Wednesday 12 Mar 2025 |
Arabic
AFED2023
 
AFEDAnnualReports
Environment and development AL-BIA WAL-TANMIA Leading Arabic Environment Magazine

314 - May 2024
Editorial
Forum
Najib Saab
Populism Destroys the Earth, Laws Protect it
Najib Saab
The threats to environment and climate policies around the world, posed mainly by the spread of populist movements
more...

Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary-General's Statement on COP29
Antonio Guterres
COP29 comes at the close of a brutal year – a year seared by record temperatures, and scarred by climate disaster, all as emissions continue to rise
more...

Global Climate Leaders
Global climate leaders want COP29 to succeed but call for urgent overhaul of the process
Global Climate Leaders
It has become clear that constructive, supportive ideas developed some time ago on the COP process have been misinterpreted in today’s context
more...

Mathis Wackernagel
MY OBSESSION WITH OVERSHOOT
Mathis Wackernagel
There is no other possible future than a regenerative one
more...
 
 
 
Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief Najib Saab 		 
 
Selected articles News
Ice stupas of the Ladakh desert: an ingenious solution to water scarcity – a picture essay 28/1/2025
Farmers in the northern Indian region used to rely on snow and glacier meltwater, but the climate crisis is disrupting the water cycle – which means new ways of storing water are needed ...more
 
Toxic waste from world's deadliest gas leak fuels protests in India 23/1/2025
Vegetable vendor Shivnarayan Dasana had never seen so many policemen descend on his village in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ...more
 
Natural disasters in the past 12 months have been the most costly and impactful stretch of extreme weather in America in 90 years 18/1/2025
Experts at AccuWeather say extreme weather events and disasters in the past 12 months have had the costliest and most widespread impacts that Americans have faced in nearly a century.    ...more
 
Arab-Israeli Environmental Cooperation: A Controversial Path to Peace Amid Ecocide 28/11/2024
On August 30, 2024, amid the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that Lebanon joined the Saudi-led Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), describing the step as crucial, especially for southern border towns and villages that are suffering significant environmental and agricultural damage. ...more
 
CO2 & Waste-Derived Bioplastics: Pioneering Sustainable Manufacturing 22/11/2024
As the world grapples with the environmental impact of traditional plastics, bioplastics derived from carbon dioxide (CO2) and waste materials present a promising solution. This emerging sustainable market seeks to address two critical global challenges: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing waste. By converting CO2 and waste into useful bioplastics, scientists and companies are pioneering technologies that could revolutionize the way we produce and consume plastics. ...more
 
The blue-green sustainable proteins of seaweed may soon be on your plate 15/11/2024
The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilised or sprayed with insecticides. However, the proteins are often tightly bound, and their full potential has not yet been realised on our plates.  But now researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have found a new way to extract these proteins three times more efficiently than before – and this progress paves the way for seaweed burgers and protein smoothies from the sea. ...more
 
Industry royally champions sustainable floriculture project led by Coventry University 9/10/2024
Coventry University is leading a project to reduce plastic, packaging and waste in the British cut-flower industry. ...more
 
Major boost in carbon capture and storage essential to reach 2°C climate target 27/9/2024
Large expansion of carbon capture and storage is necessary to fulfill the Paris Climate Agreement. Yet a new study led by Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden and University of Bergen, in Norway, shows that without major efforts, the technology will not expand fast enough to meet the 2°C target and even with major efforts it is unlikely to expand fast enough for the 1.5°C target. ...more
 
Europe’s deadly floods are glimpse of future climate 25/9/2024
Central Europe's devastating floods were made much worse by climate change and offer a stark glimpse of the future for the world's fastest-warming continent, scientists say. ...more
 
Which Countries Should Pay for International Climate Finance? 18/9/2024
The world needs trillions of dollars annually to combat climate change, but questions remain as to where that funding will come from. Most at stake are poorer countries that are the least protected — and hardest hit — from the increasing ravages of heat waves, storm surges and other extreme weather events exacerbated each year by climate change. Many of these countries lack the resources to undertake a rapid and just transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy without external help. ...more
 
World’s strongest battery paves way for light, energy-efficient vehicles 12/9/2024
When cars, planes, ships or computers are built from a material that functions as both a battery and a load-bearing structure, the weight and energy consumption are radically reduced. A research group at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is now presenting a world-leading advance in so-called massless energy storage – a structural battery that could halve the weight of a laptop, make the mobile phone as thin as a credit card or increase the driving range of an electric car by up to 70 percent on a single charge. ...more
 
