Climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today. Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and an increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The effects will be felt here in the Middle East and internationally and there may be severe problems for people in regions that are particularly vulnerable to change. This dossier collects a number of articles, documents, reports and links that appear helpful to understand the impact of Climate Change on the region, and to raise awareness for the remedies that exist.

Africa Climate Appeal - The African Climate Appeal was conceived during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Nairobi 2006. It is the result of a collaborative effort between 2004 Peace Nobel Price Winner Prof. Wangari Maathai from the Kenyan Green Belt Movement and the Heinrich Boell Foundation from Germany. Community Conservation and Development Initiatives (CCDI) from  Nigeria   is spearheading the dissemination of this appeal to the rest of the African continent. The appeal will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Bali, Indonesia on December 3-14 2007.

Duha Al Masri (This week in Palestine)                                                                                      Leave It to the Children
Many eyebrows were raised when we decided to declare “Save the Planet” as one of our themes at the Friends Kindergarten five years ago. The theme was met with much shock because it meant saving our planet with the hands of four- to six-year-old kids. (February 2008, issue 118)

Jordan's limited forests get the axe in cold winter The Kingdom’s one per cent area covered with forest trees is now, more than before, facing the threat of increasing illegal logging.Setting off the deforestation alarm, agriculture and environment officials pointed to the Jerash, Dibbeen and Ajloun areas as hot spots.Sources familiar with the issue differ on whom to blame on the arbitrary deforestation. http://www.arabenvironment.net/archive/2008/2/481196.html  

DESERTEC: Solar energy from MENA to Europe his is one of the most promising and exciting project proposals to emerge for years. In fact, the idea to energize Europe with renewable energy from the Middle East could be one of the milestones of future energy security plans linking Europe with the Middle East. http://www.arabenvironment.net/archive/2008/2/481224.html

Noise Pollution Cripples Cairo From blaring car horns to wedding parties, rising noise pollution in the 24-hour metropolis of Cairo has reached alarming levels, leading to hearing problems, irritability and even death.http://www.arabenvironment.net/archive/2008/3/486287.html

Renewable sources pose as sole answer to cut power bill in Jordan With soaring global oil prices, the Kingdom is pinning hopes on attempts to utilise its potential of renewable and alternative energy sources.“The energy sector is in a dangerous situation and we need rapid change in the way we approach energy,” National Energy Research Centre (NERC) President Malek Kabariti told The Jordan Times recently. http://www.arabenvironment.net/archive/2008/2/485001.html

Alister Doyle (Reuters)
World warming despite cool Pacific and Baghdad snow
In this article, Alister Doyle tackles the fact that climate change is still nudging up temperatures, even though it snowed in Baghdad for the first since long. She discusses this, showing how climate Global warming has not stopped even though 2008 was predicted to be the coolest year since 2008. (January 2008)

Fouad Hamdan (Executive Magazine)
Arab States Ignore Climate Change  - Arab Leaders are ignoring climate change at the peril of their people, argues Fouad Hamdan. Far from being the problem of a distant future, climate change is already affecting Arab countries.  Hydrogen, a clean energy suitable to replace oil and petrol can be generated from solar energy. Timely investment in such technologies would more than offset any reduction in oil production, and put the region at the forefront of clean energy suppliers. (April 2007)

REN21 - Renewable Energy Policy
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