[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
Ethiopia Tells Egypt ‘Politicising’ Dam and Nile Water Benefits No One Middle East Monitor (13 April 2023)
Ethiopia’s State Minister stated that Egypt is politicizing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Nile water allocations.
Keywords: Water, Infrastructure
Iran FM Plants Olive Tree at Lebanon Border with Israel Middle East Monitor (29 April 2023)
The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs planted an olive tree near the southern Lebanese border in support of resisting Israeli occupation.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Egypt
"تصعب مقاومته"... الصقيع المتزايد بيئة مناسبة لتكاثر الآفات الزراعية Raseef 22 (3 April 2023)
More frequent and more severe frosts in Egypt have resulted in growing insect populations which increasingly threaten winter crops.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Food & Agriculture
تآكل وتلف وحوادث سير... كيف تؤثر عوامل الطقس على السيارات والطرق؟ Raseef 22 (19 April 2023)
Increasingly extreme weather events such as sandstorms, fog, strong winds, and heavy rains make driving more dangerous as they decrease visibility and wear down mechanical components of cars.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
القطن المصري لا يستحق الموت As-safir Al-Arabi (28 April 2023)
Cotton, one of the most significant crops in Egypt through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, has decreased in production in the last couple decades. Although President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has supported initiatives to increase cotton production again, low prices at auction have prompted farmers to return to other crops like rice.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Iraq
Refugees Claim Gas Flaring Cancer Link in Northern Iraq Al Jazeera (19 April 2023)
Prolonged proximity to flaring at oil refineries has exposed people to dangerous chemicals which trigger a variety of health concerns from respiratory diseases to cancer.
Keywords: Pollution, Health
Jordan, Palestine, And Israel
Gaza Infrastructure Damaged in Israeli Attack Middle East Monitor (7 April 2023)
Israeli bombing has damaged agricultural lands and health and education facilities.
Keywords: Infrastructure, Land
"أستيقظ فجراً كي أجلب المياه"... نساء غزيّات تحت وطأة تغير المناخ والعنف المجتمعي Raseef 22 (26 April 2023)
Women are disproportionately affected by water shortages in Gaza, which are exacerbated by climate change, occupation, and the blockade.
Keywords: Water
Israel Settler Cuts Dozens of Olive Trees in West Bank Middle East Monitor (28 April 2023)
An Israeli settler who has been targeting Palestinian olive groves over the last month has cut thirty more trees in Batisha, south of Nablus.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Kuwait
Kuwait To Build World’s Tallest Tower Middle East Monitor (13 April 2023)
Kuwait announces plans to construct the world’s tallest skyscraper in Madinat Al-Hareer. The project is due to be completed in twenty-five years.
Keywords: Urban Planning
Lebanon
Pity the Land Synaps (3 April 2023)
The Lebanese food system was built on an import-centric model in which consumers had been able to purchase cheap foreign goods and farmers had access to cheap foreign inputs. Amidst the current economic crisis, Lebanese producers are no longer able to afford inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, or pesticides, while rising costs make it difficult to market yields at competitive prices.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
"الهواء أصبح مسموماً"... التلوّث قاتل صامت يهدّد اللبنانيين Raseef 22 (20 April 2023)
Air pollution in Lebanon threatens human and crop health. Transportation, dumps, and generators are some of the most prominent emitters of toxins. Air pollution, however, is one of the least studied forms of pollution due to difficulty of monitoring and the need for specialized equipment.
Keywords: Pollution, Air, Health
Qatar
Mauritania: Qatar Energy’s Oil and Gas Exploration Is ‘Significant Development’ Middle East Monitor (5 April 2023)
Qatar Energy has acquired a forty percent stake in offshore oil exploration along the coast of Mauritania.