A method that paves the way for improved fuel cell vehicles 14/8/2024
More efficient and longer-lasting fuel cells are essential for fuel cell-powered heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles to be an alternative to combustion fuelled counterparts. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed an innovative method to study and understand how parts of fuel cells degrade over time. This is an important step towards the improved performance of fuel cells and them becoming commercially successful. ...more
 
Empowering women – a key to both sustainable energy and gender justice 13/8/2024
Involving women in implementing solar energy technologies in developing countries not only has great climate impact. A new study published in Nature Energy and carried out by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that empowering women through energy care work can change unjust, gendered norms and long-lived injustices. ...more
 
Could Australia become a green hydrogen superpower? 9/8/2024
“If you remember being a kid and blowing up a balloon or into a milkshake, your cheeks got sore because there is an energy penalty associated with bubble formation.” ...more
 
New Study: The price tag of phasing-out coal 15/5/2024
Coal phase-out is necessary to solve climate change, but can have negative impacts on workers and local communities dependent on coal for their livelihoods. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Central European University in Austria have studied government plans for coal phase-out around the world and discovered that more than half of such plans include monetary compensation to affected parties. This planned compensation globally amounts to USD 200 billion, but it excludes China and India, the two largest users of coal that currently do not have phase-out plans. The study shows that if China and India decide to phase out coal as fast as needed to reach the Paris climate targets and pay similar compensation, it would cost upwards of USD 2 trillion. ...more
 
Toxic chemicals can be detected with new AI method 2/5/2024
Swedish researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg have developed an AI method that improves the identification of toxic chemicals – based solely on knowledge of the molecular structure. The method can contribute to better control and understanding of the ever-growing number of chemicals used in society, and can also help reduce the amount of animal tests. ...more
 
High-precision diaphragm metering pump makes the “Electrolysis Made in Baden-Württemberg” system demonstrator fit for industrial application 14/4/2024
Effective decarbonization of German industry – and with it, the achievement of the climate targets with a secure energy supply at the same time – is unthinkable without the expansion of hydrogen technologies. Since they are a carbon-free energy source, they do not release any emissions during combustion. Hydrogen is also suitable as a storage medium to compensate for fluctuations in renewable energy production, since it can be produced via electrolysis using any power source. As part of the "Electrolysis Made in Baden-Württemberg" project, which was completed in 2023, the Baden-Württemberg Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) has now strengthened the region as a hydrogen location for the long term. With the participation of 40 companies, a scalable system demonstrator for alkaline pressure electrolysis with an output of 1 MWel was engineered. The pump specialist LEWA from Leonberg, Germany, also contributed to the success of the project: an ecoflow diaphragm metering pump with Ex motor feeds the water required for hydrogen production into the process. As of 2026, the system will continue to operate in the H2 GeNeSiS model region and feed hydrogen into the new pipeline along the Neckar River. ...more
 
How bad could the ship collision be for the environment? 12/3/2025
Environmental organisations and the UK authorities are assessing how damaging the collision of an oil tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea will be for marine species and nearby wildlife populations. ...more
 
COP30 president cites limits of global climate summits 12/3/2025
After decades of United Nations climate summits, the model of gathering world leaders to negotiate agreements under complex rules is starting to show its limits, said the president of the next such summit, Brazilian diplomat Andre Correa do Lago. ...more
 
What the world needs now is more fossil fuels, says Trump’s energy secretary 12/3/2025
The world needs more planet-heating fossil fuel, not less, Donald Trump’s newly appointed energy secretary, Chris Wright, told oil and gas bigwigs on Monday. ...more
 
Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis, study finds, threatening millions with starvation 12/3/2025
Researchers say problem could increase number of people at risk of starvation by 400m in next two decades. ...more
 
Chicken manure can be classified as industrial waste, judge rules 12/3/2025
Industrial poultry farms face tough new regulations around the disposal of chicken manure after a judge ruled it can be classified as waste and requires a detailed and transparent plan to dispose of it without damaging the environment. ...more
 
2024 IQAir World Air Quality Report Finds Only 17% of Global Cities Meet WHO Air Pollution Guideline 11/3/2025
IQAir today announced the release of its 7th annual World Air Quality Report, highlighting alarming trends of the world’s most polluted countries, territories, and regions in 2024. ...more
 
BRICS' climate leadership aims hang on healing deep divides 11/3/2025
Ambitions by the BRICS group to take on a greater climate leadership role, building on success last month at United Nations nature talks, depend on the countries overcoming fractious politics and entrenched disagreements over money. ...more
 
Trump’s USAid cuts will have huge impact on global climate finance, data shows 11/3/2025
Campaigners say funding halt is a ‘staggering blow’ to vulnerable nations and to efforts to keep heating below 1.5C. ...more
 
