Category Archives: Middle East

Plastic Waste Management in UAE

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Plastics are an inseparable part of modern society. However, their safe disposal is a big and highly challenging issue. A typical UAE resident uses 450 plastic water bottles on an average in a single year1. With the equivalent of 43 gallons on an average per person in 2011, the United Arab Emirates had the fourth-highest level of bottled water consumption in the world. A whopping 11 billion plastic bags are used annually, according to statistics from UAE’s Ministry of Environment and Water. This goes on to add up to an annual overall waste of 912.5 kilogram per capita2, 3, and 4. These … Continue reading →

نصائح لتقليل النفايات الغذائية

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تبذير الطعام له آثار بيئية واقتصادية وكذلك الاجتماعية.  ارتفاع نصيب الفرد من الدخل والإنفاق، ومستويات المعيشة، القدرة على تحمل التكاليف و اللامبالاة تجاه الطعام كلها عوامل لها تأثير سلبي كبير على مواردنا المحدودة. في مراكز التسوق والمطاعم على سبيل المثال ، من الشائع أن نرى كميات متراكمة من الطعام غير المستهلك كليا أو جزئيا. للأسف، الرفاهية تؤدي إلى تفشي  توليد النفايات الغذائية في جميع أنحاء الشرق الأوسط، وخاصة دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي. خطورة الوضع يمكن قياسها من كون أن أكثر من 300 طن من النفايات الغذائية يتم توليدها يوميا  في البحرين وهذا يشكل حوالي 11٪ من إجمالي  نفايات البلدية . … Continue reading →

Food Waste Woes in Qatar

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Food waste is a huge environmental and socio-economic issue in the State of Qatar. In 2012, a massive 1.4 million metric tonnes of food was consumed and wasted in Qatar. This figure, divided by the then population of 2.05 million, equates to an average of 636 kilograms (kg) of food per person for the year, or 1.74 kg per day. Given the benchmark of two kg per person per day (preferably nutritious fare that does not contain too many kilojoules), that does not sound too excessive. But if you remove the young, elderly, short-term visitors/workers and people who consume less … Continue reading →

Energy Security in Conflict: Jordan’s Clean Power Shift

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Jordan has strong sunshine and good wind resources, which makes it one of the most promising countries in the region for clean energy. Because of this, solar and wind power are currently the easiest and most attractive options to invest in. Solar power costs around $0.04 to $0.08 per kWh, while wind costs about $0.07 to $0.09 per kWh. These technologies are already well developed, reliable, and able to produce affordable electricity. They can also connect directly to the national grid and usually operate under long-term agreements, which gives investors stable and predictable income. Compared to this, green hydrogen is … Continue reading →

التحديات البيئة لقطاع الطاقة في المملكة العربية السعودية

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بالرغم من جهود المجتمع الدولي والعلماء المختصين بالبيئة في سبيل تقليل الاعتماد على الوقود الاحفوري كمصدر رئيسي للطاقة واستبداله بمصادر نظيفة ومنجددة للطاقة, الا ان الوقود الاحفوري والمتمثل بالنفط والغاز يبقى المصدر الرئيسي المعتمد والاكثر فاعلية. ونقلا عن فان الطلب العالمي على الوقود الاحفوري سيتزايد في المستقبل. ان معدل انتاج النفط والغاز قد تزايد تدريجيا منذ السبعينيات الى سنة 2020, وذالك تبعا للطلب المتزايد عليه. ان المشكل الرئيسي في الاعتماد على النفط والغاز كمصدر رئيسي للطاقة يكمن في نسبة التلوث البيئي الذي يخلفه هذا الوقود خلال انتاجه . على سبيل المثال, تطلق شركات النفط والغاز مايقارب 2000 طن من المواد … Continue reading →

