Environmental
issues in the Middle East and North
Africa have received honestly little
concentration, compared to other
countries. Other substantial impediments
in most Middle Eastern countries include
the relative lack of scientific
information on the biodiversity of the
region, and the difficulty of sharing
relevant research findings between
Middle Eastern countries, even though
those countries are interconnected.
We look behind the headlines for
underlying environmental issues that
contribute to or even drive the
political events we all read or hear
about every day. Such issues
- Include the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict Over groundwater beneath
the West Bank and Gaza,
- Sewage dumping from Israeli
settlements onto surrounding
Palestinian land, Turkish dam
construction on the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers,
- The decline in marine shrimp
populations in the waters of Kuwait.
- Egypt's environmental problems
stem from its aridity, inadequate
sewage the nation's beaches, coral
reefs, and wildlife habitats are
threatened by oil pollution. Heavy
use of pesticides, inadequate sewage
disposal, and uncontrolled
industrial effluents have created
major water pollution and
.
- Jordans environmental problems
are insufficient water resources,
soil erosion, and aridity. Water
pollution is important issues in
Jordan, Current sources of pollution
are sewage, herbicides, and
pesticides.
- UAE- Shortage water, waste
generation has increased
dramatically
Since environmental issues in the
Middle East are often intertwined with
social and political conditions, we
sometimes offer relevant political
commentary or editorial opinions related
to these issues. The United Nations
Development Programmer's 2002 (Arab
Human Development Report), released in
June 2002, cites the lack of political
freedom in the Middle East as being one
of three major factors that keep the
region and its people from reaching
their full potential. One section of
this report outlines some of the issues
that the citizens of Arab states need to
address in order to effectively deal
with environmental problems within their
own countries. In another article,
reprinted in the August 15, 2002
International Herald Tribune, the 1998
Nobel Prize Laureate for Economics,
Amartya Sen, suggested that sustainable
environmental development and increasing
democratic freedoms should be considered
as two aspects of the same issue. He
said, "Not only are these freedoms
important in themselves, but public
discussion, often stifled under
authoritarian regimes, may be pivotally
important for better understanding of
the importance of environmental
preservation" .The other two major
factors cited by the 2002 Arab Human
Development Report as being critical to
better prospects for the region --
increasing educational opportunities and
greater freedom for women -- should, if
implemented, create yet more
opportunities for informed, freer,
actively participating citizens to
understand and resolve the environmental
issues of the Middle East and North
Africa.
We will also provide some basic
geographical and ecological information
on each Middle Eastern country,
We are also seeking informed opinion on
ecological issues by experts who live in
or are familiar with the Middle East and
North Africa , and invite them to
contribute articles, commentary, and
discussion to this web site.
We would appreciate any photos anyone
might have of Middle Eastern landscapes
showing representative landforms or
vegetation of particular regions,
representing both undisturbed and
disturbed habitat.
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