JERICHO, West Bank — There are two dramas playing out today along the banks of the River Jordan, representing the two most powerful forces shaping politics in and around Israel. Tell me which one dominates, and I’ll tell you what relations between Jews and Arabs will look like.
Climate change is particularly harsh in how it affects the Middle East. In recent years, higher temperatures have meant less water availability for the region, making river control one of the most coveted targets for governments and terrorist groups, writes Elia Preto Martini.
Palm branches whip back as Hussein Ibrahim walks through his densely planted land in Al Fao, the very last village in Iraq’s south as it reaches the Persian Gulf. Affectionately known as Abu Yusuf in reference to his eldest son, Ibrahim explains that farming is his culture.
Lebanon’s woodlands are at risk as the poor are cutting down trees as an alternative for fuel to heat their homes in the coming winter, and with such desperate measures experts fear the loss of precious and old trees.
Over the past two months, Iraqis have been living, working and breathing in thick clouds of dust, as at least nine sandstorms — lasting up to several days each — have hit the country, blanketing everything in grit.
Time is running out to prevent what Yemen envoy Tim Lenderking warns will be a “massive oil spill the likes of which the world has not seen.”
Ignored in comparison to other kinds of natural disasters, the Middle East’s dust storms and sandstorms are increasingly impacting people’s health and the economies of the region
In the midst of the war in Yemen, there is an ecological time bomb ticking just off the coast: a derelict oil tanker that could cause a disastrous oil spill unless immediate action is taken to avert the catastrophe.
Efforts to restore damaged but once fertile land in Jordan’s desert is sprouting hope for one of the world’s most water-scarce nations, as a land assessment report Wednesday warned of the growing scale of global degradation.
Egypt’s intense preparations for the international climate conference that it will host in Sharm el-Sheikh were evident at the World Youth Forum that met there this past January.
