Environment and nature

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Culture

Algeria moves to restore death penalty for arson: What to know

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune wants a return to executions after another summer of devastating wild fires, but rights groups say the amendment passed by parliament is problematic.

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Iran, Turkey and Israel were among the first countries to offer assistance to earthquake-hit Venezuela despite their varying diplomatic relationships with Caracas.

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, UAE assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability, spoke to Al-Monitor about the situation in the Gulf along with the UAE's focus on promoting privatization in the water sector and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Abdulla Balalaa

Abdulla Balalaa

UAE assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability

AFP via Getty Images

Oil fires, toxic air and water risks: Environmental cost of Iran war expands to region

The bombing of oil facilities in Iran and critical water infrastructure in the Gulf threatens the Middle East with long-lasting environmental destruction, as have similar tactics employed in previous conflicts.

Latest News

Storm Leonardo displaces 140,000 as heavy floods hit northern Morocco

An emergency vehicle drives through flood waters as residents are evacuated and relocated to other towns as preventive and emergency evacuations are carried out to move residents living near flood-prone areas following the weather alert and the rise in the water level of the Loukkos River, with flooding expected in the coming days, in Ksar El Kebir on Feb. 1, 2026.

Analysis

Iran’s mismanagement in focus as fires ravage 25-million-year-old forests

This picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency shows a view of the fire in the forests of Chalus on Nov. 21, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Syria attends Brazil’s COP30 as most Middle East leaders skip talks

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa look on during a bilateral meeting within the framework of the COP30 UN climate conference in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Over 200 hospitalized in Tunisia’s Gabes as anger over pollution crisis grows

Residents of the city of Gabes carry placards during a demonstration on Oct. 15, 2025, to demand the closure of chemical factories.

SABUR RASHID/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Drought-stricken Iraq sends delegation to Turkey to discuss water cooperation

Turkey recently agreed to release more water to Iraq amid the drought in the country, indicating improving coordination on resource management after years of tensions over Turkish dams.

Residents of the village of Shatha watch as a wildfire rages on the nearby hills, in the western Hama countryside in west-central Syria on Aug. 15, 2025.

Wildfires ravage Syria’s Latakia for 4th day in row: What to know

A Syrian official recently said that 2025 has been the driest year in decades, as wildfires persist along the coast, and the response is being hindered by the effects of the war.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi greets his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Cairo, Sept. 23, 2025.

Egypt’s Sisi talks water security with Rwanda's president in wake of Ethiopia’s megadam debut

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Cairo to discuss coordination efforts and developments in the Nile Basin region following Ethiopia’s inauguration of its controversial dam.

People inspect the debris following a landslide that devastated the village of Tarasin, in Sudan's Jebel Marra area, on Sept. 2, 2025.

Over 1,000 dead in Darfur landslide as Sudan war hinders relief efforts

A devastating landslide in the Marrah Mountains of Darfur has killed over 1,000 people, prompting appeals for international aid amid escalating violence in the region.

The Amir Kabir dam and its outflow along the Karaj River in Iran's northern Alborz mountain range are pictured on June 1, 2025.

Tehran’s dams at 19% as Iran water crisis worsens: What to know

The water levels in dams across Iran are falling amid hot temperatures, as the government pleads with the public to cut consumption.

Visitors at the first night of the International Falcon Breeders Auction 2025 in Malham city on Aug. 5, 2025.

Culture

Saudi Arabia’s falcon auction aims to spin tradition into tourism gold

Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is seeking to diversify its economy and cultural tourism.

An Iranian taxi driver cools down by splashing water on his face on a street amid soaring temperatures in Tehran on July 22, 2025.

Iran to close public offices as temperatures pass 105 F: What to know

Iranian officials are seeking to reduce public energy consumption as water levels decrease throughout the country and power cuts persist.

flood UAE

UAE launches 25-year climate plan for Abu Dhabi: What to know

The Abu Dhabi Climate Change Adaptation Plan sets out a road map to address the growing impacts of climate change through 2050.

United Arab Emirates

An aerial view shows smoke billowing from a forest fire in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia on July 5, 2025. Syrian emergency workers were battling forest fires raging in the coastal province of Latakia on Saturday for a third day in tough conditions as neighbouring Turkey sent assistance. Syria's ministry for emergencies and disaster management said teams from Turkey began helping on Saturday morning "as part of regional coordination to face the fires", with the assistance including two aircrafts and

As wildfires ravage Latakia, Syria seeks EU support: What to know

Syria has been combating massive wildfires in coastal Latakia province for six days.

Smoke and flames rise from a forested area following a wildfire in the Seferihisar district of Izmir, Turkey, June 30, 2025.

At least two dead, hundreds displaced as wildfires rage across Turkey

Fire crews are battling to contain six fires across several Turkish provinces that have also displaced thousands on the Aegean coast.

Firefighters spray water to extinguish flames in a forest in Izmir, Turkey, Aug. 16, 2024.

Wildfires spread across Turkey’s tourism hub Izmir amid regionwide heat wave

Wildfires rage in Turkey’s tourist heartland, forcing airport closures and evacuations amid fierce winds.

ORI AVIRAM/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Jerusalem wildfires rage for second day as environmental groups blame Netanyahu

According to Israeli environmental groups, the government has repeatedly ignored calls to prepare for the threat of fires and to take more decisive action on climate change goals.