This article was originally published by the Star newspaper, Monday 24-1-2010 By: Batir Wardam   The year 2010 has been declared by the United Nations as the year of Biodiversity. All countries that have signed the UN Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) back in 1992 will have to assess their progress in achieving the Biodiversity 2010 target that was agreed by the CBD in 2004 where... [read more]

This article was originally published by the Star newspaper on 18-1-2010 By: Batir Wardam It has became a common conclusion for both environmentalists and "green economists" alike that any breakthrough in commitment to environmental remediation will only be economically feasible when the evidence is conclusive that the cost of remediation is less than the cost of inaction, and that economic benefits... [read more]

This article was originally publsihed by The Star newspaper, Monday Dec 29th, 2009   By: Batir Wardam   The year 2009 can be better described, from an environmental perspective as the year when Jordan finally opened its eyes to the threats of Climate change. After years of neglect, denial and lack of data Jordan has realized through a concerted effort backed by global momentum... [read more]

Global environmental law expert Bob Percival writes an interesting account of his recent visit to Jordan.   http://globalenvironmentallaw.blogspot.com/2009/12/jordan-trip-copenhagen-conference-by.html   I returned to the United States on Saturday after spending a productive and enjoyable week in Jordan. The purpose of my trip was to assist in developing an environmental law... [read more]

I was not able today to participate in the very enlightening consultation meeting for WANA forum and the opening keynote address by HRH Prince Hasan bin Talal, due to urgent health conditions, so the least I can do is to post the press release prepared by Majlis Al Hasan   HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal said, on Monday (November 9, 2009), that there is a need to mobilise people towards... [read more]

By: Batir Wardam   It is easy to note that green economic development is gaining more momentum in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This can be attributed mainly to necessity more than a lucrative option to select between various scenarios. The MENA countries' struggle with degradation and scarcity of natural resources has put a huge challenge for governments, businesses and civil society... [read more]

The Article was originally published in Jordan Property Magazine- May 2009   Jordan is a vibrant business market in the Middle East. The country is strategically located in the heart of the Middle East and has taken an early informed judgment to open up its economic policy and fully integrate within the global economic system. Between 1999 and 2003 Jordan has established three pillars of trade... [read more]

Gulf countries are always nrevous when the issue of a carbon tax is discussed. The National reports why   Tom Ashby   Gulf oil exporters are often cast as the villain in the climate change debate, as the largest producers of the carbon-rich oil and gas that fuel the world’s industry.But as talks progress towards developing a sequel to the Kyoto agreement this year, many of these... [read more]

The most comprehensive report on the assessment of the Arab environment was published by the Arab Foundation for Environment and Development (AFED) in October 2008.   http://www.afedonline.org/afedreport/    Beyond appraising the state of the environment, based on the most recent data, the policy-oriented report also evaluates the progress towards the realization of sustainable... [read more]

IUCN Regional Office for West Asia and the Middle East has recently published the latest report that I have edited entitled "Future of Sustainability in the Arab Region". The report is a synthesis of the proceedings of a regional meeting that was held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in June 2008. The meeting gathered an experienced group of Arab intellectuals and practitioners concerned with sustainability... [read more]

I have to say this must be the most difficult roadmap to achive after the Middle East peace Roadmap. This Article published Yemen Observer provides a roadmap to launch a full-fledged remediation effort to tackle the water scarcity problem linked to Qat cultivatioin and consumption based on 24 recommendations. Good luck to all the good intentions there, as they will need it badly. Here is the article... [read more]

After two days of deliberation on the various scenarios proposed by the World Economic Forum for the Middle East in 2025, this is the summary of the conclusions as presented in a special session in the final day   • Adam Bly • Lord Carey of Clifton • Nabila Freidji • Yuriko Koike Scenario Champions: •Ayman Haddad • Ismail Serageldin Facilitated by: Nik Gowing  Participants in this WorkSpace... [read more]

By: Batir Wardam   Simple questions do not always have simple answers. If we want to ask "what is the best country in the world in environmental performance?" it will need a laborious effort in analyzing and comparing various environmental indicators and still end up with vagueness.   To this end, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was introduced by researchers from Yale University to... [read more]

For the first time in its long history of debates in the cold mountains of Davos and the scorching heat of the Middle East, the World Economic Forum will finally tackle the issue of sustainability and environmental challenges at length in its forthcoming meeting in Sharm El Sheik from 18-20 May. The forum will be held under the theme "Learning from the Future" where participants from business, government,... [read more]

The EU commission has published its assessment report of Jordan's political and socio-economic developments in 2007. The report entitled "Implementation of the EU neighborhood policy in 2007: Jordan progress report" contained some critical evaluations of Jordan's economic performance. However it was noted that the report placed a lot of praise for Jordan's environmental reform initiatives. As an appreciation... [read more]

