Category Archives: Environment

Blue Roads in Doha: An Innovative Way to Combat Rising Temperatures

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The streets of Abdullah Bin Jassim near the iconic Souq Waqif in Doha were painted blue recently as part of a pilot project to reduce the effects of extreme heat in the city. By reflecting the heat instead of absorbing it, the blue-coated asphalt roads will support Qatar’s battle to combat the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI). Image Source: The Peninsula (2019) Blue road project to bring temperature down What is UHI? With 55 per cent of the world’s population currently living in urban areas, cities struggle to meet their overflowing capacity resulting in a dense network of high-rise buildings, … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management: An Infographic

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Healthcare sector in the Middle East is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other healthcare establishments. The growing amount of medical waste in the Middle East is posing significant public health and environmental challenges across the region. The situation is worsened by improper disposal methods, insufficient physical resources, inefficient medical waste treatment technologies and lack of research on healthcare waste management. This infographic will provide more insights into medical waste management situation in the Middle East.

Sustainable Fashion – Fact or Fiction

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The truth behind supposedly sustainable fashion is that it is not sustainable at all. Increasing awareness of the environmental impact of the fashion industry has resulted in emerging ‘eco-friendly’, ‘green’, and ‘conscious’ collections. These labels mean nothing to fast fashion companies but they do mean something to the thousands of trusting consumers being fooled. Studies have shown that people are willing to pay more for environmentally aware products which makes sustainability an effective marketing tool. Our high streets have been polluted by greenwashing. Greenwashing is presenting something to be environmentally responsible when it does not live up to the standard … Continue reading →

The Islamic Principles on Sustainable Development

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A huge number of verses in Qura’n and several sayings of the Prophet Muhammad indicate the great importance that has been given to environmental concerns and the responsibility of man to the environment. The concept of sustainable development in Islam can be defined as “The balanced and simultaneous realization of consumer welfare, economic efficiency, attainment of social justice, and ecological balance in the framework of a evolutionary knowledge-based, socially interactive model defining the Shuratic process”. The Shuratic process is the consultation or participatory ruling principle of Islam. The over arching principle in the use of nature is derived from the prophetic … Continue reading →

Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline: Economy Development or Environmental Disaster

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An ambitious project concerning energy industry in Africa between Morocco and Nigeria was set to be constructed to enhance the acceleration of electrification projects across the West African region. The objective of Morocco-Nigeria pipeline project is aimed at creation of a competitive regional market of electricity, and to connect gas resources from Nigeria to West African countries including Morocco. The pipeline project will be approximately 5,660-km long and its construction works will be in phases covering 25 years. After feasibility studies in 2017, the two countries opted for a combined onshore-offshore route to build the pipeline. The two countries are … Continue reading →

خطط برنامج الأمم المتحدة للبيئة تعزّزقدرة البلدان على رصد مصادر المياه

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 عندما نتكلم عن المياه، لابدّ لنا من التركيز على المنطقة العربية التي يشكّل سكانها 5 % من عدد سكان العالم، ولكنها لا تمتلك سوى 1% من اجمالي كميّة المياه العالمية. وفقا لتقديرات الأمم المتحدة، فان اثنتا عشرة دولة عربية تعاني من نقص حاد في المياه؛ اذ ان كمية المياه المتؤتية من مصادرمتجددة لا تصل الى 500 متر مكعب للفرد الواحد سنوياً. وقد طرحت الاستراتجية العربية للأمن المائي  (2030-2010)، مشاريع لادارة والاستخدام الكفوء لمصادر المياه. غير ان قطاع الزراعة لا يزال يستهلك 85% من مصادر المياه العذبة في حين لا تتعدّى العائدات الزراعية اكثر من 8% من الناتج القومي. كما ان … Continue reading →

اذا يعتبر التخلي عن اللحوم ضروريًا للتخفيف من تغير المناخ

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استهلاك اللحوم هو عنصر أساسي في النظام الغذائي الحديث. في العالم المتقدم، كان استهلاك اللحوم في ارتفاع مستمر منذ عقود. في العالم النامي، يأكل الناس كميات أقل من اللحوم لأنهم لا يستطيعون تحمل تكلفتها الباهظة. إن حجم الاستهلاك العالمي للحوم له آثار بيئية خطيرة ويزيد من حدة تغير المناخ. وهذا يعني أن الإنتاج العالمي للغذاء مسؤول عن ثلث جميع غازات الاحتباس الحراري المنبعثة من النشاط البشري. لذلك، من المنطقي القول بأن العلاقة بين استهلاك اللحوم والآثار السلبية لتغير المناخ مثل الاحتباس الحراري هي شيء يجب استكشافه بعمق حتى نتمكن من فهم كيفية تقليل مخاطر الكوارث البيئية. علاوة على ذلك، يلعب … Continue reading →

July 2019 – The Hottest Month Since 1850

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Thousands of surface monitoring stations spread around the globe have gathered temperature data and other meteorological information to secure the ranking of July 2019 as the hottest month on Earth since 1850. It is important to mention that there are very scant meteorological records prior to this date for global analysis. Independent climate monitoring organizations and research institutes such as Berkley Earth and Copernicus Climate Change Service (EU) have bother reached similar analysis results even though the margin from the previous warmest month of July 2016, is a very slight increment of 0.14 degrees (0.08C). Other research institutes shared their … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management in MENA

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Healthcare sector in MENA region is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other establishments. According to a recent Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs report, Egypt generated 28,300 tons of hazardous medical wastes in 2010. In the GCC region, more than 150 tons of medical waste is generated in GCC countries every day. Saudi Arabia leads the pack with daily healthcare waste generation of more than 80 tons. These figures are indicative of the magnitude of the problem faced by municipal authorities in … Continue reading →

How Can You Make Your Summerhouse Eco-Friendly?

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Many of us have had a rising concern for our environment, opting to do what we can to make our world a better place to live in. Thus, most people are gearing towards eco-friendly homes, while corporate buildings continue to improve their structures or create business establishments using sustainable design methods to protect the ecosystem. We all know that our home environment impacts our health and quality of life. For several years now, designers have worked hard to lessen the negative impact on the environment by developing sustainable architecture. Interior designs focus more on improving light sources, ergonomic elements, and … Continue reading →

Advantages of Using an Organic and Eco-Friendly Mattress

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With the number of options available in the market today, choosing which mattress to buy can be challenging. This is especially true if you don’t have any experience in buying one. If you’re looking for a mattress that can provide more than just comfort, consider buying an eco-friendly and organic mattress. Although new to some, you’ll be surprised how this type of mattress can improve the quality of your life in the long run. All mattresses can be used for sleeping. However, there are some advantages that are only unique to an organic and eco-friendly mattress. Here are some of … Continue reading →

Dust Storms and Heatwaves – Extreme Weather Events Impacting Iraq

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The people of Iraq, particularly in and around Baghdad, are being overwhelmed with the current weather conditions. Since April 20222, the region has been impacted by at least eight dust storms turning everything in the path of the storms orange. The dust storms are visible in satellite imagery as the systems are so intense. Such a high frequency of sandstorms enhances the desertification as the rainfall patterns have also diminished over recent years. Not only is the natural environment threatened beyond normal levels, but such dust storms create havoc on human health, especially respiratory disease and complications associated with respiration. … Continue reading →