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

January 2019
Editorial
Forum
NAJIB SAAB
Why the Poland climate summit succeeded
NAJIB SAAB
Despite all the hype and doomsday scenarios, the climate summit (COP 24) in Poland reaffirmed the commitment of countries to confront together
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PADDY PADMANATHAN
Ten Years of ACWA Power and Corporate Responsibility
PADDY PADMANATHAN
Since 2007 the Arab region has undergone a number of changes because of economic cycles
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Yihui Wang
AFED Synthesizes Decade of Arab State of the Environment Reports
Yihui Wang
The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) has published a report titled, ‘Arab Environment in 10 Years’, which
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Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief Najib Saab 		 
 
Selected articles News
Environmental Conservation in the UAE: An Authentic Cultural Heritage and Experience 8/1/2018
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has prioritized the conservation of the environment and natural resources, both being integral to its national heritage, almost since the establishment of the federation in 1971. The founding father of the UAE, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, considered the environment and sustainable development to be cornerstones of the nation’s progress. ...more
 
PREVENTING DISEASE THROUGH HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT: ASSESSMENT OF THE BURDEN OF DISEASE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS IN ARAB COUNTRIES 1/6/2017
The realization of how many diseases and illnesses can be prevented by focusing on the management of environmental risks adds impetus to efforts to encourage preventive health measures through all available policies, strategies, interventions, technologies and knowledge. This is generally true to sustain development in most countries of the world, but is more significant in Arab countries where environmental risks are higher and rates of development slower. ...more
 
FactCheck: The facts on Trump's EPA nominee 15/12/2016
Scott Pruitt, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has made some questionable claims related to global warming, fracking and the Clean Power Plan. ...more
 
AFED Secretariat Annual Work Report 2016 10/11/2016
Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) is closing its most challenging year, in a region overwhelmed by security and economic turmoil. Although we continue to believe that, after all sorts of conflicts and wars, people will still need to preserve and develop their natural capital that they need for survival, AFED is being stripped of minimum resources to execute its mission ...more
 
Waste trade: exporting countries responsible to return refused waste. Interview with Rolph Payet. 2/3/2016
As part of its cover story about Waste trade, in the March-April 2016 issue, Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia magazine conducted this interview with Rolph Payet, executive secretary of the Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. ...more
 
Strong climate deal good for Arab countries 4/12/2015
Climate change, once considered an issue for the future, has now moved firmly into the present. Few days before a new climate change deal is due to be agreed in Paris, the question is no longer whether there will be an agreement but what shape and how strong it will be. ...more
 
Sustainable consumption: AFED’s 2015 report and public opinion survey 19/11/2015
In 2009, an Arab Regional Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) was adopted by the League of Arab States. This was one of the first such regional strategies to be developed before the RIO+20 summit, which had adopted the 10 Year Framework of Programs (10YFP) on SCP. Consequently, the Arab Region moved forward and became the first region to develop and adopt a Roadmap for Implementation of the 10YFP on SCP at the regional level in June 2013. However, as is the case in most Arab regional strategies, both the roadmap and the SCP regional strategy are far from being implemented at the national levels. Development and implementation of SCP strategies in most Arab countries are still lagging. ...more
 
ACWA Power Develops 200 MW Solar PV Plant in Dubai: 5.84 Cents per kWh Sets New Global Pricing Benchmark 19/11/2015
In March 2015, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with a consortium of ACWA Power and TSK for a 200 MW net solar photo-voltaic (PV), under Phase II of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the Middle East’s largest renewable energy park. The bid tariff set a new global pricing benchmark for renewable energy generated from utility scale PV panels at USD 5.84 cents/kWh without subsidies. The second phase is based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model and is intended to be operational by April 2017. The project, which occupies 4.5 Km2, will help to achieve a reduction of 400,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. ...more
 
Impact of phasing out water subsidies in Tunisia and Morocco on consumption: a general equilibrium approach 19/11/2015
Morocco and Tunisia are considered among the countries where the scarcity of water resources may cause a serious constraint to the development of their economies. The agricultural sector is the most important consumer of water with more than 80% of the total. Moreover, both countries have shown an increase in the share of GDP accounted for by the nonfarm sectors, which imply an increase in residential water demand as well as manufacturing and service sectors. Consequently, if production growth in the non-farm sectors requires a proportional increase of water demand factor , then water can be a major constraint to economic growth in both countries. ...more
 
