Category Archives: Environment

Asbestos Waste Management in the MENA Countries

By | | , ,
8 Comments

Each year countries from the Middle East and North Africa import large amount of asbestos for use in the construction industry. As per the last known statistics, the Middle East and Africa accounted for 20% of world demand for the material. Iran and the United Arab Emirates are among the biggest consumers of the material. Infact, the entire Middle East has been steadily increasing their asbestos imports, except for Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which are the only two countries that have placed bans on asbestos but with questionable effectiveness. Iran alone has been reported to order 30,000 tons of asbestos … Continue reading →

Reusing Textbooks Can Repurpose Knowledge for Needy Students

By | |
2 Comments

For every academic term or semester, thousands of new textbooks are being printed, bought and used. On the other hand, almost the same number of textbooks and course material are being discarded after its use and find its way to the garbage bins ultimately landing at the landfill site where they are being buried, compacted and disposed occupying precious land area. Usually these textbooks are not being reused or recycled generating huge quantities of paper waste. In many of the private schools, the textbooks have to be bought in every term due to change in edition or minor revisions putting … Continue reading →

The Benefits of Green Buildings for the Middle East

By | | , ,
10 Comments

The Middle East region faces a unique set of challenges in terms of sustainable buildings and cities. For example, water shortage is mitigated by costly desalination and we are faced with high water consumption which leads to a higher carbon footprint and ultimately impacts climate change. Middle Eastern countries are at the top of the list of largest per capita ecological footprints. In 2020, Qatar has the highest per capita level of carbon dioxide emissions, at 37 metric tons per person annually. Kuwait is second with 20.83 tons, followed by Saudi Arabia with 17.97 metric tons. Therefore, integrating energy efficiency … Continue reading →

الديمقراطية في المشروع الدولي البيئي

By | | ,
2 Comments

الديمقراطية القيمة والثقافة الإنسانية التي على الرغم من تنازع الرؤى والمفاهيم حول جوهر مضامينها وتوصيفاتها وضرورة وجودها ومدى شمول توافق أنماطها مع تقاليد وقيم المجتمعات الإنسانية على اختلاف ثقافاتها وانتماءاتها العرقية والدينية، وخصوصية أنظمتها الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والسياسية، تبقى المطلب الإنساني الذي صار يؤكد ضرورة وجوده في مواجهة الأزمات والكوارث الإنسانية وزحمة التراجعات في المفاهيم القيمية للعلاقات، وما يسببه ذلك من شرعنة ثقافة الجريمة وإحاطتها بحزام من التقاليد لثقافة التخلف، والتوجه بشكل متسارع لجعل ثقافة الغاب الوسيلة التي تحكم المجتمع البشري. تلك الحقيقة نتبينها في الانزلاق المتسارع نحو ثقافة الجريمة المبنية على قشور تاريخ ومبادئ ثقافات وهمية تشبه فقاعة الصابون، لكنها أحدثت … Continue reading →

Waste Management Perspectives for Oman

By | | , , ,
14 Comments

Globalization and modernization have led to increased consumption among the Omani population. Reportedly, the average Omani household throws away one-third of the food it purchases. Conspicuous consumption fuelled by peer pressure and effective advertising brings more goods and products into the home than the family members can actually make use of. And along with the increase in merchandise comes a lot of extra packaging. Product packaging now accounts for the bulk of what is thrown into household rubbish bins. The urge to keep pace with what one’s neighbours, relatives and peers acquire means higher rates of consumption: a new mobile … Continue reading →

المبنى الأخضر في الأردن – نافذة جديدة على البيئة

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

في  دول العالم المتقدم , أصبح الحوار الذي ينافس السياسة و القضايا المجتمعية هو البيئة . أصبحت البيئة محط أنظار الجميع الان بعد سنين طوال من السعي وراء التكنولوجيا و التطور و إهمالها بشكل ملحوظ . إن مفهوم البيئة لم يعد مقتصرا على النظافة و توفير المياه فحسب , بل أصبحت الدول و القارات تتنافس في مجال انتاج الطاقة النظيفة ( طاقة الرياح , الشمسية , الطاقة المائية , طاقة الحرارة الأرضية , طاقة المد و الجزر و طاقة الكتل الحرارية ) وذلك بعد الجزم بإمكانيتها في  تأمين طاقة يمكن الإعتماد عليها في شتى الميادين و بشكل رئيسي بدلا من … Continue reading →

