Environment

Arson suspect in court as wildfires rage around Spokane, Washington

The suspect is accused of starting one of the three fires in Washington state that have blackened more than 10,000 acres, destroyed over 700 hours, and forced 64,000 residents to evacuate.

|ByREUTERS
Pink tape surrounds an area near the starting point of the Old Trails Fire after authorities arrested a man accused of deliberately starting one of three fires, in Spokane, Washington, US, August 4, 2026.
Pigeons fly in front of the sun as it rises over Kuwait City on August 23, 2025.

Record heatwave expected to hit Israel this weekend with potential 47°C in Sea of Galilee region

Extreme heat is forecast for the southern Golan Heights, the northern valleys, the Lower Galilee, the Kinneret Valley, the Dead Sea coast, the Jordan Valley, the Arava, the Judean Desert, and Negev.

|ByYOAV ETIEL
Two 'Likweli' monkeys of a newly-identified species of Colobus monkey, discovered in Lomami National Park, sit on a tree branch, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in this undated handout image.

New monkey species, orange-lipped Likweli monkey, known as 'branch shaker,' identified in DRC

An FAU statement described the monkey as “draped in glossy black fur with cape-like shoulders, a long sweeping tail and a vivid orange-cream patch around the mouth and nose.”

|ByDANYA SAPERSTEIN
A pregnant woman is seen holding her stomach in front of foliage (illustrative)

Living near green spaces can reduce long-term stress during pregnancy, Israeli-led study finds

Bar-Ilan University researchers found greener neighborhoods were linked to lower stress hormone levels in pregnant women, highlighting the health benefits of residential green spaces.

|ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

Environmental cooperation emerges as cornerstone for Middle East peace, experts say

Shared environmental needs could succeed in creating stability in the Middle East, experts say

JANUARY 27, 2026BySTEPHANIE L. FREID
An aerial view of the Jordan River flowing along the border between Israel and Jordan. Environmental experts are pushing for a plan that could build environmentally sustainable interdependence among countries in the region.

Israel's overlooked challenge: Environmental damage from two years of war - from the editor

As the war winds down, Israel faces a quieter crisis – environmental damage from Gaza to the Dead Sea, alongside long-neglected ecological failures now demanding urgent attention

JANUARY 27, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Visitors walk across salt formations along the receding shoreline of the Dead Sea, a stark sign of the region’s growing environmental crisis.

Seeing sinkholes: How the Dead Sea’s collapse became a tourist draw

How one of the region’s worst environmental disasters has become a popular tourist excursion

JANUARY 27, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Hikers trek past a cavernous sinkhole on the shores of the Dead Sea near Ein Gedi.

The land still burns: Israel’s damaged forests face long road to recovery after war

After two years of war, Israel is counting the environmental costs – from blackened forests in the North to degraded soil in the South

JANUARY 27, 2026BySAM HALPERN
An employee of Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority inspects a burnt tree following a rocket attack from bordering Lebanon, at the Tel Dan nature reserve in northern Israel in November 2024.

Gaza facing environmental catastrophe as 60 million tons of toxic war debris buried under rubble

As Gazans struggle to recover from the war – trash, sewage, and toxic debris are creating an environmental catastrophe

JANUARY 27, 2026ByDANA BEN-SHIMON
A man searches through piles of garbage in Gaza City.

Israel’s freshwater balancing act: The Kinneret under strain

Intensive management has saved the Kinneret from crisis, but rising salinity and ecological change pose growing risks

JANUARY 27, 2026BySAM HALPERN
An aerial view of the Kinneret. To the casual observer, the lake, also known as the Sea of Galilee, appears to be a rare environmental success story in an era of climate uncertainty.

'Pollution without borders': Gaza sewage flows north, contaminating Israeli waters

The collapse of the sewage infrastructure in Gaza is not just a local humanitarian crisis but an environmental threat to Israel and beyond

JANUARY 27, 2026ByPATRICIA GOLAN
Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israel’s infrastructure paradox: Innovation without environmental foundations - opinion

Israel’s greatest environmental challenge is being a highly developed, innovative country with key infrastructure missing

JANUARY 27, 2026ByGALIT COHEN
Gaps in Israel’s grid capacity, public transport systems, waste treatment facilities, and regulatory frameworks mean that many innovations to improve the environment cannot be deployed at a meaningful scale.

Israel’s untapped power: Sun, water, and true energy security - opinion

Israel’s foolhardy hyper-dependence on expensive, vulnerable, and explosive gas rigs will be the subject of a state commission of inquiry.

JANUARY 27, 2026ByYOSEF I. ABRAMOWITZ
Former president Shimon Peres challenged the writer (pictured left) to power the Arava using 100% solar energy.

Magnitude 3.7 earthquake strikes northern Israel, Defense Minister calls emergency meeting

Defense Minister Israel Katz called for the Home Front Command and the National Emergency Management Authority to develop a multi-year plan to address earthquake preparedness.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByGOLDIE KATZ
Hammath Tiberias National Park.