Middle East/Environment
2 min read

Iraq closes airports, public buildings due to heavy sandstorms
A giant dust cloud leaves Baghdad’s streets deserted
4 min read
Egypt to issue new climate targets ahead of UN summit
'It is helpful for (Egypt) to get the ball rolling and set an important marker for what countries need to do'
3 min read
Donors pledge $33m to stop 'catastrophic' Yemen oil spill
'We need to work quickly to get the remaining funds to start the four-month operation'
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Iran slams Turkey's upstream dam-building activity
'Turkey's construction of dams on the border waters is unacceptable and we oppose it'
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UN: 'Imminent' Yemen oil spill would cost $20b to clean up
'The impact of a spill will be catastrophic,' Gressly warns
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Iraq sandstorm sends over 1,000 to hospital
Iraq, with its low rainfall and high temperatures, is particularly vulnerable to climate change
2 min read
Afghanistan: At least 18 dead, over 100 homes destroyed in floods
Latest deluges hit the provinces of Faryab and Parwan, as well as various other regions
3 min read
'Lungs of the Mediterranean' at risk
'Posidonia oceanica... is one of the most important sources of oxygen provided to coastal waters'
4 min read
Overuse and climate change kill off Iraq's Sawa Lake
Sawa Lake, once a biodiverse wetland popular with Iraqi families, is now a barren wasteland with piles of salt
3 min read
Iraq: Conservationists fight to save endangered leopards
Ahmed says 'We have to save them, they are part of our culture and identity'
3 min read
Iraq: 'Green belt' project neglected as climate fight falters
al-Khazali blames 'lack of interest from the central government and local authorities'
3 min read
States offer to help Tunisia limit harm after fuel ship sinks
'The situation is reassuring and under control, and no leakage of gas oil has been recorded'
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Dust storm covers Iraq for second time in a week
'People have been hospitalized with breathing difficulties, but most cases are minor'
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Iraqis work to clean neglected, polluted Tigris River
'In Iraq, five million cubic meters of waste are dumped daily into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers'
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IMF: Climate disasters threaten economic growth in Middle East
Georgieva warns that 'the list of disasters is quickly getting longer'
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Yemen war turns nature reserve back into waste dump
Al-Heswa Wetland Protected Area left in ruins by country's civil war
3 min read
DEWA calls for attendance at first-ever MENA climate week
The conference aims to 'explore climate opportunities and challenges'
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Israel’s Herzog calls for a ‘Renewable Middle East’
'The climate crisis is a crisis for the whole world, and we in the Middle East must understand it'
3 min read
US, Egypt launch joint climate working group
'It means delivering on existing commitments, strengthening commitments... and creating new commitments'
2 min read
Funding goal doubled for US-UAE climate change initiative
Vilsack says that 'President Biden believes we should get $8 billion by COP27'
3 min read
World Bank: Pollution costs Middle East, North Africa $141b annually
The Mediterranean is one of the most plastic-polluted seas in the world, the World Bank says
3 min read
Media office: Dubai aims to cut carbon emissions 30% by 2030
The council says the plans will 'support the UAE’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050'
3 min read
Iraq: Olive farmers look to solar power for green energy
Ahmad says 'what we are now witnessing is a gradual culture shift, and a greater acceptance' of green energy
2 min read
Oil flow resumes in Iraq-Turkey pipeline after blast
The pipeline carries crude oil from Iraq's Kurdistan region for export from Turkey's port of Ceyhan