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Environment and development AL-BIA WAL-TANMIA Leading Arabic Environment Magazine

314 - May 2024
Editorial
Forum
Najib Saab
Fraud Threatens EU’s Green Ambitions
Najib Saab
The embezzlement of hundreds of millions of European agricultural funds in Greece is not an isolated incident
more...

Nate Blum
Sorghum and the Carbon Economy: Unlocking Nature-Based Solutions for a Warming Planet
Nate Blum
As the planet faces increasing climate-related challenges, there’s growing recognition that some of the most powerful solutions may come from the natu
more...

Antonio Guterres
A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Antonio Guterres
This month, leaders will gather in Sevilla, Spain, on a rescue mission: to help fix how the world invests in sustainable development
more...

Tom Pickerell
UN Ocean Conference Ends with Momentum — and Missed Chances
Tom Pickerell
There's real momentum coming out of Nice — but also a lot of unfinished business
more...
 
 
 
Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief
Najib Saab
 
 
Selected articles News
Climate Action Has a Messaging Problem 14/9/2025
In the summer of 2024, Dutch citizens ranked climate change as the most serious problem facing the world. Just a few months later, they elected a national government that ran on a platform of pulling back its climate policies. ...more
 
Europe’s Soaring Heat and the Great Air Conditioning Dilemma 21/8/2025
Much of Europe sweltered in August 2025 as a heat dome spread across the continent, pushing peak afternoon temperatures to over 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) in France and Spain. Meanwhile, parts of Greece, Turkey and Albania battled historic and devastating wildfires as high temperatures scorch the land. ...more
 
Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses 10/7/2025
As hydrogen infrastructure is rolled out in the EU, refuelling stations must be distributed according to the same principle in all countries. But now a study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, points to shortcomings in EU regulations. Using an advanced model, the researchers show that the distribution of refuelling stations may both be incorrectly dimensioned and lead to losses of tens of millions of euros a year in some countries. ...more
 
Ships trigger high and unexpected emissions of the greenhouse gas methane 3/7/2025
Ship traffic in shallow areas, such as ports, can trigger large methane emissions by just moving through the water. The researchers in a study, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, observed twenty times higher methane emissions in the shipping lane compared to nearby undisturbed areas. Despite the fact that methane is a greenhouse gas that is 27 times as powerful as carbon dioxide, these emissions are often overlooked with today's measurement methods. ...more
 
Agricultural waste can become the clothes of the future 17/6/2025
Cellulose-based textile materials can make the clothing sector more sustainable. Currently, cellulose-based textiles are mainly made from wood, but a study headed by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden points to the possibility of using agricultural waste from wheat and oat. The method is easier and requires fewer chemicals than manufacturing forest-based cellulose, and can enhance the value of waste products from agriculture. ...more
 
Transforming waste into a public asset: Michigan State University leads next-generation anaerobic digestion innovation 10/6/2025
MSU is spearheading next-generation anaerobic digestion technologies that convert agricultural and food waste into renewable energy, recover nutrients and water, and support environmental sustainability across Michigan and the Great Lakes region. ...more
 
Massive Growth Ahead: Low Carbon Building Market Eyes $1.3 Trillion by 2033 14/5/2025
According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, the low carbon building market size was valued at $0.6 trillion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $1.3 trillion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2024 to 2033. ...more
 
A Step Toward Harnessing Clean Energy From Falling Rainwater 23/4/2025
When two materials come into contact, charged entities on their surfaces get a little nudge. This is how rubbing a balloon on the skin creates static electricity. Likewise, water flowing over some surfaces can gain or lose charge. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have harnessed the phenomenon to generate electricity from rain-like droplets moving through a tube. They demonstrate a new kind of flow that makes enough power to light 12 LEDs ...more
 
Difficult and costly energy transition unless the EU invests in biomass 22/4/2025
Biomass is currently the EU’s largest renewable energy source, but climate strategies often focus on other energy sources. A comprehensive analysis, led by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, now shows that biomass is crucial for Europe's ability to reach its climate targets, as it can be used to produce fossil-free fuels and chemicals and also enables carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. If biomass were excluded from the European energy system, it would cost an extra 169 billion Euros per year – about the same as the cost of excluding wind power. ...more
 
