Category Archives: Middle East

Water Crisis in Gaza

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Gaza Strip has been enduring constant Israeli bombardment for many years which has resulted in severe damages to its infrastructure and to its citizens. However the real risk is Gaza’s lack of usable water.  The only natural source of fresh water in Gaza is a shallow aquifer on the southern part of its coast; 90 to 95% of which is not safe for drinking because of neighboring seawater, sewage, and runoff from agriculture. Even though most of it is not fit for consumption, residents have no other choice but to resort to using it. UN hydrologists have indicated that current extraction … Continue reading →

موسم النشاط البيئي

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النشاط البيئي يبلغ ذروته في الدول المشاطئة لحوض الخليج العربي في هذه المرحلة من كل عام مع تغير الاحوال الجوية وما يرافقه من حالات الكوارث البحرية بفعل غرق وتصادم البواخر النفطية التي تتسبب في تلويث نظام البيئة البحرية، وكذلك مع تحسن حالة الطقس وتزايد اعداد مرتادي البيئات البرية والساحلية وما يرافقه من انشطة وممارسات غير رشيدة في تلك البيئات تتسبب في التأثير السلبي على معالم النظم البيئية. والنشاط البيئي يتباين في مضمون طبيعته الاجرائية بين المؤسسة الرسمية المختص في الشأن البيئي ومؤسسة المجتمع المدني الناشطة في حقل العمل البيئي، وبرغم جوانب الاختلاف في طبيعة الخطط والبرامج تبقى القواسم المشتركة المؤشر … Continue reading →

Composting Scenario in Qatar

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The State of Qatar has one of the highest per capita waste generation rates worldwide. In 2012, Qatar generated 8,000 tons of solid waste daily (this is excluding construction and demolition waste which amounts to 20,000 tons additional waste per day).  This number is predicted to reach 19,000 tons/day in 2032, with an annual growth rate of roughly 4.2%.1  Most of these wastes end up in landfills – in 2012, more than 90% of Qatar’s solid waste were sent to landfills although the government is intensifying its efforts to reduce this amount.  This percentage is extremely high compared to many … Continue reading →

The Race to 75 GW: MENA’s Ambitious Solar Targets and What They Mean for Global Energy

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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nations have set an ambitious renewable energy target — they want to triple green power capacity by 2030. The projects would be an inspiring and groundbreaking revolution for the region’s capacity. It could be the first of many similar initiatives worldwide, even in your hometowns. The Scope of Solar’s Impact on MENA Nations MENA had  53 gigawatts of renewable energy potential in 2023 and a goal of 150 GW by the turn of the decade. Around 75 GW will be solar photovoltaic, with Saudi Arabia investing over 40% of the total expansion. Its … Continue reading →

Jordanian Agriculture Throughout History – Achievements and Challenges

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Throughout history, Jordanian agriculture has been one of the main pillars that contributed to the formation of the economic and social identity of the region, and Jordan is one of the first regions to witness the emergence of stable agriculture in the Neolithic era (about 10,000 – 6,000 BC). The Jordan Valley and the Ain Ghazal region witnessed early cultivation of cereals such as wheat and barley and animal husbandry such as sheep and goats. The Ammonite, Moabite and Edomite civilizations developed agriculture in the bronze and Iron Ages (3,300 – 332 BC). Where they used primitive irrigation systems and … Continue reading →

The Case for Renewables-Powered Desalination in MENA

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Desalination is a water treatment process that separates salts from saline water to produce potable water. The desalination process uses large amount of energy to produce pure water from saltwater source, such as seawater. Saltwater is fed into the process, and the result is an output stream of pure water and another stream of waster with high salt concentration. Desalination techniques are mainly classified into two types: Processes based on physical change in the state of the water, and Processes using a membrane that employ the concept of filtration. There are more than 20,000 industrial-scale desalination units worldwide, with combined … Continue reading →

