[This is a monthly roundup of news articles and other materials related to environmental issues in the Middle East. It does not reflect the views of the Environment Page of Jadaliyya.]
Regional News
Cooperation on Climate Is Emerging in the Middle EastThe New York Times (14 January 2023)
The signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 has generated progress and cooperation in addressing the climate crisis in MENA.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Middle East Primed To Pounce When EU Bans Russian DieselMiddle East Eye (18 January 2023)
A European ban on Russian petroleum and diesel goes into effect February 5. The Gulf states hope to take advantage of new opportunities for crude exports.
Keywords: Energy, Natural Resources
The Struggle for Climate Justice in the Arab RegionAs-safir Al-arabi (21 January 2023)
The governments responding to climate change are also the ones responsible for contributing to the crisis. A just green transition must also transform the global political and economic systems which are still oriented around colonial systems.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Libya-Turkey Energy Deal 'Valid' Despite Court Ruling, Oil Minister SaysMiddle East Eye (25 January 2023)
A Mediterranean energy exploration deal between Libya and Türkiye in territory contested by Greece and Egypt has been suspended by a Libyan appeals court.
Keywords: Energy, Natural Resources
Yemen and Lebanon Landmarks Added to UNESCO Endangered ListAl Jazeera (26 January 2023)
UNESCO has added seven archeological sites of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Yemen and Lebanon’s Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Keywords: Historic Preservation
Algeria
The Reality of Dealing with Climate Change in AlgeriaAs-safir Al-arabi (6 January 2023)
In 2005 Algeria established the National Agency for Climate Change to mitigate contribution to climate change, including reducing GHG emissions. Without regular statistical reports, however, it is difficult to tell how the country is advancing towards their climate goals.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Gas from Faulty Heaters Kills Nearly 20 in Algeria Cold SnapAl Jazeera(11 January 2023)
At least seventeen people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning as cool temperatures drive families to use heaters that burn natural gas or liquid fuels.
Keywords: Health, Climate & Weather, Energy
"كل عام أسوأ مما قبله"... التغيّرات المناخية تعصف بإنتاج زيت الزيتون الجزائريRaseef 22 (28 January 2023)
Algerian farmers report that higher temperatures, lower rainfall, and increasing occurrences of wildfires are contributing to decreasing olive yields.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Food & Agriculture, Water
Egypt
Wheat, Grain Prices Rise Again This Week as Release of Imports Slows Down, Market Anticipates Pound DevaluationMada Masr (5 January 2023)
An ongoing dollar shortage crisis has caused the price of wheat to rise and the supply to fall.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
الإنذار المبكر في مصر… لتقليل خسائر التغيّرات المناخية وأضرارهاRaseef 22 (12 January 2023)
Early warning systems that can warn farmers of, for example, unusual weather patterns will be an important part of future climate adaptation.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Food & Agriculture
أبطالها أشجار ونحل وشعاب مرجانية... كتب لتوعية الأطفال حول البيئة والمناخRaseef 22 (16 January 2023)
Children’s books increasingly hope to introduce kids to topics of nature and the environment from a young age.
Keywords: Art
بممارسات صديقة للبيئة... الزراعة العضوية طريق أخضر للتخفيف من حدّة تغيّر المناخRaseef 22 (17 January 2023)
Some farmers are turning to organic agricultural management as a more sustainable method of production, but lower yields and the growing food gap in a growing population are reasons that prevent other small farmers from applying these methods.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Climate & Weather, Land, Water, Health
En Égypte, les start-up vertes s’attaquent au fléau du plastiqueL’Orient Le Jour (19 January 2023)
Startups in Egypt are collecting plastic from the Nile and the Mediterranean and converting the waste into bricks.
Keywords: Pollution, Waste
New LE150 bn Program Aims To Support Small Agricultural, Industrial BusinessesMada Masr (22 January 2023)
A new program led by the Egyptian ministries of agriculture, trade, and industry will offer financial support to businesses in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Butchers Begin Closing Shop as Consumers Balk at Soaring Meat PricesMada Masr (23 January 2023)
As inflation rises, Egyptian customers are largely unable to afford meat. For butchers to keep up with inflation, they will have to hike the price of meat even higher, which will further push customers away. As a result, many butchers are either closing their doors or striking in protest of supplier costs.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
زراعة الإسمنت في الحدائقMada Masr (24 January 2023)
A development project in the International Park of Nasr City has bulldozed over 7,000 square meters of green space.