Keywords: Energy
Sudan
Minister: Sudan Wants To Export Meat to Europe via Turkiye (3 April 2023)
The Sudanese Minister of Animal Resources announced intentions to increase livestock exports.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Sudan’s Nile Fishermen Worry as Climate Change Means Fewer Fish Al Jazeera (4 April 2023)
Nile fish stocks are declining as a result of climate change and overfishing, driving many fishermen away from the profession.
Keywords: Wildlife, Food & Agriculture, Climate & Weather
Sudan Man Braves Khartoum Battles To Tend to Wild Animals at His Sanctuary Middle East Monitor (25 April 2023)
Khartoum resident Osman Salih continues to care for animals at Al Bageir Wildlife Park amidst fighting in the city.
Keywords: Wildlife
Syria
Truffle Hunting in Syria, Once a Beloved Pastime, Is Now a Danger The New York Times (10 April 2023)
The tradition of foraging for truffles in the eastern and central deserts of Syria has become increasingly dangerous; at least eighty-four people have been killed so far this year. Truffle hunters continue the venture, however, due to poverty, high rates of unemployment, and economic collapse.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
Islamic State Attack on Syria Truffle Hunters Kills at Least 31 Middle East Eye (16 April 2023)
It is suspected that Islamic State (IS) group fighters are responsible for the deaths of thirty-one truffle foragers in the Syrian desert.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
أضرارها تعادل فوائدها... موسم قناديل البحر على الشواطئ السورية Raseef 22 (27 April 2023)
Growing jellyfish populations have emerged on the Syrian coast. The invasive species threatens the balance of the coastal ecosystem and challenges the tourism and fishing industries.
Keywords: Wildlife
Tunisia
Tunisia: Drinking Water To Be Cut off for Seven Hours Daily Middle East Monitor (1 April 2023)
The Water Distribution Company has announced that drinking water supplies will be turned off nightly in response to water scarcity and the drought crisis.
Keywords: Water
Water Ban in Drought-Stricken Tunisia Adds to Growing Crisis The Guardian (5 April 2023)
New water rationing bans irrigation and watering green spaces in Tunisia’s fourth year of severe drought. Farmers, who usually account for seventy-five percent of water use, will be hardest hit by these cuts with grain yields expected to fall to only one-third of last year’s harvest.
Keywords: Water, Food & Agriculture
Tunisia's Ancestral Seeds: An Important Resource for the Future Inkyfada (5 April 2023)
Lella Kmar is an agricultural association based in northwest Tunisia dedicated to supporting small-scale farmers preserve indigenous seeds.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
قطع مياه الشرب ومنع تنظيف الشوارع... هل يكفيان لمواجهة "شبح العطش" في تونس؟ Raseef 22 (16 April 2023)
New Tunisian water rations include drinking water restrictions. Diminishing water supply is not a new phenomenon, and some feel the severity of the new regulations is due to the lateness of implementing controls.
Keywords: Water
Türkiye
UN Says Quakes in Turkiye Damaged 20% of Food Production Middle East Monitor (1 April 2023)
The February earthquakes have severely damaged agricultural lands and infrastructures, with a new report stating twenty percent of agricultural production has been affected.
Keywords: Food and Agriculture
Turkiye on Track To Complete First Nuclear Power Plant This Year Middle East Monitor (3 April 2023)
Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant is due to open later this year. Energy production will increase annually through 2026.
Keywords: Energy, Infrastructure
Environmental Activists from Turkiye Receive ‘Green Nobel’ for First Time Middle East Monitor (26 April 2023)
Turkish scientists and conservationists are awarded a Goldman Environmental Foundation prize for their work in shark and seal conservation on the coast of Izmir.
Keywords: Wildlife, Conservation
Yemen
البنّ اليمنيّ الذي يُغيّر المزاج... هل تغيّره تقلّبات المناخ؟ Raseef 22 (13 April 2023)
Climate change is threatening global coffee production, but a lack of research on the crop in Yemen makes it difficult to understand the impact of new weather patterns on the plant and what adaptive modifications may help sustain its cultivation.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Climate & Weather