The main considerations that guide relevant government bodies to address the climate issue and their public priorities are responsible do not always coincide with the promotion of the climate issue
As of 2021, the challenge facing the Israeli government is the formulation of an effective "climate policy package" in the existing field conditions. 55 out of 60 (92%) of the public bodies that responded to the questionnaire of the State Comptroller's Office believed that the issue of the climate crisis is relevant or partially relevant to their activities, while 86% of the public bodies that responded to the questionnaire believe that the climate crisis is not properly and comprehensively handled in Israel.
The audit revealed that:
Uncertainty as a barrier: The tools used by the government today, for example making decisions in the short and medium term based on a classic cost-benefit analysis, are not sufficient for the challenge of the climate crisis. The audit revealed that the climate crisis is characterized by an inherent uncertainty that contributed in various cases to the difficulty in promoting government action (as in the case of promoting national preparedness actions and not budgeting and not determining the rate of renewable energies for 2050).
Conflict between public considerations: The main considerations that guide relevant government bodies to address the climate issue and their public priorities are responsible do not always coincide with the promotion of the climate issue. This is expressed in the relevant government ministries in the under-allocation of personnel, budget or little ministerial attention to the climate issue compared to the allocations to the public goals that are at the core of these ministries' responsibilities. A conflict of this type that is not resolved through inter-ministerial dialogue and mutual agreement will have difficulty finding a solution in the absence of a hierarchy between the ministries and in the absence of a comprehensive factor with a broad vision and decision-making authority between the ministries.
Decentralization of government treatment and work in segments: Segmentation in the treatment of a broad and systemic issue such as the climate crisis leads to barriers and multiple conflicts between ministries - both regarding the degree of ambition to strive for in setting climate goals, and regarding the right way to achieve them. This situation makes it difficult to include the considerations that exist among dozens of entities when making decisions on setting goals on the subject; and burdens the execution of the government's action in the matter. According to the findings of the questionnaire, 86% of government ministries and public bodies believe that the issue of the climate crisis is not being handled properly.
Harnessing the government ministries: The tools used in the day-to-day work of government ministries have not always led to the harnessing of the relevant government officials within their day-to-day work and when formulating and implementing the national goals on the subject. The lack of mobilization of government ministries over the years has resulted in limited progress in Israel's climate actions since joining the UNFCC convention.
Scope and method of budgeting: The treatment of the climate crisis, which is largely based on investment in infrastructure, is almost never budgeted to the appropriate extent and in a dedicated manner. For example, the establishment of an administration for national preparedness for the risks associated with climate change that operates without a budget and without dedicated personnel, or the government's decisions regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that were not budgeted for (with the exception of energy efficiency that was partially budgeted for), as well as the mechanism involved in their implementation - which was not budgeted for. In the test of the result, a working model of budgeting in segments (by ministry) and one-time or one-time budgeting does not allow a systemic promotion of the climate crisis issue while setting significant goals in the fields of adaptation and mitigation and achieving them.
Infrastructure for budgeting and financing the government's climate action from an integrative perspective: Around the world, the trend of promoting common frameworks for budgetary planning and financing of the transition to a zero (or low) carbon economy, which requires significant government investment, is increasing. In Israel - in the absence of a framework for budgeting and financing climate programs (which include goals whose achievement is estimated to cost billions of NIS over several decades) combined with market solutions, there is concern about the government's ability to realize its goals for a lateral transition to a low-carbon economy by 2050 as set forth in Government Decision 171 of July 2021 - and to carry out actions to prepare for climate change in a variety of sectors. Also, actions have not yet been taken in Israel using green financial tools and regulation (such as bonds and green loans) that will help in the transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as actions that will help it integrate into the global processes in order to attract foreign green investments that will promote green economic growth.
The climate crisis as a strategic threat and emergency: As of July 2021, the climate crisis has not been officially declared as a threat or a strategic issue that justifies the systemic preparation of bodies in Israel (such as the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli Defense Forces, the National Economic Council, etc.) nor has it been declared a "climate emergency", And it is not engaged in to create long-term prevention or for any systemic preparation to deal with the expected effects. This is at a time when the majority of 87% of the government bodies that answered the questionnaire believe that the climate crisis has the systemic characteristics of a national crisis.
Positively, it was noted that in 2020 the Israeli security forces began examining the security implications of the climate issue, and the Ministry of Defense defined it as having a "decisive effect" on national security and as including potential negative direct and indirect implications for the security system, the building of the force and its operation. Yes, it was affirmatively stated that in April 2021 the Ministry of Health published the climate law memorandum. It should be noted that as of the date of the audit, the legal memorandum has not yet been approved.
State Comptroller Engelman He pointed out that the treatment of the climate crisis is complex and has unique systemic characteristics - it requires multi-ministerial cooperation on many issues and monitoring the implementation of their actions, while competing with other issues for the government's attention and the distribution of budgets. This review chapter offers to examine a perceptual change regarding the way the climate problem is handled, the normative and institutional framework in which the issue is acted upon and the policy tools that will be adopted.
For all parts of the review on the science website:
- Introduction: Israel's progress in dealing with the climate crisis is negative to zero
- Chapter 1: Mitigation - the action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are not carried out in Israel
- Chapter 2: Adaptation - the national preparation for adapting to climate change is lacking
- Chapter 3: Economic and financial aspects of the climate crisis; Market failure
- Chapter 4: Lack of organizational, functional and professional preparation for handling the climate crisis
On the same subject:
