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A Glance at Carbon Finance

The main objective of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is to promote sustainable development in developing countries and to allow industrialized countries to earn emissions credits from their investments in emission-reducing projects in developing countries. A particular CDM project cycle involves a wide range of transaction costs which may include the following: Project identification and selection: Costs incurred by project developers and potential investors in identifying prospective projects. Project development and baseline determination: Information costs related to the preparation of a project concept note providing relevant information on project baseline, expected additional emission reductions and corresponding costs. Project validation: The process of independent … Continue reading

Greening Your Business – Why and How

With growing awareness among consumers for eco-friendly products, it is becoming highly important for businesses in the Middle East to adopt and implement green strategies. It is not only the requirement of customers but also compliance to regulations and reduction in operating costs that drive the implementation of environment-friendly methods in business. Corporate social responsibility (or CSR) is now driven by pollution prevention, energy efficiency, eco-friendly design, and industrial ecology across all industrial sectors. Components of a Green Business A green business appears to be an expensive and cumbersome process. On the contrary it is quite easy to have a green … Continue reading

Going Paperless With Automated Reminders For Your Business

With the environmental conservation advocacy going around the worlds, people are trying their best to do their part in preserving their surroundings. And it’s for this reason that most businesses and more so are going green. The benefits that this move provides are great. But that will be a heated discussion for another day. Today, we are going to share with you various ways of going paperless with automated reminders for your business. Sounds like something you want to know? Read through the end! Using An Automatic Digital Stock Management System Every business owner knows the importance of keeping track … Continue reading

Environmental and Health Impacts of Asbestos

Asbestos is an infamous building and construction material that gained popularity in the 20th century due to its fire-resistant properties. Asbestos’ first commercial mine was opened in 1879 in Quebec province, Canada. It took several years of production and consumption of this material in several parts of the world before its health and environmental hazards were discovered. Australia was one of the heaviest global consumers of asbestos in the 1980s with most of the materials being imported into the country from Canada and South Africa. The use of the material didn’t stop until a national ban was announced on December … Continue reading

5 Benefits of Lowering Your Home Temperature For Energy Savings

Everybody loves coming home to a comfortable temperature. Your personal definition of the perfect “room temperature” depends more than anything else on your personal preferences. Be aware, though, that that comfort can cost. Heating and cooling typically account for a full half of your home’s energy costs – they consume more electricity than lighting, appliances, and electronics all put together. This is why monitoring your temperature is important according to Temperaturesensei Wouldn’t you like to cut that expense without compromising on comfort? It’s easier than you think! Surveys show that over half of us use inefficient thermostat settings that waste … Continue reading

Understanding Qatar’s Ecological Footprint

Qatar’s environmental impact remains worryingly high. The country’s per capita ecological footprint is now the second highest in the world, as another Gulf state, Kuwait, has overtaken it to become the worst offender of the 152 countries that were measured, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Planet Report 2014. The third country in the list is the UAE, with Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer, in 33rd position. By comparing the total footprint with the planet’s biocapacity – its capacity to generate an ongoing supply of renewable resources and to absorb waste -the report, based on 2010 … Continue reading

Biomass Energy and its Promise

Biomass is the material derived from plants that use sunlight to grow which include plant and animal material such as wood from forests, material left over from agricultural and forestry processes, and organic industrial, human and animal wastes. Biomass comes from a variety of sources including wood from natural forests, agricultural residues, agro-industrial wastes, animal manure, organic industrial wastes, municipal solid wastes, sewage sludge etc. When biomass is left lying around on the ground it breaks down over a long period of time, releasing carbon dioxide and its store of energy slowly. By burning biomass its store of energy is released … Continue reading

الإسلام و البيئة

تقدم المعتقدات، العادات، و القيم الإسلامية حلّا شاملا و فعالا  للتحديات البيئية الراهنة التي تواجه الجنس البشري. يمتلك الإسلام تقاليدا غنية تسلط الضوء على أهمية حماية البيئة والحفاظ على الموارد الطبيعية. وفقا للشريعة الإسلامية، فإن العناصر الأساسية للطبيعة – الأرض، المياه، النار، الغابات، والضوء –  هي حق لكافة الكائنات الحية، و ليست حكرا على البشر فقط.  إن القرآن الكريم والسنة النبوية الشريفة عي بمثابة نور يوجه تعزيز التنمية المستدامة في البلدان الإسلامية و في جميع أنحاء العالم. و قد أمر الله سبحانه و تعالى البشر بالابتعاد عن سوء استخدام و هدر الموارد، لأن مثل هذه الأفعال قد تسهم في تدهور … Continue reading

The Potential of Green Hydrogen in the MENA Region

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) offer impeccable weather conditions to develop renewable energy continuously all year round. There are currently over 1500 wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the area with a producing capacity of over 20GW[1] and these numbers are expected to grow exponentially in the forthcoming years[2]. Recently, hydrogen has received an unprecedented attention in the global energy scenery. Over 30 countries have revealed their hydrogen strategies, and more are expected to follow. Just in the MENA region, 10 countries have ambitions in developing the technology and are prepared to invest in related projects, in … Continue reading

Green Building Sector in the UAE: Perspectives

The focus on sustainability is one of the biggest trends in the GCC’s building sector. This is underpinned by Dubai being ranked third in the list of global cities with the highest number of green certified buildings in the ‘Sustainability and Wellness in Dubai’ report by Core Savills with over 550 projects under LEED certification and the implementation of the Estidama framework in Abu Dhabi. Paving the Way In the UAE, the directives by the Federal and Local Government entities to establish a sustainable economy that advocates demand side-energy management, and water & energy use efficiency has encouraged real estate … Continue reading

How to Start Your Dream Greenhouse

Gardening is one of the most interesting hobbies, especially for those who have some time to get their hands dirty every once in a while. As a matter of fact, gardening doubles up as an activity that can both be a primary source of income and a side hassle, especially when done from a greenhouse. Additionally, it also provides you with the opportunity to grow your own food in your backyard or plot near your home. From veggies to citrus fruits and ornamental plants, there’s a wide variety of crops you can grow in your greenhouse or backyard garden despite … Continue reading

Air Quality in Arab Countries: An Overview

Air quality in the Arab countries has deteriorated over the past few decades. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have nearly doubled. Changes in the power sector were driven by strategies that have been successfully implemented in many countries in the region to improve energy access, leading to more fossil fuels being burnt in the thermal power plants to meet the increase in power demand. Electricity consumption has increased by 75.5 percent, leading to a total amount of 766.5 million tons of CO2 being emitted in 2015, compared to 436.6 in 2006. Emissions from the transport sector have increased due to … Continue reading