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8 Best Sedan Car Rentals in Dubai

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Sedan (saloon) cars are one of the most common models of cars that are offered by rental companies. Different car makers like Toyota, Honda, Kia, Chevrolet, Mazda, Renault etc, all have popular sedan cars that are roaming the streets of Dubai. If you don’t have an idea of what a sedan car is or looks like, then here is a simple explanation. A sedan car simply has four doors and a trunk. It is also easily recognized by its fixed B pillar between the front and the rear windows. Have you ever wondered or thought about which sedan you would … Continue reading →

عِقْد العمل: المدن وأنسنة أهداف التنمية المستدامة

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بقي أمامنا 10 سنوات على إنجاز ما التزمنا به ضمن الأجندة العالمية للتنمية المستدامة 2030. إلا أن وتيرة التقدم في تحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة أبطأ من المطلوب. في كانون الثاني/يناير 2020، وفي محاولة لتسريع التقدم وتكثيف الجهود، أطلق الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة أنطونيو غوتيريش “عِقْد العمل والإنجاز من أجل التنمية المستدامة”. ويستند العِقْد إلى ثلاثة مستويات من العمل: العمل العالمي، والعمل المحلي، والعمل الشعبي. وعقب أسابيع من الإعلان، ضرب وباء “كوفيد-19” الكرة الأرضية وفاقم التحديات أمام جهود تحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة حول العالم. وفي حين أن رفاه الإنسان يقع في صميم التنمية المستدامة، إلا أن التوقعات تشير إلى ارتفاع معدل … Continue reading →

Islamic Perspectives on Overpopulation, Overconsumption and Climate Change

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Overpopulation – and incipient overconsumption – are the twin products of the capitalist system. Consumerism is characterized by the desire for material goods. It is the dominant ideology of our times and holds responsibility for the Climate Crisis. This is as consumerism is intimately linked with anthropocentrism, environmental destruction and global inequality Moreover, Islam can provide a thoroughgoing critique of the prevailing socio-economic system.  As such, it is necessary to develop a strong Islamic platform in order to work towards economic justice and sustainability. Overpopulation can be better understood through analysis of overconsumption and resource depletion. The scale of the … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency Perspectives for UAE

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With Abu Dhabi alone on track to generate more than 10,000 megawatts of electricity for the first time, discussion about improving energy efficiency in the United Arab Emirates is taking on a more critical tone. Daytime energy use in the hot summer months is still experiencing rampant year-on-year growth, with peak demand this year growing by 12 per cent. Lying at the heart of these consumption levels is the need for air conditioning, which accounts for about half of total electricity demand. Business and Government Action At the commercial level, considerable steps are being taken to reduce the Emirate’s carbon … Continue reading →

Solar Energy Prospects in Tunisia

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Tunisia is an energy-dependent country with modest oil and gas reserves. Around 97 percent of the total energy is produced by natural gas and oil, while renewables contribute merely 3% of the energy mix. The installed electricity capacity at the end of 2015 was 5,695 MW which is expected to sharply increase to 7,500 MW by 2021 to meet the rising power demands of the industrial and domestic sectors. Needless to say, Tunisia is building additional conventional power plants and developing its solar and wind capacities to sustain economic development. Wind Energy in Tunisia Wind power represents the main source of renewable energy in … Continue reading →

The Vanishing Aquifers in MENA: An Overview

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Aquifers are of tremendous importance for the MENA as world’s most water-stressed countries are located in the region, including Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, Lebanon and Yemen. However, aquifers in MENA are coming under increasing strain and are in real danger of extinction. Eight aquifers systems, including those in MENA, are categorized as ‘over stressed’ aquifers with hardly any natural recharge to offset the water consumed. Aquifers in MENA Aquifers stretched beneath Saudi Arabia and Yemen ranks first among ‘overstressed’ aquifers followed by Indus Basin of northwestern India-Pakistan and then by Murzuk-Djado Basin in North Africa. The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer in … Continue reading →

Desertec: What Went Wrong?

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A plan to power Europe from solar power plants in Sahara desert, popularly known as Desertec, seems to have stalled, but several large North African solar projects are still going ahead despite local concerns. Where did the Desertec project go wrong, and can desert solar power yet play a role in a democratic and sustainable future? If you use social media, you may well have seen a graphic going around, showing a tiny square in the Sahara desert with the caption: ‘This much solar power in the Sahara would provide enough energy for the whole world!’ Can this really be true? It is … Continue reading →

لبنان وتغير المناخ

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وقع لبنان، بلدي المنشأ، على اتفاق باريس في 22 أبريل 2016، في نيويورك. لسوء الحظ، لم يتم التصديق عليه من قبل البرلمان حتى الآن. يستفيد لبنان من اتفاقية باريس اجتماعيا وبيئيا وماديا. يستطيع  لبنان توفير ما يصل إلى 50 مليار دولار في عام2040    إذا التزمت البلدان الموقعة للاتفاقية بعهودها. وحتى بعد مؤتمر الأمم المتحدة لتغير المناخ ٢٢ في مراكش، لا يزال من غير الواضح تماما كيف ستتلقى البلدان النامية على المبلغ السنوي المتفق عليه في باريس. وكما هو واضح في اتفاقية باريس، هناك حاجة لإشراك القطاع الخاص في الخطة المناخية للحكومات. ولا يمكن للبنان أن يحقق هدفه دون إشراك جهات … Continue reading →

The Decade of Action: Cities Humanizing SDGs

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We are 10 years away from delivering the 2030 sustainable development Agenda. Yet, the pace of progress on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is slower than sought. In January 2020 and in an attempt to expedite progress, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres inaugurated the ‘Decade of Action’. The Decade is built on three levels of action: global action, local action, and people action. Weeks after, the COVID-19 Pandemic hit the globe and magnified pressure on achieving all SDGs across borders. While human well-being lies at the heart of the sustainable development Agenda, the global extreme poverty rate is projected … Continue reading →

Waste-to-Energy Pathways

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Waste-to-energy is the use of modern combustion and biological technologies to recover energy from urban wastes. The conversion of waste material to energy can proceed along three major pathways – thermochemical, biochemical and physicochemical. Thermochemical conversion, characterized by higher temperature and conversion rates, is best suited for lower moisture feedstock and is generally less selective for products. On the other hand, biochemical technologies are more suitable for wet wastes which are rich in organic matter. 1. Thermochemical Conversion of Waste The three principal methods of thermochemical conversion of MSW are combustion (in excess air), gasification (in reduced air), and pyrolysis (in … Continue reading →

The Pandemic is Shifting Public Attention Towards Sustainable Living

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Since the COVID-19 disease outbreak, it hasn’t been particularly easy to track down good news, especially on a global level. Due to huge decreases in travel, however, emissions dropped drastically and gave Mother Nature a long overdue chance to catch her breath. For the most part, globally speaking, the pandemic has also been a catalyst for people and communities working together in the fight against COVID-19. Parts of this increase in working together involve more sustainable practices in a world full of factory shutdowns and increased difficulties in getting food. This sustainability silver lining is widespread, and here are some … Continue reading →

Energy Efficiency in Saudi Cement Industry

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Saudi Arabia is the largest construction market in the Middle East, with large development projects under way and many more in the planning stage. The cement industry in Saudi Arabia is evolving rapidly and annual clinker production was 75 million tonnes in 2018. The cement industry is one of the highest energy-intensive industries in the world, with fuel and energy costs typically representing 30-40% of total production costs. On an average, the specific electrical energy consumption typically ranges between 90 and 130 kWh per tonne of cement. Keeping in view the huge energy demand of the cement industry, the Saudi … Continue reading →