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

314 - May 2024
Editorial
Forum
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
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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
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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
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Najib Saab
Trump's Lost War on Humanity and the Environment
Najib Saab
The hostile economic war, launched by US President Donald Trump against the entire world under the slogan "America First"
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Meet the
 Editor-in-Chief Najib Saab 		 
 
Selected articles News
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
 
The blue-green sustainable proteins of seaweed may soon be on your plate 15/11/2024
The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilised or sprayed with insecticides. However, the proteins are often tightly bound, and their full potential has not yet been realised on our plates.  But now researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have found a new way to extract these proteins three times more efficiently than before – and this progress paves the way for seaweed burgers and protein smoothies from the sea. ...more
 
Industry royally champions sustainable floriculture project led by Coventry University 9/10/2024
Coventry University is leading a project to reduce plastic, packaging and waste in the British cut-flower industry. ...more
 
Major boost in carbon capture and storage essential to reach 2°C climate target 27/9/2024
Large expansion of carbon capture and storage is necessary to fulfill the Paris Climate Agreement. Yet a new study led by Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden and University of Bergen, in Norway, shows that without major efforts, the technology will not expand fast enough to meet the 2°C target and even with major efforts it is unlikely to expand fast enough for the 1.5°C target. ...more
 
Europe’s deadly floods are glimpse of future climate 25/9/2024
Central Europe's devastating floods were made much worse by climate change and offer a stark glimpse of the future for the world's fastest-warming continent, scientists say. ...more
 
USDA ends programs for solar, wind projects on farms 19/8/2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer support solar and wind projects on productive farmland, said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a post on X on Monday. ...more
 
Climate change is increasing the risk of rapidly intensifying storms. Hurricane Erin is the latest example. 19/8/2025
The hurricane’s behavior in recent days makes it one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record. ...more
 
State of the Climate 2024: Record heat and rising seas 19/8/2025
In 2024, the world’s climate continued to break records, with greenhouse gas concentrations and global temperatures reaching unprecedented highs. ...more
 
Texas study reveals heat waves can cause more polluted air 19/8/2025
Heat waves are becoming more common, severe and long-lasting. These prolonged periods of hot weather are especially dangerous in already hot places like Texas. In 2023, more than 300 people in Texas died from heat, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the most since the state began tracking such deaths in 1989. Researchers found it may not only be temperatures that make heat waves unsafe but also the heat-related increase in airborne pollutants. ...more
 
Climate crisis harming world heritage painted houses in Burkina Faso, say residents 19/8/2025
Tiébélé’s wavy-walled houses covered in geometric lines showing signs of disintegration amid erratic weather. ...more
 
Tough US stance casts gloom over plastics pollution deal after Geneva flop 18/8/2025
The collapse on Friday of a sixth round of U.N. talks aimed at curbing plastic output has dimmed hopes of tackling a key source of pollution and left many advocates of restrictions pessimistic about a global deal during the Trump administration. ...more
 
Emissions are driving the West’s worst drought in 1,200 years 18/8/2025
New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer drifting on its own. Human-driven greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols are steering ocean temperatures in ways that dry out the American West. The same forces may keep the region parched for decades. ...more
 
Magic mushrooms: how scientists discovered fungi are the secret ingredient for restoring the world’s forests 18/8/2025
Healthy fungal networks help trees and plants grow, making them key to successful reforestation. The only problem? Almost nothing is known about this subterranean ecology. ...more
 
Satellite to track climate change from space with help from Scots scientists 18/8/2025
The MicroCarb satellite is designed to monitor global carbon emissions in more detail than ever before. ...more
 
The heart-shaped mangrove formation fading due to rising seas 18/8/2025
The Heart of Voh is a symbol of New Caledonia’s pristine environment but its outline is changing due to the climate crisis. ...more
 
Countries race for late breakthrough in deadlocked plastic pollution talks 15/8/2025
Talks to create the world's first legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution are at risk of ending without a deal as countries race to find a potential compromise on the final day of negotiations in Geneva. ...more
 
Brazil drops support for plastic products ban in new global pact 15/8/2025
Diplomats at UN plastics talks told Climate Home that Brazil’s positions have been more aligned with major oil producers during the current round of talks in Geneva. ...more
 
Trump administration to unveil tougher solar and wind subsidy rules 15/8/2025
The Trump administration is expected as soon as Monday to take another step toward curbing the growth of renewable energy in the United States by making it harder for companies to claim federal tax subsidies for wind and solar energy. ...more
 
2025 on track to beat UK record for wildfires, warn firefighters 15/8/2025
Professional body says firefighters ‘pushed to brink’ by climate crisis-fuelled blazes, as wildfire in North Yorkshire continues to burn ...more
 
Rising seas could put Easter Island’s iconic statues at risk by 2080: Study 15/8/2025
The Journal of Cultural Heritage has published a new study indicating that rising sea levels could push powerful seasonal waves into Easter Island’s 15 iconic moai statues, in the latest potential peril to cultural heritage from climate change. ...more
 
Talks stall on world’s first plastic pollution treaty one day before deadline 14/8/2025
Talks on the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution have stalled just one day before the negotiations are due to end. ...more
 
Groups sue Trump agencies for using 'secret' report to reverse core of US climate rules 14/8/2025
Two major environmental groups announced on Tuesday they have sued the Trump administration for secretly convening a group of climate skeptics, which prepared a report that served as the basis for a reversal of U.S. rules on greenhouse gas emissions without public notice. ...more
 
Urban wildfire risk rising due to hot dry summers, scientists warn 14/8/2025
Cities across the UK are facing a growing threat from an emerging phenomenon called "firewaves" as temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists have warned. ...more
 
Geneva makes public transport temporarily free to combat pollution spike 14/8/2025
Public transport will be temporarily free of charge in Geneva, in a first for Switzerland, as part of a series of measures aimed at tackling a spike in pollution in the city. ...more
 
People often miscalculate climate choices, a study says. One surprise is owning a dog 14/8/2025
It turns out many Americans aren’t great at identifying which personal decisions contribute most to climate change. ...more
 
No heat, no excuses – How Dubai’s Mallathon is turning malls into fitness communities 13/8/2025
At 6:30am, when most shopping malls in Dubai are still dark, shutters pulled down and corridors silent, the Mall of the Emirates was full of life. Sneakers were laced, smartwatches synced, and residents, young and old lined up not for sales, but for steps. ...more
 
Global plastic treaty talks are ‘difficult', European commissioner says 13/8/2025
Negotiations to debate the terms of a global treaty to curb plastic pollution are proving difficult, the European Union environment commissioner said on Tuesday. ...more
 
Amazon rainforest is approaching 'tipping points' that could transform it into a drier savanna 13/8/2025
The Amazon could be racing closer to a calamitous tipping point that would transform the lush rainforest into a drier savanna within a century, researchers warn. ...more
 
Vape sellers to pay disposal costs under plans to end UK’s ‘throwaway culture’ 13/8/2025
Ministers say online vendors of electrical goods such as microwaves will also have to contribute to recycling fees. ...more
 
Fossil-fuelled heat has caused tropical birds to decline by ‘up to 38%’ since 1950s 13/8/2025
An uptick in heat extremes, driven by human-caused climate change, has caused tropical bird populations to decline by up to 38% since the 1950s, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis. ...more
 
 
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