Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

Medical Wastes in GCC

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There has been a growing awareness of the need for safe management of medical waste all over the world. Medical Waste are generated by all health sectors including hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic and research centers, dental and medical clinics, blood banks, mortuaries and autopsy centres, veterinary hospitals, industrial laboratories etc. Medical wastes which pose the greatest risk to human health are infectious waste (or hazardous medical waste) which constitutes 15 – 25 percent of total healthcare waste. Infectious wastes may include all waste items that are contaminated with or suspected of being contaminated with body fluids such as blood and blood products, used catheters … Continue reading →

CAFE Standards: Saudi Arabia’s Road to Fuel Economy

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Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest per capita fuel consumption in the transportation sector. This is primarily due to lack of efficient public transportation and current fuel subsidy policy. The country is witnessing an escalating demand on its domestic energy needs and it is imperative on policymakers to devise policies for conservation of energy resources and reduction of GHGs emissions in the transportation sector. Adapting fuel efficiency standards will help Saudi Arabia country to bridge the gap with the developed countries. The enforcement mechanism for the establishment of Saudi fuel economy standards will lead to achievement of strategic … Continue reading →

Things to Know About Habitat Loss in MENA

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Habitat loss of native species in MENA region is increasing at a sensational rate as a consequence of natural and human causes. MENA has diverse ecosystems, including aquatic and terrestrial, with different climate patterns. The region have three globally recognized hotspots; the Irano-Anatolian region, the Mediterranean forest region and the Horn of Africa region. According to 2015 IUCN Red List, approximately 2476 species in MENA are under threat comprising of mammals, fishes, birds, mollusc, amphibians, reptiles, and other species.  28% of threatened species comprises of fishes, 18% plants, 12% birds, 9% mammals and rest others. IUCN data show highest threatened … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management in the MENA Region: Perspectives

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Healthcare sector in the MENA countries is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other establishments. According to a report by UNDP in the year 2020, Egypt generated 63.5 tons per day of hazardous medical wastes. In the GCC countries, more than 150 tons of medical waste is produced every day. Saudi Arabia alone accounts for annual healthcare waste generation of around 25,107 tons per year. Medical waste generation in Qatar is more than 20 tons per day. These figures are indicative … Continue reading →

Water Scarcity and Mining: Navigating Environmental Pressures in the MENA Mineral Sector

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Water in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is precious, but demand for the region’s copper, phosphate and rare-earth deposits keeps climbing. Those who are a part of this sector face a daily trade-off — unlock mineral wealth or safeguard every drop. The latest research uncovers how forward-thinking operators already make water-smart mining the norm. Water Stress — The Non-negotiable Starting Point In 2023, the average renewable water supply for each person in MENA hovered around 480 cubic meters — well below the 1,000 cubic-meter threshold that signals scarcity and barely one-tenth of the global mean. To complicate matters, … Continue reading →

Countries Driving Solar Surge in MENA

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The countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are known for their abundance of fossil fuels, yet they also have another energy resource at their fingertips – solar power. Some countries such as Saudi Arabia, which have great solar resources, are transitioning to utility scale solar energy production.  This allows them to export more of their fossil fuel instead of using it to produce power domestically. However, the decision to switch to solar power isn’t just to preserve oil resources for export. The countries in the MENA region are also experiencing increased demand for electricity due to rising … Continue reading →

Waste-to-Energy Potential in Saudi Arabia

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been grappling with the problem of solid waste in recent years. Around 15 million tons of municipal solid waste is generated in the country each year with per capita average of 1.4 kg per day. Depending on the population density and urban activities of that area, the major ingredients of Saudi Arabian MSW are food waste (40-51 %), paper (12-28 %), cardboard (7 %), plastics (5-17 %), glass (3-5 %), wood (2-8 %), textile (2-6 %), metals (2-8 %) etc. Due to high population growth rate, (3.4% per annum), rapid urbanization (1.5% per annum) … Continue reading →

Renewable Energy in World’s Top-10 Oil Producing Countries

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In April 2019, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló signed a bill that aims to power the island totally through renewable energy by 2050. It also aims to completely give up coal by 2028. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America, which is today the world’s largest oil producing country. This begs the question, what are the world’s top 10 oil producers doing to increase energy from renewable sources? First, let us have a look at how much oil these countries produced in 2017, which was the latest data available at the time of writing this article. … Continue reading →

Solar Energy in Saudi Arabia: Perspectives

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Saudi Arabia, the epicenter of global oil industry, has been showing keen interest in solar energy in recent years. Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s highest solar irradiation in the world, estimated at approximately 2,200 thermal kWh of solar radiation per m2. The country is strategically located near the Sun Belt, in addition to plentiful availability of empty stretches of desert that may accommodate infrastructure for solar power projects. Vast deposits of sand can be used in the manufacture of silicon PV cells which makes Saudi Arabia an attractive location for solar industry. “The resource is stunning; land is … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency in Residential Sector in Saudi Arabia

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The energy demand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has increased steadily with an average annual increase close to 5% since 2010[1]. Such rise is driven mainly by the economic prosperity of the region, the rapid industrial development of the Kingdom, and the population growth. However, the per capita energy consumption of KSA is almost three times higher than the world average[2], explained by the presence of energy-intensive industries, harsh climate conditions, and a high energy demanding lifestyle encouraged by historical low energy prices. Link between Economic Growth and Energy Consumption Although the link between economic growth and energy consumption … Continue reading →

Red Palm Weevil – A Real Threat to Date Palms in Middle East

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A modern day threat to agriculture across the globe is the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus). This creature is native to South Asia but it rather rapidly spreading its wings and crossing the globe. The red palm weevil can completely destroy palm groves, be it coconut, date or palm oil. Over the immediate past 30 years, the red palm weevil (also known as red date weevil) has penetrated over 60 countries and is now reaching the Middle East,  northern Africa, southern Europe and across to the Caribbean. Emergence of Red Palm Weevil in the Middle East The weevil began to … Continue reading →

Organic Industrial Wastes in the Middle East

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Organic industrial waste includes a wide range of organic materials obtained from industrial and commercial operation. Industries in Middle East countries produces a large number of organic residues and by-products whose disposal is a major problem for stake-holders. In recent decades, the fast-growing food and beverage processing industry has remarkably increased in importance in major countries of the Middle East. Since the early 1990s, the increased agricultural output stimulated an increase in fruit and vegetable canning as well as juice, beverage, and oil processing in countries like Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. There are many technologically-advanced dairy products, bakery … Continue reading →