Tag Archives: MENA

The Benefits of Green Buildings for the Middle East

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The Middle East region faces a unique set of challenges in terms of sustainable buildings and cities. For example, water shortage is mitigated by costly desalination and we are faced with high water consumption which leads to a higher carbon footprint and ultimately impacts climate change. Middle Eastern countries are at the top of the list of largest per capita ecological footprints. In 2020, Qatar has the highest per capita level of carbon dioxide emissions, at 37 metric tons per person annually. Kuwait is second with 20.83 tons, followed by Saudi Arabia with 17.97 metric tons. Therefore, integrating energy efficiency … Continue reading →

Alternative Energy Prospects in Morocco

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Morocco, being the largest energy importer in North Africa, is making concerted efforts to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels. The country currently imports 95% of its energy needs which creates strong dependence on foreign energy imports. Renewable energy is an attractive proposition as Morocco has almost complete dependence on imported energy carriers. Morocco is already spending over US$3 billion a year on fuel and electricity imports and is experiencing power demand growth of 6.5 per cent a year. Morocco is investing heavily in the power sector by building new power plants such as expansion of coal power plant in JorfLasfer and establishment … Continue reading →

Le rôle du savoir et de l’innovation autochtones dans la gestion de l’eau

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Our ancestors developed impressive water management systems and applications that helped them cope with harsh climates and scarce natural resources in many parts of the world. Discover how ancient civilizations applied indigenous knowledge to water management, as well as the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in tackling the water crisis threatening the entire MENA region. The Golden Past In the MENA region, and since the 4th century BC, the most powerful civilizations have overcome arid and semi-arid conditions largely thanks to sound water technologies and hydraulic engineering. In the 14th century , the reflections of Ibn Khaldun, a great sociologist … Continue reading →

Green Roofs in MENA – Prospects and Challenges

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Green roofs are emerging technologies that can provide a wide range of benefits to communities interested in enhancement and protection of their environment. The major benefits of green roofs are reducing energy use as well as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing stormwater management and water quality, decreasing heat island effect by regulating temperature for the roof and the surrounding areas and providing aesthetic value and habitats for many species. Increased energy consumption in the region is due largely to population growth, with related increases in demand for liquid fuels and electricity for domestic use and devices, heating, cooling, … Continue reading →

Paris Agreement: Role of Effective Climate Governance Framework

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While many consider that history was made as industrialized and developing countries jointly agreed on the same climate policy framework for the first time ever; others alert that the Paris Agreement is only as good as its implementation plans and review mechanisms. Nevertheless, the Paris Agreement and the process around it demonstrate an exemplary model for global climate governance and climate policy advocacy. The question now is whether such international governance breakthrough could trickle down to the national and local levels across the globe. Countries and regions are challenged to move forward with the implementation leveraging the high momentum and … Continue reading →

Gas Flaring and Venting in MENA: Need for Urgent Action

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Every year global oil producers waste precious natural gas by flaring and venting equivalent to the combined gas consumption of Central and South America. The top twenty major gas flaring and venting countries in the world include Russia, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Angola, Venezuela, Qatar, Algeria, the United States, Kuwait, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Congo, the United Kingdom, and Gabon. Gas flaring and venting have been known to be associated with crude oil processing in oil fields. Newer oil wells are equipped for the recovery of both oil well gas and crude oil and hence the gas … Continue reading →

Clean Energy Resources in Jordan

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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is heavily dependent on oil imports from neighbouring countries to meet its energy requirements. The huge cost associated with energy imports is creating huge financial burden on the national economy. In 2022, the peak electricity load in Jordan was 4,010 MW, compared to 3,370 MW in 2021. Therefore, the provision of reliable and clean energy supply is playing a crucial role in Jordan’s economic growth. The country has established the necessary policies and regulations to support renewables, including solar photovoltaic (PV) and onshore wind development. In 2007, the Government unveiled an Energy Master Plan for … Continue reading →

Why Eco-Friendly Cars Are Important?

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The transport sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions for many countries. The biggest reason why is because of the conventional car, as vehicles account for over half of the emissions from the transportation sector. Your typical car emits carbon dioxide and many other harmful chemicals that are hurting the environment and human health. This makes driving the right vehicle more important than ever. Driving an eco-friendly vehicle is a great way to help human health and the environment. A green vehicle releases less harmful chemicals into the air, as it emits low carbon compounds when running. Find … Continue reading →

CSP-Powered Desalination: Prospects in MENA

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Conventional large-scale desalination is cost-prohibitive and energy-intensive, and not viable for poor countries in the MENA region due to increasing costs of fossil fuels. In addition, the environmental impacts of desalination are considered critical on account of GHG emissions from energy consumption and discharge of brine into the sea. The negative effects of desalination can be minimized, to some extent, by using renewable energy to power the plants. What is Concentrated Solar Power The core element of Concentrated Solar Power Plant is a field of large mirrors reflecting captured rays of sun to a small receiver element, thus concentrating the … Continue reading →

Sustainability in the MENA Cement Industry: Perspectives

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The population in the MENA countries has doubled during the last 30 years (from ca. 110m in 1980 to almost 484m in 2018). As per conservative estimates, the rate of urbanisation in the MENA countries will exceed 70% five years from today (average for all developing countries: 54%). The proceeding urbanisation and the population increase involve several problems and challenges for the national governments and also for the cement industry. The cement production of countries in the MENA region has almost tripled during the last 15 years up to approximately 500m tons. Since the start of national revolts and demonstrations … Continue reading →

Seawater Desalination – A Better Choice for MENA

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Water scarcity is a major problem in many parts of the world affecting quality of life, the environment, industry, and the economies of developing nations. The MENA region is considered as one of the most water-scarce regions of the world. Large scale water management problems are already apparent in the region. While the MENA region’s population is growing steadily, per capita water availability is expected to fall by more than 40-50% by the year 2050. Also, climate change is likely to affect weather and precipitation patterns, and the consequences of which may force the MENA region to more frequent and … Continue reading →

Use of Sewage Sludge in Cement Industry

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The MENA region produces huge quantity of municipal wastewater which represents a serious problem due to its high treatment costs and risk to environment, human health and marine life. The per capita wastewater generation rate in the region is estimated at 80-200 litres per day. Sewage generation across the region is rising by an astonishing rate of 25 percent every year. Municipal wastewater treatment plants in MENA produce large amounts of sludge whose disposal is a cause of major concern. For example, Kuwait has 6 wastewater treatment plants, with combined capacity of treating 12,000m³ of municipal wastewater per day, which produce around … Continue reading →