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Environment and development AL-BIA WAL-TANMIA Leading Arabic Environment Magazine

314 - May 2024
Editorial
Forum
Nate Blum
Sorghum and the Carbon Economy: Unlocking Nature-Based Solutions for a Warming Planet
Nate Blum
As the planet faces increasing climate-related challenges, there’s growing recognition that some of the most powerful solutions may come from the natu
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Antonio Guterres
A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Antonio Guterres
This month, leaders will gather in Sevilla, Spain, on a rescue mission: to help fix how the world invests in sustainable development
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Tom Pickerell
UN Ocean Conference Ends with Momentum — and Missed Chances
Tom Pickerell
There's real momentum coming out of Nice — but also a lot of unfinished business
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Najib Saab
Trump's Lost War on Humanity and the Environment
Najib Saab
The hostile economic war, launched by US President Donald Trump against the entire world under the slogan "America First"
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Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief Najib Saab 		 
 
Selected articles News
Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses 10/7/2025
As hydrogen infrastructure is rolled out in the EU, refuelling stations must be distributed according to the same principle in all countries. But now a study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, points to shortcomings in EU regulations. Using an advanced model, the researchers show that the distribution of refuelling stations may both be incorrectly dimensioned and lead to losses of tens of millions of euros a year in some countries. ...more
 
Ships trigger high and unexpected emissions of the greenhouse gas methane 3/7/2025
Ship traffic in shallow areas, such as ports, can trigger large methane emissions by just moving through the water. The researchers in a study, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, observed twenty times higher methane emissions in the shipping lane compared to nearby undisturbed areas. Despite the fact that methane is a greenhouse gas that is 27 times as powerful as carbon dioxide, these emissions are often overlooked with today's measurement methods. ...more
 
Agricultural waste can become the clothes of the future 17/6/2025
Cellulose-based textile materials can make the clothing sector more sustainable. Currently, cellulose-based textiles are mainly made from wood, but a study headed by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden points to the possibility of using agricultural waste from wheat and oat. The method is easier and requires fewer chemicals than manufacturing forest-based cellulose, and can enhance the value of waste products from agriculture. ...more
 
Transforming waste into a public asset: Michigan State University leads next-generation anaerobic digestion innovation 10/6/2025
MSU is spearheading next-generation anaerobic digestion technologies that convert agricultural and food waste into renewable energy, recover nutrients and water, and support environmental sustainability across Michigan and the Great Lakes region. ...more
 
Massive Growth Ahead: Low Carbon Building Market Eyes $1.3 Trillion by 2033 14/5/2025
According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, the low carbon building market size was valued at $0.6 trillion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $1.3 trillion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2024 to 2033. ...more
 
A Step Toward Harnessing Clean Energy From Falling Rainwater 23/4/2025
When two materials come into contact, charged entities on their surfaces get a little nudge. This is how rubbing a balloon on the skin creates static electricity. Likewise, water flowing over some surfaces can gain or lose charge. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have harnessed the phenomenon to generate electricity from rain-like droplets moving through a tube. They demonstrate a new kind of flow that makes enough power to light 12 LEDs ...more
 
Difficult and costly energy transition unless the EU invests in biomass 22/4/2025
Biomass is currently the EU’s largest renewable energy source, but climate strategies often focus on other energy sources. A comprehensive analysis, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, now shows that biomass is crucial for Europe's ability to reach its climate targets, as it can be used to produce fossil-free fuels and chemicals and also enables carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. If biomass were excluded from the European energy system, it would cost an extra 169 billion Euros per year – about the same as the cost of excluding wind power. ...more
 
Renting clothes for sustainable fashion – niche markets work best 27/3/2025
Renting clothes can reduce the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, but so far, the business models have not worked very well. The best chance of success is for a rental company to provide clothing within a niche market, such as specific sportswear, and to work closely with the suppliers and clothing manufacturers. This is shown by a study led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, which highlights the measures that can make clothing rental a success. ...more
 
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
 
No heat, no excuses – How Dubai’s Mallathon is turning malls into fitness communities 13/8/2025
At 6:30am, when most shopping malls in Dubai are still dark, shutters pulled down and corridors silent, the Mall of the Emirates was full of life. Sneakers were laced, smartwatches synced, and residents, young and old lined up not for sales, but for steps. ...more
 
Global plastic treaty talks are ‘difficult', European commissioner says 13/8/2025
Negotiations to debate the terms of a global treaty to curb plastic pollution are proving difficult, the European Union environment commissioner said on Tuesday. ...more
 
Amazon rainforest is approaching 'tipping points' that could transform it into a drier savanna 13/8/2025
The Amazon could be racing closer to a calamitous tipping point that would transform the lush rainforest into a drier savanna within a century, researchers warn. ...more
 
Vape sellers to pay disposal costs under plans to end UK’s ‘throwaway culture’ 13/8/2025
Ministers say online vendors of electrical goods such as microwaves will also have to contribute to recycling fees. ...more
 
