Database helps plant 'right tree for the right place' 16/11/2016

German researchers have compiled a 400-species database to encourage people to plant the "right tree in the right place" in urban areas. ...more

AFED conference puts education at heart of sustainable development 16/11/2016

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) launched its ninth conference under the title of “Sustainable development in a changing Arab climate” at the American University of Beirut (AUB) on November 10, 2016, attended by President Fadlo Khuri, and a roomful of notables, alumni, activists, and social influencers. ...more

World Bank targets US$1.5 billion per year to support climate action in Arab World 16/11/2016

The World Bank Group announced yesterday a new plan to ramp up support for countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to confront the multiple threats of climate change. ...more

AFED conference recommends greening the economy and providing refugees with education and training: Peace and security pre-requisite for sustainable development 15/11/2016

The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) issued on Monday the recommendations of its annual conference, which concluded in the weekend. ...more

Sweltering 2016 to set heat record, stoked by man-made warming: WMO 15/11/2016

The world is set to notch up a new heat record in 2016 after a sizzling 2015 as global warming stokes more floods and rising sea levels, the U.N. weather agency said on Monday at climate change talks overshadowed by Donald Trump's election win. ...more

China says air pollution worsens in October 15/11/2016

Air quality in China's smog-hit northern regions, which include the capital Beijing, worsened in October despite overall improvements over the course of the year, the environment ministry said in a notice late on Monday. ...more

Tiny power plant sucks CO2 from the air and turns it into fuel 15/11/2016

Ineratec, an offshoot of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has devised a creative solution to the excess carbon dioxide (CO2) soaking the atmosphere. ...more

U.S. finalizes 'quiet cars' rules to prevent injuries 15/11/2016

The U.S. government on Monday finalized long-delayed rules that will require "quiet cars" like electric vehicles and hybrids to emit alert sounds when they are moving at speeds of up to 18.6 miles per hour (30 km per hour) to help prevent injuries among pedestrians, cyclists and the blind. ...more

Arab Spring has cost region 6 percent of GDP: ESCWA 15/11/2016

The Arab Spring unrest of 2011 has cost the region's economies an estimated $614 billion of growth because of regime change, continuing conflict and falling oil prices, a United Nations agency said on Thursday. ...more

Trump win threatens climate funds for poor, a key to Paris accord 14/11/2016

President-elect Donald Trump's policies are likely to make it harder for developing nations to obtain the growing finance they need to combat climate change, threatening one pillar of a 2015 international agreement to slow global warming. ...more