Renting clothes for sustainable fashion – niche markets work best 27/3/2025
Renting clothes can reduce the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, but so far, the business models have not worked very well. The best chance of success is for a rental company to provide clothing within a niche market, such as specific sportswear, and to work closely with the suppliers and clothing manufacturers. This is shown by a study led by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, which highlights the measures that can make clothing rental a success. ...more
 
Ice stupas of the Ladakh desert: an ingenious solution to water scarcity – a picture essay 28/1/2025
Farmers in the northern Indian region used to rely on snow and glacier meltwater, but the climate crisis is disrupting the water cycle – which means new ways of storing water are needed ...more
 
Toxic waste from world's deadliest gas leak fuels protests in India 23/1/2025
Vegetable vendor Shivnarayan Dasana had never seen so many policemen descend on his village in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ...more
 
Natural disasters in the past 12 months have been the most costly and impactful stretch of extreme weather in America in 90 years 18/1/2025
Experts at AccuWeather say extreme weather events and disasters in the past 12 months have had the costliest and most widespread impacts that Americans have faced in nearly a century.    ...more
 
Arab-Israeli Environmental Cooperation: A Controversial Path to Peace Amid Ecocide 28/11/2024
On August 30, 2024, amid the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that Lebanon joined the Saudi-led Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), describing the step as crucial, especially for southern border towns and villages that are suffering significant environmental and agricultural damage. ...more
 
CO2 & Waste-Derived Bioplastics: Pioneering Sustainable Manufacturing 22/11/2024
As the world grapples with the environmental impact of traditional plastics, bioplastics derived from carbon dioxide (CO2) and waste materials present a promising solution. This emerging sustainable market seeks to address two critical global challenges: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing waste. By converting CO2 and waste into useful bioplastics, scientists and companies are pioneering technologies that could revolutionize the way we produce and consume plastics. ...more
 
EU in last-minute talks to set new climate goal for COP30 5/11/2025
EU climate ministers will make a last-ditch attempt to pass a new climate change target on Tuesday, in an effort to avoid going to the U.N. COP30 summit in Brazil empty-handed. ...more
 
FAO warns of ‘silent crisis’ as land degradation threatens billions 5/11/2025
The finding comes in the latest State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), released on Monday in Rome. ...more
 
Australia to offer three hours free solar per day to millions 5/11/2025
Australia will offer at least three hours of free solar power every day to households including those without solar panels under an energy-saving programme that is expected to go live in 2026, energy minister Chris Bowen said on Tuesday. ...more
 
Norway blocks wind farm in wilderness used by reindeer herders 5/11/2025
Norway's energy regulator said on Tuesday it had rejected an application to build a wind farm in its northernmost Finnmark county, citing impacts to a wilderness area as well as Indigenous Sami culture. ...more
 
Antarctic glacier's rapid retreat sparks scientific 'whodunnit' 5/11/2025
When an Antarctic glacier was sparked into rapid retreat three years ago, it left scientists scratching their heads as to what might have caused it. ...more
 
Brazil opens three weeks of COP30-linked climate events 4/11/2025
Brazil on Monday opens three weeks of events linked to the COP30 climate summit, hoping to showcase a world still determined to tackle global warming. That may be tough in a year marked by economic upheaval and cancelled U.S. commitments. ...more
 
EU considers weakening 2040 climate goal over forest CO2 absorption, draft shows 4/11/2025
The European Union is considering a brake clause to weaken its 2040 climate target in the future, if it becomes clear countries' forests are not absorbing enough CO2 emissions to meet the goal, a draft EU compromise proposal showed. ...more
 
Trump administration announces $100 million in funding to upgrade coal plants 4/11/2025
The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced that it would make $100 million available to refurbish and modernize existing coal-fired power plants. ...more
 
Brazil’s Amazon deforestation falls 11% even as fires surge to record levels 4/11/2025
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fell by 11% from August 2024 to July this year, the government said Thursday, even as wildfires tracked by Brazil’s space agency surged to record levels amid a severe drought. ...more
 
