for the people of Kiribati (pronounced Ke-ree-bas). This nation consists of three archipelagos in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. The total land mass is approximately 811km2 and is spread across 3.5 million km2  of ocean. Of the 33 island and atolls, two-thirds of these land masses are inhabited. The total population of 120,000 people predominantly live on the main island, Tarawa. With the growing trends in the changing global climate, this small Pacific community is … Continue reading →

Green Building Sector in the Middle East: Sustainability Perspectives

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Green buildings are no longer a marginal concept but are becoming the standard for sustainable building construction and modernization in the Middle East. Forward thinking organizations can realize the benefits of being environmentally aware of the impact of each and every action undertaken in the present world of development. It is no longer about the financial bottom line and whether we are eco-friendly, it is a fundamental component of sustainability. Institutes and organizations in the Middle East can embrace green building initiatives as a mandate, while educational institutes can embrace it as a good citizen initiative developing the minds of … Continue reading →

Renewable Energy in Bahrain – Perspectives

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Bahrain is making significant move towards being viable and sustainable in the renewable energy sector. The nation is moving forward one eco-friendly step at a time. A significant step forward is the establishment of the net-metering system which is a part of the National Renewable Energy Action Plan. This action plan embraces renewable energy as a viable and essential component for generating energy in Bahrain to ensure a sustainable future in energy production. Net-metering System The net-metering system enables private individual households, companies and industry to install renewable energy systems, especially solar PV cell systems, on their property in order to … Continue reading →

July 2019 – The Hottest Month Since 1850

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Thousands of surface monitoring stations spread around the globe have gathered temperature data and other meteorological information to secure the ranking of July 2019 as the hottest month on Earth since 1850. It is important to mention that there are very scant meteorological records prior to this date for global analysis. Independent climate monitoring organizations and research institutes such as Berkley Earth and Copernicus Climate Change Service (EU) have bother reached similar analysis results even though the margin from the previous warmest month of July 2016, is a very slight increment of 0.14 degrees (0.08C). Other research institutes shared their … Continue reading →

Extreme Weather Events Resulting From Climate Change

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Regardless of where one is on the globe, the effects of climate change are very apparent and extremely threatening to the local inhabitants. These climatic threats are presenting themselves in four main ways, namely extended heat waves, devastating flooding, persistent droughts and extensive wildfires. These are presently the most destructive impacts of climate change, but there are other natural event occurrences. As well as the geo-physical impacts, there are also the accompanying increasing health risks, anxiety and stress issues, fatigue and exhaustion, just to name a few resultant factors. Right now with the summer in full swing in the northern … Continue reading →

How Extreme Weather Events Are Impacting Iraq

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The people of Iraq, particularly in and around Baghdad, are being overwhelmed with the current weather conditions. Since April 20222, the region has been impacted by at least 8 massive dust storms turning everything in the path of the storms orange. The dust storms are visible in satellite imagery as the systems are so intense. Such a high frequency of sandstorms enhances the desertification as the rainfall patterns have also diminished over recent years. Not only is the natural environment threatened beyond normal levels, but such dust storms create havoc on human health, especially respiratory disease and complications associated with … Continue reading →

Dugongs in Local Bahrain Waters: Perspectives

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It appears that the Arabian Gulf is a preferred location for the marine dugong as the second largest population of this species, after those located in Australian waters, are found in the Gulf waters. The largest group sightings have been north-west of Hawar Island (between Bahrain and Qatar). From recent studies published in the Journal of Biological Conservation, the local population is around 6,000 dugongs. Just who or what is the dugong? What are Dugongs? The dugong belongs to the taxonomic group referred to as the Sirenian. It is one of four living species belonging to the order Sirenia. The … Continue reading →

Why You Should Be Drinking More Water

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The need to be well hydrated, i.e. drinking fluids throughout the day is critical with some very real benefits for each and every one of us. The bottom line is drink more water, stay hydrated, and read on to realise the benefits of this simple task. Of course, depending on the season and where you live, will alter the recommended daily intake of water. Just as age will modify demands, so will the level of exercise, nature of your activities, affect the water demands. Regardless of age, we all want to look beautiful or handsome. Drinking water helps us to … Continue reading →

Why Airports Should Go Green: Case Study from Bahrain

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Can airports ever be green? This is an overwhelming concept in a carbon-driven, and carbon-intensive industry. The reality is that air travel is often the only realistic option for the movement of both people and cargo in the current lifestyle and demands encompassed with time constraints. This is especially critical for the island nation of Bahrain that is so heavily dependent on air travel in terms of food security. With over 90% of all goods: perishable and manufactured, imported into the nation, this carbon-intensive industry is not going to disappear. Airports themselves, may only contribute 5% to the carbon emissions … Continue reading →

Far-Reaching Implications of Conflict in World’s Breadbasket

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Pre-pandemic era, pre-Ukraine war months, the Ukraine referred to as the “Breadbasket of Europe” and of course Russia, thrived on agricultural activities suppling the world with wheat, other grains, vegetables, oils, seeds and meats. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Ukraine was producing 25% of staple foods for across the globe. By 2022, this figure had risen to 30%. Ukraine produced for nations across the globe. In addition to the pure grain production, there is food processing and especially sugar processing. Over a quarter of the Ukraine population was employed in agricultural and forestry activities. Today, these figures are … Continue reading →

Microplastics – A Threat to Food Production at the Base Level of Photosynthesis

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Microplastics are everywhere and we need to know the impacts of these tiny plastic particles. These tiny particles are in our water, our food, in the air, in the soil, in the plants. Everywhere is anywhere and anywhere is everywhere. What are microplastics? Broken down plastic objects and items that are randomly discarded or disposed of in approved manner. The plastic particles are less than 5 millimeters requiring a microscope to view the particles. Even smaller particles are referred to as nanoplastics. Because the globe is so ensconced in the use of plastics domestically, in industry, medical equipment and applications, … Continue reading →

سوسة النخيل الاحمر : التهديد الحقيقي لشجر النخيل في الشرق الاوسط

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التهديد الحقيقي في الوقت الحاضر لشجر المخيل هو بسبب سوسة النخيل . هذا المخلوق موطنه اساسا من جنوب اسيا , ولكنه نشر اجنحته عبر العالم . تستطيع ان تدمر هذة السوسة بساتين النخيل , او زيت النخيل او جوز الهند , خلال ال30 سنة الاخيرة استطاعت هذة السوسة و التي احيانا يطلق عليها سوسة التمر من اختراق 60 دولة وقد وصلت الى الشرق الاوسط , شمال افريقيا , وجنوب اوروبا عبر الكاريبي . طوارئ في الشرق الاوسط  بدات هذة السوسة في الظهور في السعودية و الامارات في منتصف الثمانينات , اليوم مزارع شجر النخيل في جنوب غرب السعودية اصبحت مصابه … Continue reading →