Lab-grown food could be sold in UK within two years 11/3/2025
Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the UK for human consumption for the first time within two years, sooner than expected. ...more
 
Rodent for dinner? US residents encouraged to eat invasive nutria 11/3/2025
Wildlife experts claim nutria, which destroy habitats with voracious eating habits, taste like rabbit or dark turkey meat. ...more
 
Fish learn how to survive in warming Arabian Gulf 10/3/2025
Abu Dhabi scientists find coral reef fish showing higher ‘thermal tolerance’. ...more
 
United States quits board of UN climate damage fund, letter shows 10/3/2025
The United States has withdrawn from the board of the U.N.'s hard-negotiated climate damage fund, dedicated to helping poor and vulnerable nations cope with climate change-fuelled disasters, a letter seen by Reuters showed. ...more
 
London air quality improves after expansion of levy on polluting cars, says report 10/3/2025
Toxic gas emissions in London fell by 27% following a 2023 expansion of the city's clean air zone, which imposes a levy on the most polluting vehicles, a report from the mayor's office said on Friday. ...more
 
EU proposes ending wolves' 'strictly protected' status in Europe 10/3/2025
The European Commission proposed on Friday making it easier to hunt wolves in Europe, citing their growing number and the threat they pose to livestock as reasons for downgrading the animals' protection status. ...more
 
Butterfly populations plummet by 22% in US since turn of century 10/3/2025
The population of butterflies - the beautiful insects that play a vital role in pollination and the health of ecosystems - has fallen in the United States by more than a fifth this century, according to research spanning hundreds of species from the red admiral butterfly to the American lady to the cabbage white. ...more
 
Brazil warns Trump effect risks 'triple negative' for climate 7/3/2025
Action to curb global warming is at risk from a "triple negative" effect triggered by the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House, Brazil said on Thursday, as it prepares to host U.N. climate talks later this year. ...more
 
Global sea ice hit ‘all-time minimum’ in February, scientists say 7/3/2025
Scientists called the news ‘particularly worrying’ because ice reflects sunlight and cools the planet. ...more
 
Study: The ozone hole is healing, thanks to global reduction of CFCs 7/3/2025
A new MIT-led study confirms that the Antarctic ozone layer is healing, as a direct result of global efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances. ...more
 
UK’s richest can boost climate action but need to cut outsized emissions – study 7/3/2025
Study finds wealthy have larger carbon footprints but are uniquely positioned to have positive effects. ...more
 
South Africa records 16% drop in rhino poaching last year 7/3/2025
South Africa recorded a roughly 16% drop in rhino poaching last year, with 420 animals killed for their horns versus 499 the previous year, the government said on Thursday. ...more
 
EU says it sticks to zero-emission car path to 2035 6/3/2025
The European Commission said on Wednesday it would stick to its 2035 target that all new cars and vans sold in the European Union would no longer emit carbon dioxide and would also abide by its intermediate target for 2030. ...more
 
Reuters Exclusive: US withdrawing from plan to help major polluters move from coal, sources say 6/3/2025
The United States is withdrawing from the Just Energy Transition Partnership, a collaboration between richer nations to help developing countries transition from coal to cleaner energy, several sources in key participating countries said. ...more
 
China announces plans for major renewable projects to tackle climate change 6/3/2025
China said on Wednesday it would develop a package of major projects to tackle climate change as it moves to bring its carbon dioxide emissions to a peak before 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. ...more
 
Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from 36 fossil fuel firms, study shows 6/3/2025
Researchers say data strengthens case for holding firms to account for their contribution to climate crisis. ...more
 
Half of global croplands could see a drop in suitable crops at 2C of warming 6/3/2025
More than half of global cropland areas could see a decline in the number of suitable crops under a warming scenario of 2C, new research finds.  ...more
 
 
Poll of the month
Do you prefer a printed magazine or an electronic one?

Ask An Expert
Boghos Ghougassian
Composting
Videos
 
Recent Publications
Arab Environment 9: Sustainable Development in a Changing Arab Climate
‎مجلة البيئة والتنمية Environment & Development‎
ان جميع مقالات ونصوص "البيئة والتنمية" تخضع لرخصة الحقوق الفكرية الخاصة بـ "المنشورات التقنية". يتوجب نسب المقال الى "البيئة والتنمية" . يحظر استخدام النصوص لأية غايات تجارية . يُحظر القيام بأي تعديل أو تحوير أو تغيير في النص الأصلي. لمزيد من المعلومات عن حقوق النشر يرجى الاتصال بادارة المجلة
© All rights reserved, Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia and Technical Publications. Proper reference should appear with any contents used or quoted. No parts of the contents may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means without permission. Use for commercial purposes should be licensed.