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CLIMATE-RESILIENT SEEDS AS A POSSIBLE RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE-INDUCED FOOD SHORTAGES 4/9/2015
Climate change is predicted to have dramatic impacts on agricultural production globally. Although food production in some regions of the world may benefit from increasing average temperatures, most of the world will face severe challenges in adapting agricultural systems to the predicted climatic changes. ...more
 
Food Security and Climate Change: the UAE Experience 15/5/2015
The Arab world faces critical challenges in ensuring its food security. Our region is already the world’s largest net importer of essentials such as cereals and sugar, low water supplies in the region mean that expanding agricultural production is difficult, and population growth means that more people must be fed each year. In many ways, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) presents an exemplary case of this challenge. ...more
 
The UNDP-CEDRO Program’s Solar Power Initiatives 5/3/2015
The CEDRO project, a UNDP executed program, has been established since 2007, originally through a generous grant from the Government of Spain, through the Lebanon Recovery Fund, of approximately $10 million. At that time, renewable energy at large, and solar power in specific (with the exception of residential solar hot water systems), have not yet begun to be well propagated and/established. ...more
 
Conflict, refugees and food insecurity in the Arab region 5/3/2015
Conflict has a direct and indirect effect on food security, undermining it through various channels. Its direct effects are numerous – the destruction of infrastructure and machinery; death of livestock; razing of farm land,; and blocked access to markets for producers, distributors, and consumers. Indirectly, conflict discourages productive investment in agriculture, thereby reducing the availability of food. It strips government of tax revenues that prevent the establishment of social safety nets which promote food security. ...more
 
Virtual Water Trade as a Policy Instrument Contributing to the Achievement of Food Security in the GCC Countries 5/3/2015
The concept of ‘virtual water’ has been introduced by Tony Allan in the early nineties (Allan, 1993; 1994). However, it took nearly a decade to get global recognition for the importance of the concept of achieving regional and global water security. The "virtual water" content of a product, as often defined, is the volume of water used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced (i.e., a production site specific definition). ...more
 
Review of the likely impact of climate change on agriculture in selected Arab countries 5/3/2015
Climate change is expected to impact agriculture in the region in one way or another. Below is a short review of the anticipated impact of climate change on agricultural in selected Arab countries. ...more
 
How should we tackle natural conservation of Lebanon?: Japanese Ambassador `s observation 5/3/2015
The East Mediterranean, a cradle of the civilizations, is blessed with a diverse and plentiful nature. But this nature is endangered. Nowadays we can observe that the growth range of the Lebanese Cedars has diminished quite drastically. ...more
 
Developing Fish Resources in the Arab World 7/1/2015
The Arab World is rich with large fish resources providing health and cheap proteins to Arabs, compared to animal proteins from other resources. Since the Arab World suffers a shortage in grazing and animal feed resources, which limits the capability to expand meat production, it is very important to sustain the contribution of fish resources in providing animal proteins to the Arab food basket; actually, this sector must be developed to sustainably increase its contribution to the Arab food security system. ...more
 
New groundwater atlas to help UAE monitor usage 17/1/2019
An atlas that reveals the UAE’s underground water reserves will help to prevent people digging unlicensed wells, authorities said. ...more
 
China installed 18 percent less solar power capacity in 2018 17/1/2019
China put just over 43 gigawatts (GW) of new solar generation capacity into operation in 2018, down 18 percent from a year earlier, an industry group said on Thursday, after a government move to curb new capacity and ease a subsidy payment backlog. ...more
 
U.S. automakers push for deal on fuel efficiency rules 17/1/2019
Executives at the major U.S. automakers are pressing the Trump administration and California to agree on standards for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions through 2025, as risks increase that a deadline for setting national standards will pass without a deal. ...more
 
Value of global CO2 markets hit record 144 billion euros in 2018: report 17/1/2019
The value of traded global markets for carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances soared 250 percent last year to a record high of 144 billion euros ($164 billion), analysts at Refinitiv said on Wednesday. ...more
 
Failure to curb climate change a top risk: Davos survey 17/1/2019
The risk that global efforts to tackle climate change will fail has risen despite concerns about powerful storms, floods, and droughts, a survey released by the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday, days before its annual gathering in Davos. ...more
 
Saudi Arabia sees domestic energy use falling, plans renewables push 16/1/2019
Saudi Arabia expects domestic energy consumption to fall by 1.5 million to 2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030 as a result of moves a year ago to hike gasoline and electricity prices, the energy minister said on Tuesday. ...more
 
Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change – study 16/1/2019
Climate change could be kept in check if a phaseout of all fossil fuel infrastructure were to begin immediately, according to research. ...more
 
China's Moon mission sees first seeds sprout 16/1/2019
Seeds taken up to the Moon by China's Chang'e-4 mission have sprouted, says China National Space Administration. ...more
 
Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’ 16/1/2019
Scientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished. ...more
 
These are the most endangered species in the world 16/1/2019
As 2018 ended, it brought to light the reality that some animals — after existing on Earth for millions of years — are gone for good. At the end of last year, scientists announced that three bird species went extinct, and there are even more species that could vanish in 2019. ...more
 
Too much salt: water desalination plants harm environment: U.N. 15/1/2019
Almost 16,000 desalination plants worldwide produce bigger-than-expected flows of highly salty waste water and toxic chemicals that are damaging the environment, a U.N.-backed study said on Monday. ...more
 
Antarctica's melt quickens, risks meters of sea level rise: study 15/1/2019
Antarctica’s annual ice losses have accelerated six-fold in the past 40 years in a trend that could push sea levels meters higher in coming centuries amid man-made global warming, scientists said on Monday. ...more
 
China starts new recycling drive as foreign trash ban widens 15/1/2019
China plans to launch 100 new large-scale recycling “bases” by the end of next year, part of a campaign to make better use of its resources after extending a ban on foreign trash imports. ...more
 
Thai capital fires water cannon into the air to fight pollution 15/1/2019
The Thai capital fired water cannon into the hot tropical air and hosed down streets on Monday as authorities handed out masks in a bid to combat air pollution in one of the world’s most visited cities which has been blanketed by smog since Saturday. ...more
 
UK's first contact lens recycling scheme launches 15/1/2019
The UK’s first free national recycling scheme for plastic contact lenses – worn by an estimated 3.7 million people – is being rolled out this week. ...more
 
Assembly selects Italian official to lead the International Renewable Energy Agency 15/1/2019
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly selected Francesco La Camera to be the next Director-General of IRENA. ...more
 
Winners of 2019 Zayed Sustainability Prize announced 14/1/2019
An organisation that fortifies flour with nutrients in a bid to tackle malnourishment in East Africa and a project to harvest spring water for communities are among this year's winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize. ...more
 
Britain pledges legislation in 2019 to combat deadly air pollution 14/1/2019
Britain on Monday pledged to fight air pollution and introduce new legislation this year on air quality to save lives and billions of pounds for the economy. ...more
 
Portuguese parliament widens residency scheme with 'green visas' 14/1/2019
Portugal’s parliament on Friday extended a residency program for wealthy foreigners to include investors who spend at least 500,000 euros on environmental projects. ...more
 
Guardian switches to potato starch wrapping 14/1/2019
Guardian readers have been opening their weekend paper to find supplements wrapped in a compostable material made from potato starch. ...more
 
California’s Monarch butterfly population hits ‘potentially catastrophic’ low in 2018 14/1/2019
California’s Monarch butterfly population hit a record low in 2018 after dropping a whopping 86 percent from the previous year. ...more
 
Masdar City's steel urban allotments could help solve food security crisis 11/1/2019
Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City is piloting a project that could see urban communities growing their own food in an allotment, but with a very modern day twist. ...more
 
China could lift life expectancy by nearly three years if it meets WHO smog standards: study 11/1/2019
China could raise average life expectancy by 2.9 years if it improves air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according a new study from a U.S. research group. ...more
 
Oceans warming faster than expected, set heat record in 2018: scientists 11/1/2019
The oceans are warming faster than previously estimated, setting a new temperature record in 2018 in a trend that is damaging marine life, scientists said on Thursday. ...more
 
India launches national anti-pollution program, but experts skeptical 11/1/2019
India on Thursday launched a program to rein in dangerous pollution levels in more than a hundred cities that the government said it expected to improve air quality significantly. ...more
 
Endangered bluefin tuna sold for $3.1 billion to sushi tycoon 11/1/2019
A recent predawn auction at Tokyo’s new fish market brought a record-breaking bid for the endangered bluefin tuna. Sushi tycoon Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushi Zanmai chain, paid $3.1 million for the enormous fish, more than double the price from five years ago. ...more
 
 
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Arab Environment in 10 Years
‎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
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