Fossil-fuelled heat has caused tropical birds to decline by ‘up to 38%’ since 1950s 13/8/2025
An uptick in heat extremes, driven by human-caused climate change, has caused tropical bird populations to decline by up to 38% since the 1950s, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis. ...more
 
Record warm seas help to bring extraordinary new species to UK waters 12/8/2025
The UK's seas have had their warmest start to the year since records began, helping to drive some dramatic changes in marine life and for its fishing communities. ...more
 
Top climate tech exec: The AC gap between Europe and America is becoming an economic liability 12/8/2025
In the U.S., 90% of households have AC. In Europe? Just 20% on average. In some countries, such as the UK, that number falls to less than 5%. ...more
 
Why Higher Beef Prices Aren’t Actually Good News for Climate Change 12/8/2025
Beef prices are at a record high, but that doesn’t mean less meat production. ...more
 
What are UV levels and how can you protect yourself? 12/8/2025
Warm weather can often bring high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation is emitted by the Sun and penetrates the Earth's atmosphere. Some exposure is essential for our wellbeing, but too much can cause skin damage. ...more
 
Climate change is killing fireflies – threatening a US summer ritual 12/8/2025
Scientists say lightning bugs are having a revival this year – but they’re concerned about the insects’ long-term viability. ...more
 
Abu Dhabi welcomes two million migratory birds each year 11/8/2025
Emirate’s protected islands are home to 426 bird species, including threatened varieties. ...more
 
‘Erasure of years of work’: outcry as White House moves to open Arctic reserve to oil and gas drilling 11/8/2025
The Trump administration’s plan to expand oil and gas drilling in a 23m acre reserve on the Arctic Ocean is sparking an impassioned response, amid fears it threatens Arctic wildlife, undermines the subsistence rights of Alaska Natives and imperils one of the fastest-warming ecosystems on Earth. ...more
 
Lula signs bill to ease Brazil environmental licenses but vetoes key provisions 11/8/2025
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed into law a bill easing environmental licensing rules, but vetoed dozens of provisions, the executive secretary of the president's office said on Friday. ...more
 
Climate solutions that spread fast? This is how it could happen 11/8/2025
A group of international researchers has developed a new method to identify so-called positive tipping points, when small shifts in behaviour, technology or policy could spark sweeping, self-sustaining climate progress. ...more
 
Human connection to nature has declined 60% in 200 years, study finds 11/8/2025
People’s connection to nature has declined by more than 60% since 1800, almost exactly mirroring the disappearance of nature words such as river, moss and blossom from books, according to a study. ...more
 
July was Earth's third-hottest on record, included a record for Turkey, EU scientists say 8/8/2025
Last month was Earth's third warmest July since records began and included a record national temperature in Turkey of 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 Fahrenheit), scientists said on Thursday. ...more
 
Researchers race to predict wildfire behaviour as France battles biggest blaze in decades 8/8/2025
The fire currently raging in France’s southern Aude region has already swept through an area larger than Paris. As large-scale wildfires become a bigger threat due to climate change, researchers in France are now working to model their behaviour in order to more effectively combat them. ...more
 
What is net zero and is the UK on track to achieve it? 8/8/2025
Achieving "net zero" is the world's key target for fighting climate change, which is already having serious consequences for people and nature around the globe. ...more
 
A Famously Stable Glacier in Argentina Suddenly Looks Anything But 8/8/2025
After holding steady for decades, the beloved Perito Moreno has thinned considerably since 2019, scientists said. ...more
 
AI tool trial could save equivalent of 1.5m meals in food waste 8/8/2025
Millions of meals worth of wasted food could be redistributed thanks to an artificial intelligence tool being trialled by companies across the UK, including Nestlé. ...more
 
Reuters Exclusive: Trump administration memo urges countries to reject plastic production caps in UN Treaty 7/8/2025
The United States has sent letters to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a global pact that includes limits on plastic production and plastic chemical additives at the start of U.N. plastic treaty talks in Geneva, according to a memo and communications seen by Reuters. ...more
 
Chemical pollution a threat comparable to climate change, scientists warn 7/8/2025
More than 100 million ‘novel entity’ chemicals are in circulation, with health impact not widely recognised. ...more
 
Global insured catastrophe losses hit $80 billion in first half of 2025, report shows 7/8/2025
Global insured losses from natural catastrophes reached $80 billion in the first half of 2025, preliminary estimates from Swiss Re Institute showed on Wednesday, driven by wildfires in California and severe thunderstorms in the United States. ...more
 
As China's renewable capacity soars, utilisation lags, data show 7/8/2025
China's renewable power potential in far-flung provinces is increasingly going unused, official statistics showed on Monday, as the country rushes to build more long-distance transmission and energy storage to bridge the gap. ...more
 
German cabinet approves bill to accelerate carbon storage infrastructure 7/8/2025
Germany's cabinet approved on Wednesday reforms to accelerate the development of infrastructure for carbon dioxide capture and storage as Berlin aims to become carbon neutral by 2045 while keeping its hard-to-decarbonise industries. ...more
 
 
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Arab Environment 9: Sustainable Development in a Changing Arab Climate
‎مجلة البيئة والتنمية Environment & Development‎
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