Keywords: Urban Planning, Land
Climate Justice Beyond the Loss and Damage FundAs-safir Al-arabi (25 January 2023)
COP27 focused heavily on strategies of climate mitigation and adaptation, but failed to confront the countries which majorly produce and consume fossil fuels.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
البكاء على اللبن المفقودMada Masr (31 January 2023)
Intensification of the import crisis has generated rising prices and a shortage of imported feed for Egyptian dairy farmers.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Iran
Earthquake in Iran’s Khoy Kills Three, Injures HundredsAl Jazeera (29 January 2023)
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the northwestern city of Khoy, along with at least forty aftershocks.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Iraq
Report: Iraq Achieves More than $115bn in Oil Revenues in 2022Middle East Monitor (4 January 2023)
Iraq records their highest annual oil revenue since the collapse of oil prices during the pandemic.
Keywords: Energy, Natural Resources
Iraq’s Date Palms, A Fading National SymbolRaseef 22 (12 January 2023)
Despite being an important national symbol, date palm production has declined since 2003.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Land, Water
آفات البيئة ترفض مغادرة العراق... و"البطل" هذه المرة مياه الصرف الصحيRaseef 22 (25 January 2023)
Sewage systems in Baghdad are unfit to handle the current population, causing flooding, disease, and pollution.
Keywords: Waste, Pollution, Infrastructure, Health, Water
Jordan, Palestine, And Israel
The Palestinian Ecovillage Putting Grassroots Democracy into Action+972 Magazine (10 January, 2023)
Farkha, Palestine’s first ecovillage, is aiming to be an entirely self-sufficient community by 2030.
Keywords: Urban Planning, Food & Agriculture, Land, Water, Energy
Debt-Ridden Jordan Follows Egypt's Lead and Plans New City in the DesertMiddle East Eye (12 January 2023)
Jordan has announced plans for the construction of a new city east of Amman.
Keywords: Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Water
Israel’s New Wall Separates Palestinians from Their FarmlandMiddle East Monitor (12 January 2023)
Israel has erected forty-five kilometers of concrete wall in the northern West Bank, separating Palestinians in Qaffin from thousands of acres of their agricultural land.
Keywords: Infrastructure, Food & Agriculture, Land
Israel Refills the Sea of Galilee, Supplying Jordan on the WayMiddle East Monitor (30 January 2023)
Israeli desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast are used to replenish receding water levels at the Sea of Galilee. Fresh water produced at the plants is also sold to Jordan.
Keywords: Water, Infrastructure, Restoration
Lebanon
Lebanon: How Does a Failed State Fight the Battle of Climate Change?As-safir Al-Arabi (2 January 2023)
The limited jurisdiction of the Lebanese Ministry of Environment has inhibited their power to manage environmental degradation and the consequences of climate change.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
"يقطعون الأشجار من جذوعها"... التحطيب كارثة بيئية في لبنان Raseef 22 (5 January 2023)
The high cost of heating in Lebanon has triggered deforestation in the mountains as people turn to firewood for fuel.
Keywords: Energy
Environmental Initiatives in Lebanon Aim To Solve Crises in Innovative WaysRaseef 22 (6 January 2023)
Lebanese citizens are looking for creative solutions to pollution and waste that the government has failed to address.
Keywords: Pollution, Waste, Infrasture, Health
حُفر الصرف الصحي في لبنان... "قنابل موقوتة" تحت المنازل وفي الطبيعةRaseef 22 (18 January 2023)
Many Lebanese towns are not connected to adequate sewage networks. As a result, many homes have turned to the use of waste pits.
Keywords: Pollution, Waster, Infrastructure, Health
Y aura-t-il une saison de Ski cette année au Liban?L’Orient Le Jour (19 January 2023)
Skiers have been unable to ski yet this year due to low accumulations of snow in the mountains.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Essence Cultivation in Lebanon: Combatting the Crisis with Thyme and SaffronRaseef 22 (25 January 2023)
The financial collapse in Lebanon has inspired farmers to look to aromatics as a potential new source of income due to demand in the food, pharmaceutical, and perfume industries.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Chutes de neige, grêle, routes inondées: rude météo au libanL’Orient Le Jour (31 January 2023)
At the end of a mild January, snow and ice cover the northern Lebanese mountains.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Libya
'The Day the Desert Wind Cried': French Nuclear Tests Cast Long Shadow in Libyan Sahara (29 January 2023)
Sand from the southern Algerian desert tests positive for radiation after French testing of nuclear weapons in the 1960s. Populations near the testing sites still experience higher rates of health complications and birth defects.
