Whats the Problem

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The Real Threat to the Middle East  Israel's
Environmental Catastrophe.
Dr. Eric Pallant Department of Environmental
Science Allegheny College Meadville, PA 16335
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Home to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism
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Whats the Problem?

• One generation goes, another comes, and the
  earth remains forever Eccles. 14

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Zionism
To a new Life in the Land of Israel. Romania,
1930s
Theodore Herzl
David Ben Gurion
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Making the Desert Bloom
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Israeli War Casualties
6,373
231
776
2,688
1,216
103
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Constant Terror in the Background
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Short-term vs. long-term thinking
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Auto Use
In last 25 years of vehicles and of miles
driven have increased 600 Public transit has
declined 7 annually
Southernmost interchange of Trans-Israel Highway
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Tel Aviv April 30, 2001
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Air Pollution Days

• Tel Aviv 55 77 days per year
• Jerusalem 55 71
• Beer Sheva 15 -27

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Haifa
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War versus Pollution
1,400
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14 of all mortalities of people over the age of
30 in Tel Aviv Metropolitan area come from air
pollution
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Four Sources of Water in Israel

• Sea of Galilee
• Mountain Aquifer
• Coastal Aquifer
• Desalinated Salt water or desalinated ground water

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Sea of Galilee
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Look closer at Sea of Galilee
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Water Shortages

• Israel began 21st Century running a deficit of
  500,000,000 cubic meters

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The trends are up
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Dead Sea

• Dead Sea has lost 1/3 of surface area
• Is dropping 3 feet per year
• The death of the Dead Sea is a result of water
  extraction for other uses

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Dead Sea tourism
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Dead Sea tourism
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Dead Sea tourism
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Historical decline in Dead Sea
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Aerial view of Dead Sea
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Water quality is declining
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Tel Aviv wells contaminated

• 88 of Tel Aviv wells have organic pollutants
• 16 wells shut in 15 years due to fertilizers and
  toxics
• 15 wells shut due to salinity

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Only one of Israels 17 rivers is NOT polluted
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Inadequate sewage treatment
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Jewish and Arab sewage
Raw sewage from Shaareh Tikvah going into
Sanniirya
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The Hebron River Becomes an Open Sewer
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Land Use

• 1960 1990, Population doubled
• 1960 1990, built-up areas quadrupled

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Land Use

• By 2020 population will double again
• 8.5 million people

Tel Aviv
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Toxics

• Ramat Hovav

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Toxics

• Ramat Hovav

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Marine Pollution
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The Good News

• Heschel Center is providing environmental
  leadership training for Jewish and Arab, secular
  and religious, rich and poor, urban and rural.

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Green CourseMegama Yoruka

• Activist arm of the environmental movement
• Centered in colleges and Universities
• Since 1997

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Society for Protection of Nature in Israel
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Israel Union for Environmental DefenseAdam Teva
VDin

• Legal protection for open space, clean air Middle
  East
• Prosecutes polluters
• Protects open space

Promoting solar
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Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

• Israeli Palestinian Jordanian cooperation to
  protect the shared environment

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Life and Environment

• Umbrella for 80 environmental organizations in
  Israel

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The real threats?
or
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The real threats?
or
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Redefining Zionism

• Quality of life
• rather than
• Quantity of land

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