Thirsty Energy or Hungry Water?

The World Bank chose “Thirsty Energy” as title for its report on the energy-water nexus. If we were to produce such a report for the Arab region, the title could better be “Hungry Water”- as production of water eats the bulk of Arab energy. ... more

How can we make oil energy for the future?

Sustainability Week, which was hosted in Abu Dhabi, opened doors for the future. Discussions at the annual assembly of the International Agency for Renewable Energy (IRENA), the World Future Energy Summit and the Water Summit showed indisputably that the world as we know it is changing. ... more

Energy for the real poor

With its energy consumption growing twice as fast as its economic growth, the Arab region is among the least efficient in the world. The report ... more

Revolutions do not Substitute Resource Management

So how can a regional organization dedicated to environment adapt to the bitter reality in an area where more than half the population witness revolts and uprisings? It appears almost impossible to implement an environmental agenda in a region whose inhabitants struggle for survival and are totally uncertain about their future. ... more

Climate refugees: The worst is to come

Dozens of Lebanese seeking new opportunities in Australia lost their lives when a boat carrying them from an island in Indonesia capsized. ... more

Silent Death

As hundreds of tons of radioactive water were leaking from the wrecked Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant hit by the tsunami in 2011, thousands of people were being killed by chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus. ... more

Arabs do not read

Edgar Choueiri, Princeton University plasma physicist, questioned how the Arabs could become full and equal partners with those who shape the world’s economy, security and future, if they remain just consumers of science and technology rather than producers. He contested the rhetoric about the contributions which ancient Arab civilizations had made to physics, biology, mathematics and astronomy, saying that this is something of a remote past. ... more

Sustainability is not occasional outbursts

If you think that our Arab societies have bypassed the complex of “the first”, “the tallest” and “the greatest”, then you are wrong ... more

Solar Impulse: Shift Gear, Drop Weight, Change Altitude

Ten weeks after its departure from San Francisco, on the West Coast of the United States, Solar Impulse landed in New York on the East Coast. During many stopovers between the kickoff and final destination, cities were awarded green certificates for supporting eco-friendly technology, and millions visited the plane to have closer look on solar power in action. ... more

The nuclear power option in Arab countries

The earthquake that struck the Iranian Bushehr province in April 2013 reminded us of the nuclear reactor at Bushehr, and raised concerns about possible radioactive leakages. Such fears were to be expected, just two years after the nuclear disaster caused by the tsunami in Fukushima. ... more