الطاقة المتجددة عالميا والعربية

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كثيرا ما نسمع عن انجازات غربية كتشغيل إحدى المدن على الطاقة المتجددة لمدة يوم كامل. كما نسمع عن قيام دول آسيوية كالهند والصين بإنجاز مشاريع ضخمة لتوليد الكهرباء من الطاقة الشمسية. علما ان هذان البلدان أقاما ثورتهما الصناعية على الوقود الأحفوري وانهما سابقا حاولوا الترويج لفوائد الوقود الأحفوري،  وان هذا التغير من الممكن ان يسبب نزاعات جيوسياسية بين البلدين. إن الطاقة المتجددة هي مصدر نظيف للطاقة يتم فيها استعمال الموارد الطبيعية من مياه ورياح  وأشعة شمسية لتوليد الطاقة. هي مقارنة بغيرها من مصادر الوقود الأحفوري تعتبر الأقل تلويثا للبيئة ،الأوفر اقتصاديا على المدى الطويل. ان استخدام هذه المصادر جذب العديد … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency Perspectives for MENA

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MENA countries are facing an increasing challenge in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector. Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia figure among the world’s top-10 per capita carbon emitters. In case of business-as-usual scenario, GHGs emissions from the energy sector will continue to rise throughout the region. According to a recent report by International Energy Agency (IEA), energy intensity demand in MENA is mainly driven by population and economic growth and reliance of heavy industries on generous energy subsidy. It is projected that primary energy demand in the region will be doubled by 2030 and the region’s … Continue reading →

فوائد اعاده التدوير

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إعادة التدوير هي عملية تستخدم فيها مواد من النفايات اليومية يتم تحويلها إلى منتجات جديدة. وتشمل الم يمكن إعادة تدويرها ؛ الزجاج والورق والبلاستيك والمعادن المختلفة.  ان عملية إعادة التدوير تنطوي على فصل النفايات بعد جمعها ومعالجة النفايات القابله للتدوير و تصنيع منتجات جديدة. الحاجه لاعاده التدوير ان عمليه تصنيع المنتجات تنطوي على الحصول على المواد الخام من مصادر مختلفة. هذه المواد قد تكون من الغابات أو المناجم. حيث يتم نقلها إلى مكان الصنع عادة” عن طريق البر أو البحر، وهي عملية مستهلكة للطاقة.  ان عمليه شراء المواد الخام ونقلها تسبب التلوث بالإضافة إلى استخدام الموارد الشحيحة مثل الأشجار وأنواع الوقود … Continue reading →

Land Degradation in the MENA Region – Causes, Impact and Response

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Globally, around 15% of the total land is degraded. For The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this number is close to 50%. Land degradation, in general, is the loss of physical, biological and economic productivity of land due to anthropogenic factors; desertification is its subset as it is relevant specifically to the arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. Land degradation is a growing global crisis, undermining food security, biodiversity and the health of ecosystems. Driven by deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, overgrazing and climate change, it affects over 3.2 billion people worldwide. The problem is especially severe in regions with … Continue reading →

Climate Change Impacts in the Levant

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Many countries in the Levant — such as Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria — are afflicted by water scarcity, weak institutional and governmental resource management, high food import dependency and fragile economies – all coupled with increasing populations and demand. According to the recent reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Arab World will be witnessing hotter and drier conditions with extensive droughts causing severe water shortages that will have dire impacts on agriculture and livelihood. Farmers in the Levant have been addressing climate change adaptation and resilience issues through farming, water management and environmental degradation. Global climate … Continue reading →

Syria’s Crisis and Jordan’s Water Struggle: Lessons Learned

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Jordan has had to accept being labeled a Refugee Country since its independence, as the country has absorbed several waves of refugees from neighboring countries in a region of uncertainty.  It began with the Arab-Israeli Wars in 1948 and 1967, followed by the Gulf Wars in 1991 and 2004, and ended with the most recent conflict in Syria, which added 1.4 million refugees to the country’s population. This posed extraordinary challenges to Jordan’s water sector, which lacked the necessary resources to meet the increased demand. Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees and current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres summed up Jordan’s … Continue reading →