Keywords: Waste, Pollution, Health, Land
Morocco
SAMIR Refinery: The Pride of Moroccan Industry Turns into a Financial DisasterRaseef 22 (20 January 2023)
The SAMIR Oil Refinery, one of Morocco’s first projects after gaining independence, closed six years ago when it failed to pass to a buyer following a judicial liquidation ruling.
Keywords: Energy, Infrastructure
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Makkah Mountains Turn Green after Heavy RainMiddle East Monitor (9 January 2023)
Weeks of rain in the mountains surrounding Mecca bring lush green.
Keywords: Water, Climate & Weather, Wildlife, Land
حرّ شديد وفيضانات في السعودية... هل تهدد التغيّرات المناخية مستقبل موسم الحج؟Raseef 22 (31 January 2023)
Climate change raises concerns for the future of hajj and the health of pilgrims.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Tourism, Health
Sudan
How Does an Overburdened and Underdeveloped Sudan Face the Climate Crisis?As-safir Al-arabi (16 January 2023)
Lacking state presence in Sudan has resulted in an increase of environmental problems and a lack of preparation for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Syria
Syria Cholera Outbreak May Worsen if UN Cross-Border Aid StopsAl Jazeera (6 January 2023)
An upcoming vote by the UN Security Council will determine the future of humanitarian aid in northwestern Syria. Health workers fear ceasing aid to the region will worsen the ongoing cholera outbreak.
Keywords: Health
Syrian Farmers Lose Crops after Regime Allegedly Pollutes Orontes RiverL’Orient Le Jour (9 January 2023)
A sugar factory in Tal Salheb is suspected of polluting the waters of the Orontes River with improperly disposed waste.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Water, Waste, Pollution
Syria and Climate Change: Disregard Is the Order of the DayAs-safir Al-arabi (27 January 2023)
The Syrian state has focused its approach to climate change on addressing emergencies versus mitigation or sustainability policies.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
L’ONU met en garde contre un risque de famine inégalé en SyrieL’Orient Le Jour (28 January 2023)
Rates of hunger in Syria are the highest they have been since the start of the civil war.
Keywords: Health, Food & Agriculture
Türkiye
Bulgaria Signs Long-Term Agreement To Use Turkish Gas TerminalsAl Jazeera (3 January 2023)
Bulgargaz, the Bulgarian state gas company, has signed a thirteen-year deal to access Turkish LGN.
Keywords: Energy, Natural Resources
Turkiye Signs 10-Year Gas Deal with Oman -Turkish Energy MinisterMiddle East Monitor (31 January 2023)
Türkiye will be purchasing 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Oman for the next decade.
Keywords: Energy, Natural Resources
United Arab Emirates
UAE Names Oil Company Chief To Lead UN’s COP 28 Climate TalksAl Jazeera (12 January 2023)
Zayed Al-Nahyan, CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, has been voted by the UAE to preside over COP28 in Dubai.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Energy
UAE: Dubai To Have World’s First 3D-Printed MosqueMiddle East Monitor (22 January 2023)
Dubai plans to complete a 3D printed mosque by 2025. Construction is expected to begin in October 2023.
Keywords: Urban Planning
UAE Companies Explore Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel with BPMiddle East Monitor (22 January 2023)
BP, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, and Masdar are working together to study the production of sustainable aviation fuel.
Keywords: Energy
Yemen
Heating and Cooking with Coal: A Silent Killer in Yemeni HomesRaseef 22 (5 January 2023)
Electric heaters are inaccessible to many Yemenis. Many people turn to wood or charcoal as a heating alternative in the winter, despite the impact of smoke on air quality and respiratory health.
Keywords: Energy, Health, Air, Food & Agriculture
Yemen’s Climate: From Tree Day to the Race of the Tortoise and the HareAs-safir Al-arabi (31 January 2023)
The Sanaa Authority has transitioned reforestation efforts to the cultivation of almonds and coffee. Both the Sanaa Authority and the Internationally Recognized Government lack plans to address the impacts of climate change anticipated to impact the country.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Land