التغير المناخي وقمة باريس: الإجماع البيئي العالمي

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مما لا شك فيه أن قمة المناخ في باريس أظهرت جليا مدى قوة الخطاب البيئي ودبلوماسية البيئة  وقدرتها على توحيد الأمم وقادة العالم والمجتمع المدني لحماية الأمن الأنساني-البيئي.هذا الإتفاق يقتضي إالتزامات من كافة الدول مثل التكيف وتخفيف آثار التغير المناخي ودعم الدول النامية ونقل التقنية النظيفة للحد من حرارة الكوكب بما لا يزيد عن درجتين مئويتين أو أقل لغاية  (1.5  للعام 2050.  لكن هذا الإتفاق بحاجة إلى استثمار (100 بليون سنويا بحلول عام 2020) من دول الشمال الصناعي تجاه العالم النامي حيث أن ما نسبته عشرة بالمئة من الدول الصناعية تساهم بما قيمته خمسين بالمئة من إنبعاثات غاز ثاتي أكسيد … Continue reading →

Environmental Challenges in Saudi Arabia’s Oil and Gas Industry

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Despite the efforts of global society and scientists to reduce the dependency on oil and gas as a main source of energy and find new green and renewable energy sources, the oil remains the most effective one. The oil production rate has increased incrementally from the 1970s to the 2020s, which is driven by the demand for oil. A Global Problem The main problem with the dependence on oil and gas as a primary source of energy lies in the huge pollution caused by the industry. For example, oil enterprises and petroleum companies currently release about 2000 tons of chemicals … Continue reading →

Food Waste, Ramadan and the Middle East

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With the holy month of Ramadan already underway, huge food wastage in the Middle East is again hogging limelight. It is a widely accepted fact that almost half of the municipal solid waste stream in the Middle East is comprised of food wastes and associated matter. The increasing amount of food wastage in Ramadan urgently demands a strong and holistic food management strategy to ensure its minimization, ethical utilization and eco-friendly disposal. Food Waste in Ramadan Middle Eastern nations are acknowledged as being the world’s top food wasters, and during Ramadan the situation takes a turn for the worse. In the GCC … Continue reading →

Energy and the Climate: Perspectives for the Middle East

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Since energy is an absolute necessity for life on Earth, we have utilized many sources of energy to maintain and improve the lives of people around the globe. The ultimate source of energy is the Sun of course, since all living things on Earth such as plants, trees, animals, and humans need the Sun’s energy. In addition to the Sun, we have utilized other sources of energy such as oil, coal, and nuclear fission.  However, energy has many different forms and we use different forms of energy for different applications. For example, nuclear energy is mostly used to generate electricity, … Continue reading →

Integration of Renewable Energy and Agriculture for Sustainable Water–Food Systems

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The increasing pressure on water, energy, and food systems in arid and semi-arid regions has accelerated the search for integrated solutions capable of addressing these interconnected challenges. In the MENA region, where water scarcity is structural and climate change is intensifying hydrological variability, the convergence of renewable energy and agriculture has emerged as a strategic pathway toward sustainability. In particular, the coupling of renewable energy technologies with brackish water desalination offers a promising approach to support high-value crop production while minimizing environmental impacts and enhancing resource efficiency. This integrated paradigm aligns with the water–energy–food nexus framework, emphasizing synergies, co-benefits, and … Continue reading →

Mangroves in Qatar: Perspectives

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Mangroves are trees and shrubs that have adapted to life in a saltwater environment, usually found in the intertidal zone of a coastal or estuarine area. The halophyte characteristics of a mangrove tree allows it to grow in saline environments where no other tree can, thereby making significant contributions to the local ecosystem. Yet these reservoirs of “blue carbon” are seriously threatened. Across the globe, coastal ecosystems are currently being lost at a rate of about 2% a year – a staggering number when the carbon storage potential is considered. In a harsh desert environment such as Qatar, mangroves are one … Continue reading →

When Water Becomes a Strategic Weapon – Desalination Dependency, Geopolitics and Future of Water Security in the MENA

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Abstract Water scarcity is increasingly recognized as one of the most critical systemic risks of the 21st century. Nowhere is this challenge more evident than in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the most water-stressed region in the world. In response to structural freshwater scarcity, several Gulf countries have developed extensive desalination infrastructures that now supply the majority of their drinking water. While desalination has enabled rapid urban and economic development in extremely arid environments, it has also introduced new strategic vulnerabilities by linking water security to energy infrastructure, maritime transport routes and geopolitical stability. This article analyzes the … Continue reading →