Category Archives: Environment

لماذا السيارات الصديقة للبيئة مهمة؟

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يعد قطاع النقل أكبر مصدر لانبعاثات غازات الدفيئة في العديد من البلدان، يرجع السبب الأكبر إلى السيارة التقليدية، حيث تمثل المركبات أكثر من نصف الانبعاثات من قطاع النقل. السيارة النموذجية ينبعث منها غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون والعديد من المواد الكيميائية الضارة الأخرى التي تضر بالبيئة وصحة الإنسان. وهذا يجعل من قيادة السيارة المناسبة ضرورة ملحّة الآن أكثر من أي وقت مضى. تعد قيادة سيارة صديقة للبيئة وسيلة رائعة لمساعدة صحة الإنسان والبيئة. حيث تطلق السيارات الخضراء مواد كيميائية أقل ضرراً في الهواء، حيث أنه تنبعث منها مركبات كربونية منخفضة عند التشغيل. الفقرة التالة تساعد في معرفة الأسباب المختلفة التي تجعل السيارات الصديقة … Continue reading →

3 Financial Benefits of Running a Green Operation

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While it’s true that the first goal of going green with a business should be to make a positive impact on the environment, we would be lying to ourselves if we didn’t admit that there’s a major financial component to it. Many people will simply refuse to buy from a company that’s environmentally irresponsible. On the other hand, being eco-friendly can never be a bad thing. This is why all businesses should consider going green if they want to increase their bottom line. Here are some of the main financial benefits of running a green operation. 1. Lower Utility Costs … Continue reading →

Ecotourism Industry in the Middle East

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Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing segments in the global tourism industry and the Middle East is no exception. The ecotourism industry, catalyzed by advancements in transportation and information technology, has brought hitherto unknown geographical landscapes into public limelight, thus bringing tourists to pristine natural locations across the Middle East. Middle East has also been witnessing growing popularity of ecotourism among native and expatriate populations. Some of the Middle East nations popular with ecotourists include Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Oman and Tunisia. Due to its sunny climate, unique landscape, distinct culture and rich history, the region offers wealth of … Continue reading →

Role of Artificial Intelligence in Environmental Sustainability

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In recent years, the environmental issues have triggered debates, discussions, awareness programs and public outrage that have catapulted interest in new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence finds application in a wide array of environmental sectors, including natural resource conservation, wildlife protection, energy management, clean energy, waste management, pollution control and agriculture. Artificial Intelligence (also known as AI) is considered to be the biggest game-changer in the global economy. With its gradual increase in scope and application, it is estimated that by 2030, AI will contribute up to 15.7 trillion of the global economy which is more than the … Continue reading →

Environmental Research in Arab World: Perspectives

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The Arab world is facing many environmental pressures ranging from challenges in resource management and water scarcity to air pollution and climate change, which all require serious scientific environmental research. Arab nations contribute 1.7 percent of the total value of budgets embarked for environmental research worldwide. Leaders in Environmental Research Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia are the most active research countries in general science and environmental research. Scientific research has increased in the last ten years, with Egypt leading the Arab world, followed by Saudi Arabia for both the number and rate of publications produced. Egypt has contributed at … Continue reading →

Environmental Best Practices in the Cement Industry

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Worldwide, cement production  has almost tripled during the last 15 years, mainly on account of high population growth rate, rapid urbanization, increasing industrialization and large-scale infrastructural development. The growth of cement industry in MENA is marked by factors that are directly connected with sustainability, energy efficiency and raw material supply. Although the factors differ from country to country and cannot be generalized, there are major concerns regarding shortage of raw materials, GHG emissions, dependence on fossil fuels and lack of investment in technological innovations. For the cement sector, key points for an environment-friendly industry are use of alternative raw materials … Continue reading →

Building a Plastic Bottle Village From Rubbish

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This is an inspiring true story that demonstrates a solution to the rubbish problem, especially discarded plastic bottles, plaguing our planet! We hope it will encourage and inspire other visionaries to take similar actions around the world! Robert Bezeau moved to the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, Panama, after he grew tired of the cold weather in his home country of Canada. He loved Panama, but at the same time, he was dismayed by the rubbish removal left behind by more than 100,000 tourists visiting the area every year. While he walked the beaches, he began collecting discarded plastic … Continue reading →

Environmental Initiatives in Middle East – Challenges and Remedies

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Environmental protection has become an increasingly important item on the social and economic policy agenda of Middle East nations. As I read last week’s piece titled “Environmental Impacts of Plastic Bags” I was struck by the succinct summary of the main problems with the ongoing use of plastic bags and how their effects can be felt in many ways, some widely publicized and others not. The article prompted a series of reflections upon other environmental initiatives emerging in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In this article, I wish to share my … Continue reading →

Green Finance: Powering a Sustainable Tomorrow

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Green finance provides linkage between the financial industry, protection of the environment and economic growth. Simply speaking, green finance refers to use of financial products and services, such as loans, insurance, stocks, private equity and bonds in green (or eco-friendly) projects. Green finance, which has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, provides public well-being and social equity while reducing environmental risks and improving ecological integrity. For example, global interest in green energy finance is increasing at a rapid pace – in 2019, investments in green energy reached the figure of US$ 282.2 billion, which underscores the significance of … Continue reading →

التوصيل الأخضر والتسوق المستدام: دراسة حالة في الإمارات العربية المتحدة

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في عصر يتصدر فيه الوعي البيئي قائمة القضايا العالمية، يتساءل المستهلكون بشكل متزايد عن استدامة توصيل المنتجات ويبحثون عن طرق لجعل عادات التسوق لديهم أكثر مسؤولية بيئيًا. يتناول هذا المقال مختلف جوانب استدامة توصيل المنتجات ويقدم رؤى حول كيف يمكن للأفراد المساهمة في جعل كوكب الأرض أخضرًا أكثر من خلال اختياراتهم في التسوق. التأثير البيئي لوسائل توصيل المنتجات التقليدية تعتمد وسائل توصيل المنتجات التقليدية، التي تعتمد غالبًا على مركبات تعمل بالوقود الأحفوري وتعتمد بشكل كبير على التعبئة والتغليف الزائد، بشكل كبير على تدهور البيئة. يعتبر قطاع النقل مساهمًا رئيسيًا في انبعاثات غازات الاحتباس الحراري، حيث تنبعث شاحنات وفانات التوصيل ملوثات … Continue reading →

Environmental Perceptions and Attitudes in Qatar – A Survey

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Measuring environmental knowledge, opinion and attitude is of paramount importance to the academics and policymakers for developing better policies for human well-being and protection of ecosystems. Self-reporting attitudes and behaviours are one of the ways to measure. A first-of-its-kind national opinion survey on environmental issues was conducted in 2016 in a series of three surveys including ten socio-demographic questions in each survey. The survey covered a wide range of topics from climate change to government policies to urbanization to food. The results show a large number of people are deeply aware of the local and global environmental problems. Overall, the … Continue reading →

Why Cities in the Middle East Need More Trees?

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In 2016, The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest environmental NGOs in the United States, released a report entitled “Planting Healthy Air” that examines the role planting trees in urban areas plays in reducing pollution and extreme heat. As the report indicates, the population of city dwellers globally is increasing, as is the number of deaths associated with exposure to pollution and intense heat waves. The authors of the report argue that urban forestation projects are one of the most cost effective means to reduce particulate matter in the air and cool temperatures in the world’s largest cities. Urban forestation … Continue reading →