Environment & Wildlife

The BIRD Energy program signs on to seven new research and development projects. The program has funded 49 projects to the tune of $38 million since 2009.

Thunberg, who turns 17 in January, is currently in Madrid at a United Nations climate summit where world leaders are wrangling over how to implement a 2015 agreement designed to avert potentially catastrophic global warming.

Egyptian officials say they currently have around 570 cubic meters of water per person per year. Hydrologists consider a country to be facing water scarcity if supplies drop below 1,000 cubic meters per person annually.

Sustainable City comprises 500 low-lying villas that are home to nearly 3,000 people, as well as commercial spaces and a mosque. The city aims to be "net-zero" and produce all the energy it needs from renewable sources on site.

Egypt has been holding talks for years with Ethiopia and Sudan, which have long complained about Cairo's overwhelming share of the river. The Nile supplies more than 90% of Egypt's fresh water, although Egyptians have one of the lowest per capita shares of water in the world.

Green turtles are endangered worldwide by hunting and pollution of their breeding grounds. An Israeli rescue center began recruiting turtles for a breeding stock to help them repopulate an area in the Mediterranean.

The Ashalim solar-power facility extends nearly 1,000 acres, making it the largest such facility in Israel. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz: Israel is on target to hit its 2020 renewable energy target of 10%.

2,000-year-old city, which has survived invasion, fires, and floods, now at risk from climate change.