News stories by Rabiya Jaffery

AMMAN, Jordan, Dec 21 (IPS) - Anas Shaikh is a Pakistani farmer on a mission to bring solutions to the many difficulties small and medium-scale farmer’s face in making a sustainable living.

AMMAN, Jordan, Oct 01 (IPS) - Jordan is one of the driest countries in the world, raking the fifth most water-stressed nation in an analysis by the World Resources Institute.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Aug 10 (IPS) - The Persian Gulf is one of the most strategic waterways in the world and is also one of the most polluted.

According to estimates by experts, pollution levels in the Persian Gulf are 47 times higher than the world's average and are steadily increasing.

Abu Dhabi, UAE, Oct 28 (IPS) - Nearly 50 million people in west Africa rely on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood but the land available for pastoral use has been rapidly shrinking.

ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb 22 (IPS) - According to data from the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Arab world is one of the most urbanised areas in the world, with more than 70 per cent of the population of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)--- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-- living in urban areas.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 28 (IPS) - Biodiversity conservationists have revealed that at least 10 more percent of land than what is currently being used to grow green crops will be required to successfully replace fossil fuels with alternatives derived from natural sources such as biofuel.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 27 (IPS) - Leaders of Amazon's indigenous groups are calling for a new global agreement to protect and restore at least half of the world's natural habitats.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 21 (IPS) - A discussion held earlier this week at the ongoing Convention of Biodiversity's (CBD) Conference of Parties in Egypt highlighted that grants to curb deforestation in the Amazon are not enough if they are accompanied with investments that increase the loss of biodiversity.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates,, Oct 19 (IPS) - The Middle East, due to its geographical location, is particularly prone to the impacts of climate change.

Longer droughts, more frequent and intense heatwaves, and higher temperatures in the summer are expected to to become increasingly prevalent throughout the Middle East - from Sana'a to Jeddah to Dubai to Tehran.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sep 21 (IPS) - Marjani F, 44, spent 8 years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital working as domestic help. "My husband was killed by the military after being accused of organizing a protest. I have four children and there was no way I could pay the bills staying there," she says.