5 Ways to Conserve the Environment From Your Home

By | | ,
8 Comments

The environment has numerous benefits that it offers to us which is the reason as to why it needs to be well conserved. There are a lot of measures that one can take to help in environmental conservation. However, it is a task that begins from our own homes. We have a lot of pollutants in our homes and we can prevent these from going into the environment through simple acts. Below are 5 simple tips to conserve the environment from home: 1. Minimizing wastage of food Food waste causes a lot of environmental pollution. Statistics have proven that a … Continue reading →

الحس البيئي – البعد النفسي والروحي

By | |
1 Comment

الحس البيئي كمفهوم كان محط حوار جمعني عبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي مع الخبير العماني في الشأن البيئي المهندس يحيى البلوشي، ووجدت ان ذلك يدخل ضمن واقع مؤثرات العلاقة التي تربط الانسان مع المحيط البيئي ما دفعني الى اعتبار ان الحس البيئي يتمثل في منظومة المشاعر والاحاسيس النفسية والروحية والقيم والمفاهيم المرتبطة بالعلاقة الانسانية مع البيئات الطبيعية والمحيط البيئي للانسان وتلك العلاقة والارتباط الوجداني يترك اثره المباشر والفعلي في تكون قيم السلوك الرشيد والمسؤولية الاخلاقية للفرد والمجتمع في تبني ثقافة العلاقة الموزونة والنهج الواعي في تنظيم العلاقة السليمة مع النظم البيئية وصونها من مختلف اشكال التلويث والتدمير وبناء ثقافة مجتمعية تساهم … Continue reading →

Environmental Benefits of Tire Recycling

By | | , ,
1 Comment

It is estimated that there are more than a billion passenger vehicles in the world. Imagine the number of tires that will be eventually disposed of. In the United States alone, an estimated 300 million tires are discarded every year. Where do you think those tires would end up? With the size, volume, and inherent durability of tires getting rid of them is no walk in the park. Fortunately, tire recycling has made substantial improvements in the past several years thanks to innovative technologies. The next time you are to replace your car tires, make it a point to recycle … Continue reading →

Carbon Capture and Storage: Prospects in GCC

By | | , ,
3 Comments

Gulf Cooperation Council countries are burgeoning economies which are highly dependent on hydrocarbons to fuel their needs for economic growth. GCC nations are fully aware of the mounting consequences of increasing levels of CO­2 on the environment, mainly attributed to soaring energy demand of domestic and industrial sector. Regional countries are undertaking concrete steps and measures to reduce their carbon footprint through the introduction of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Among other options, Carbon Capture and Storage, popularly known as CCS, can be an attractive proposition for GCC nations. What is CCS Carbon capture and storage (or carbon capture and sequestration) … Continue reading →

Re-thinking Sustainable Innovation: A New Development Discourse

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

The climate change presents a challenge to science and policy makers to articulate a new discourse for  sustainable development. Although, the Middle East, the cradle of civilization, was  a fertile land, it was transformed by modern technology and new models of development into a vulnerable ecosystem. The Paradox The paradox is that we are witnessing high levels of poverty despite a growth in global GDP. Also, our natural capital is being degraded at an alarming rate. This is evident when we look at global indicators; i.e., the planet has lost half its mangrove in the last century, and about 70% … Continue reading →

The Harmful Impacts of Tire-Burning Kilns

By | | , , ,
6 Comments

Decorative arts such as woodworking, weaving as well as ceramics and other pottery have a long and honored tradition.  In fact, some of the earliest examples of pottery originated from the Middle East from the time of 6500 BC. In order to meet the ceramic industry’s high energy demand, much of the developing world, MENA in particular, is resorting to cheaper alternatives such as fueling kilns by burning tires and other harmful materials. Though modern technology has led to clean and efficient kiln usage in the developed world, these options come with a high price tag when referring to industrial … Continue reading →