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Water Awareness in Qatar: A Survey

Qatar is one of the world’s most water-scarce countries in the world. But the continuous expansion of fossil fuel-led desalination technology and associated water infrastructure evaded the shortages and led to continuous access to safe and clean water to all the citizens and residents. In recent years, Qatar witnessed the growing household water consumption adding stress to the economy, infrastructure, and the environment. New measures were proposed to curb the demand through increasing water tariffs and recycling domestic wastewater for semi-productive use. However, these measures have not reduced the domestic consumption of water. Conserving water is one of the strategic … Continue reading

Agricultural Scenario in MENA

Agriculture plays an important role in the economies of most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the overall economy varies significantly among countries in the region, ranging from about 3.2 percent in Saudi Arabia to 13.4 percent in Egypt.  Large scale irrigation is expanding, enabling intensive production of high value cash and export crops, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, and sugar. Egypt Egypt is the 14th biggest rice producer in the world and the 8th biggest cotton producer in the world. Egypt produced about 5.67 million tons of rice and 635,000 tons … Continue reading

Sustainable Agriculture: Perspectives for Jordan Valley

Sustainable agriculture development is one of the most important pillars of the EcoPeace Middle East’s Jordan Valley Master Plan as it provides livelihood and prosperity for all the people in the valley. The strategic agricultural objective for the study area is improving water use and irrigation efficiencies and economic outputs per unit of water used, and meanwhile stabilize, or even reduce the total water demands for the agricultural sector in the Jordan Valley. This will require adequate tariff policies on water used for irrigation, including enforcement, to stimulate more efficient use of water through for instance greenhouse drip irrigation. These … Continue reading

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Gene Editing Technologies

The use of biotechnology to genetically modify living organisms has garnered worldwide attention, as the application of biotechnology is linked to critical health, environmental, and commercial issues. One of the life sciences categories is molecular biology, which approaches the genetic information stored in DNA from a novel perspective. Gene editing is a technique that aims to extract specific genes carrying desirable traits from an organism (human, plant, animal, or microbe) and artificially attach them to the genes of another organism to transfer that desired trait to the receiving organism. Biotechnology differs from traditional hybridization in that it transfers genes at … Continue reading

النفايات الصلبة في قطاع غزة

لم تكن التحذيرات التي أطلقها منسق الشئون الإنسانية  بالأمم المتحدة "ماكسويل جيلارد" بالأمر المفاجئ أو الغريب على أكثر من مليون و نصف غزّي يسكنون في تلك البقعة من العالم. هذه التحذيرات بنيت على دراسة تابعة للأمم المتحدة صدرت في شهر أغسطس 2012 و أشارت إلى أن قطاع غزة لن يكون "ملائماً للحياة" بحلول عام 2020. فقطاع غزة يعاني من مشكلات كثيرة منذ أكثر من عقد من الزمان مع بدء الانتفاضة الثانية عام 2001 و ما تلاه من حصار خانق بعد فوز حركة المقاومة الإسلامية حماس في الانتخابات التشريعية عام 2006. في أيامنا هذه و مع وصول أول سفينة فضائية لكوكب … Continue reading

How Climate Change is Impacting the MENA Countries

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is known for being one of the hottest places on Earth, and highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. In an IPCC special report on regional climate change, models projected that average temperatures in the region will increase by 1-2˚C by 2030-2050. Decision makers and citizens in all 21 countries realize that they are faced with an immediate need to reshape energy, agriculture, water and environmental policy to adapt to changing climate conditions. Steep Rise in Temperature Satellite data provided by Climate Engine from 1979 to present shows the mean max (average maximum) temperatures … Continue reading

A Message on World Water Day

Water is the major driving force of sustainable development. World Water Day aims to increase people’s awareness of the water’s importance in all aspects of life and focus on its judicious use and sustainable management. In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as the first World Water Day (WWD). Since then the WWD is celebrated to draw wider public attention to the importance of water for mankind. Globally the day is celebrated to focus attention on water conservation, carrying out appropriate concrete measures and implementing the UN recommendations at individual, local and national level. WWD is a global day … Continue reading

Are Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles Really Environmentally Friendly?

There has been a great conflict between fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness in cars. Even though plug-in hybrid vehicles have for long been thought of as environmentally friendly because they use electricity, in the real world they are the opposite. As countries grapple with the issue of carbon emissions, the PHEVs global market growth shall be a shock if all indications are correct. Comparing carbon emission rates between eco-friendly cars like Honda Jazz that rely on petrol and plug-in hybrid vehicles, Greenpeace was correct by terming PHEVs as “Wolf in sheep’s clothing”. Contrary to automakers official tests figures of 44g of … Continue reading

Why Automakers Should Be Cautious Of Future EU Policies On PHEV?

Suppose the EURO ambitions of attaining zero emission for all new cars by 2035 become a reality? Shall all the big auto brands trying to position themselves as leaders in PHEV stand the CO2 and nitrogen dioxide emission tests? It’s very simple for any automaker to rivet a PHEV emblem at the rear of their new models. But with the roadmap already drafted for up to 2040, the leading automakers planning for mass production of plug-in hybrid vehicles should be cautious. EU policies on emission rates are real. When time for the enforcement of these policies shall come knocking, just … Continue reading

Preventive Air Conditioning Maintenance: Why It Matters?

The lack of maintenance and cleaning in the air conditioner can cause a lot of problems. These can affect since the operation of the equipment and imply in a greater consumption of energy, and even favor the occurrence of health problems like migraines and irritation in the mucous membranes. Preventive maintenance and proper AC cleaning helps reduce the emission of pollutants in the environment, decreases the energy consumption of the appliance, increasing its life. Why Preventive AC Maintenance is Important? In order to have a good functioning of the air conditioning system, it is important to carry out a regular … Continue reading

Embracing Sustainability: The Environmental Benefits of Interior Vinyl Wrapping

In today’s environmentally conscious world, sustainability is a crucial factor in every industry, including construction and interior design. As we seek greener alternatives for building and renovating spaces, interior vinyl wrapping stands out as a compelling choice. Not only does it offer aesthetic versatility and cost-effectiveness, but it also presents several environmental benefits that make it an attractive option for eco-friendly renovations. What is Vinyl Wrapping Vinyl wrapping involves the application of a thin, adhesive film over existing surfaces to instantly transform their appearance. This versatile material can mimic textures like wood, stone, or metal, and comes in a variety … Continue reading

The Role of Reverse Logistics in Waste Management

Reverse logistics is a process whereby companies can become more environmentally efficient through recycling, reusing, and reducing the amount of materials used. A more holistic view of reverse logistics includes reduction of materials in the forward system in such a way that fewer materials flow back, reuse of materials is possible, and recycling is facilitated. The measures aimed at reducing waste begin in the product design phase and incorporate the entire product life cycle, including transportation and final disposal. This will allow minimizing the waste downstream and allowing the product to go backward in the chain for possible re-manufacturer, reuse, … Continue reading