Global construction carbon footprint set to double by 2050 4/11/2025
In 2022, over 55% of the construction industry’s carbon emissions stemmed from cementitious materials, bricks, and metals, while glass, plastics, chemicals, and bio-based materials contributed 6%, and the remaining 37% arose from transport, services, machinery, and on-site activities. ...more
 
Abu Dhabi to deploy 500 AI-enabled eco-friendly vehicles by 2025 3/11/2025
The new fleet is expected to cut carbon emissions by up to 40 per cent. ...more
 
US will not send officials to COP30 climate talks, White House says 3/11/2025
The U.S. will not send any high-level officials to the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil, a White House official told Reuters, alleviating some concern among world leaders that Washington would send a team to scupper the talks. ...more
 
EU countries split over 2040 climate goal as COP30 looms 3/11/2025
European Union countries remain split over their new climate change target and are still debating changes, just days before their ministers are due to approve the goal, according to diplomats and EU documents seen by Reuters on Friday. ...more
 
Britain one of least ‘nature-connected’ nations in world – with Nepal the most 3/11/2025
Others languishing near bottom of 61-country study include Canada, Germany, Japan and Spain. ...more
 
In a spin: Category 5 hurricanes forming faster than in 1990s 3/11/2025
Tropical storms reaching maximum speed in 4.2 days compared to 7.9 days ...more
 
Cradle of civilisation at risk of erosion in Iraq due to climate change 31/10/2025
Iraqi officials are sounding the alarm to save monuments of the cradle of civilisation, with thousands of years of history at risk of disappearing as Iraq's ancient southern cities face erosion because of climate change. ...more
 
Brazil plans COP30 funding deals to address climate adaptation shortfall 31/10/2025
Brazil wants to help developing countries secure more funding for adapting to climate change, the COP30 climate summit president said, as a U.N. report estimated the world will need to spend $310 billion a year by 2035 to prepare for higher sea levels, hotter days and other conditions of a warmer atmosphere. ...more
 
New research could explain extreme Mediterranean flooding 31/10/2025
A new study, published in Scientific Reports, looks at the conditions that fuelled flooding in the Mediterranean, and what it means for future extreme events. ...more
 
Revamped Australian environment law will help business and nature, government says 31/10/2025
Australia's government on Thursday introduced an environmental protection bill into parliament that it said would better conserve nature while simplifying approvals for resource and construction projects. ...more
 
Plant and animal extinctions slow but experts warn human activity still poses ‘significant’ risks 31/10/2025
Researchers have warned that the findings should not be used as a ‘carte blanche’ for destructive human behaviour. ...more
 
Slow climate adaptation threatening lives and economies 30/10/2025
Amid rising global temperatures and intensifying climate impacts, a yawning gap in adaptation finance for developing countries is putting lives, livelihoods and entire economies at risk, according to the Adaptation Gap Report 2025: Running on Empty  from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  ...more
 
Reuters Exclusive: Climate fund backs $6 billion Jordan water project with its largest deal 30/10/2025
The world's largest multilateral climate fund has made its largest financial commitment to date to help build a $6 billion water desalination project in Jordan, its top executive said. ...more
 
Rising heat kills one person a minute worldwide, major report reveals 30/10/2025
Biggest analysis of its kind finds millions are dying each year because of failure to tackle climate crisis. ...more
 
America’s super-rich are running down the planet’s safe climate spaces, says Oxfam 30/10/2025
The US’s super-rich are burning through carbon emissions at 4,000 times the speed of the world’s poorest 10%, according to an analysis provided to the Guardian. ...more
 
30th IRENA Council to Review Energy Transition Priorities Ahead of COP30 30/10/2025
More than 350 representatives to review progress and guide priorities in support of global goal to triple renewable power capacity by 2030 ...more
 
 
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ان جميع مقالات ونصوص "البيئة والتنمية" تخضع لرخصة الحقوق الفكرية الخاصة بـ "المنشورات التقنية". يتوجب نسب المقال الى "البيئة والتنمية" . يحظر استخدام النصوص لأية غايات تجارية . يُحظر القيام بأي تعديل أو تحوير أو تغيير في النص الأصلي. لمزيد من المعلومات عن حقوق النشر يرجى الاتصال بادارة المجلة
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