The World Bank has published its annual global monitoring report which aims to shed light on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. This year's report had a focus on MDG 7 about environmental sustainability.   Regarding the MENA region the World bank report states that the Middle East & North Africa region is off track on an important environment-related target – to halve... [read more]

By: Batir Wardam Weekly article published by Star newspaper-Jordan     The Social Security Corporation (SSC) declared that it has donated its ownership of a portion of Dibbin Forest to be added to the already existing Dibbin Nature Reserve, run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). This is a positive conclusion of the environmental-economic fiasco that has erupted last year... [read more]

The landmark annual report published by the WorldWatch Institute with the title of "State of the World" has just been released for the 2008 edition. This year the report focused on innovations for a sustainable economy and includes a variety of ideas and trends for a greener economic policies for all countries in the World.  This is the press release of the report by WorldWatch Institute   Environmental... [read more]

This is my weekly environmental article published in the Star newspaper this week   By: Batir Wardam   Awake from Hybernation The National Agenda was prepared in 2005 and launched in 2006 comprising a comprehensive political and socio-economic reform plan for the country until 2017. The National Agenda was based on extensive research and integrated inputs from key players and organizations... [read more]

This is my weekly article published in The Star newspaper for today.   A paradigm shift is being developed in energy management at the national level. The previous dependence on foreign oil imports is coming to an end with a new package of legislative, administrative and technological innovations aiming to steer the country into more reliable, sustainable and even environmentally friendly... [read more]

This is my weekly article that was published in the Star newspaper on Thursday Nov 29th.   I tried in vain to search for any environmental messages in the slogans and programmes of the 885 candidates that rode their luck for a parliamentary seat in the elections that Jordan witnessed last week. I read slogans and advertisement and went to some tents and took a look at what I managed to get from... [read more]

Source: IRIN News   Ramzi Msharrafyeh stepped carefully between the burned bushes and trees in the village of Ayn Trez, 34km southwest of Beirut, where the air is still heavy with the smell of smoke. This oak tree is among a few that survived the fires,” he said. “It’s almost 500 years old, and nearly all of Lebanon’s princes and presidents sat under it. It’s called the Saad oak tree.” Earlier... [read more]

Tunisia has issued a new environmental protection law that cracks heavily on air pollution from factories and vehicles. specifying financial fines and imposing the polluters to join a pollution monitoring network at their expense. The Tunisian Parliament and Council of Advisors recently passed a law instituting mandatory measures for monitoring air quality and delineating a series of hard penalties... [read more]

Source: Arabian Business   by Safura Rahimi   The UAE has unveiled a three-year environmental plan focused on the rational use of the country’s natural resources, the Ministry of Water and Environment announced in a statement Tuesday. The new plan is aimed at reducing the use of groundwater and other natural reserves over the next three years in a bid to shift focus to alternative sources... [read more]

Enforcement of, and compliance to environmental legislation is a major determinant factor in proper environmental management. The MENA region and the Arab World have managed to develop some modern environmental legislation in the past few years but still experimenting with enforcement and compliance. One of the main resources and networks that provides technical assistance in this issue is the International... [read more]

Source: Jordan Times   The first Arab Regional Conference on the Inspection and Enforcement of Environmental Regulations began on May 11th with the aim of increasing cooperation on key issues. "The two-day conference seeks to establish a regional network and draw up ways to raise environmental awareness on the importance of adhering to regulations," the director of the Ministry of Environment's... [read more]

The excellence of producing the first State of the Environment report was claimed by Abu Dhabi last week. Although I have learned that both Lebanon and Egypt have produced former national reports, while Jordan produced a "civil society" perspective report, Abu Dhabi has made it clear that it is the leader by producing a highly informative report that can be traced and viewed from www.soa.ae  ... [read more]

By: Batir Wardam   Planning and policy formulation in Jordan prior to the 1990s was based on a sector-specific approach with little consideration for environmental concerns. It can be said that environmental planning and policy formulation came to age in 1991 when the National Environmental Strategy (NES) was formulated by a national consultation process led by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural... [read more]

Press Release from UNEP UNEP headquarters hosted the Joint Ministerial Meeting between the Arab States and the Community of South American Nations on environmental Development between the two Regions. The meeting aims at enhancing cooperation in environmental protection and achieving sustainable development in the Arab Region and in Southern America in the framework of south-south cooperation and... [read more]

The Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED) announced the launching of its work program during a press conference organized on the occasion of Environment 2007 conference and exhibition held in Abu Dhabi. The conference, addressed by AFED’s Secretary General Najib Saab, has been the first public proclamation of the regional Forum, after it gained the status of regional non-governmental... [read more]