Minister Gamaliel promises that Israel will align with the rest of the world and reach zero emissions. On the disconnect between the government's promises and their implementation

The Minister of Environmental Protection and representatives from the Ministries of Transportation and Energy spoke at a session on "From the Corona Crisis to the Climate Crisis" at the Eli Horvitz Conference * However, a check on the "Shakof" website shows that there is no connection between the ministers' words, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu's words at the climate conference, and the reality

As part of the Israel Democracy Institute's Eli Horvitz Conference on Economy and Society, a session was held today (Tuesday) at noon with the participation of the CEOs of government ministries that dealt with the transition from the Corona crisis to the climate crisis. For the past two years, the Ministry of Environmental Protection in cooperation with the Israel Democracy Institute, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance - Planning Manager, and the OECD organization has been leading a multi-sectoral and cross-ministerial process to formulate a vision for the transition to a low-pollution and prosperous economy by 2050.

"The climate crisis is not only a burning environmental issue, but also an economic, social and security issue. Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Israel and the world. In order to overcome these challenges, Israel needs a new growth strategy that will turn it into a country with a modern and competitive economy. My vision is to transform the State of Israel into a sustainable economy," said Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel at the conference. Gamliel also said that "the corona epidemic illustrated how global crises that start in the environment can affect the economy, health and the quality of our lives."

Gamaliel added, that "I believe that the financial system should and must be an integral part of the environmental revolution in Israel, and allow investors to choose consciously how to act according to their world view, invest in corporations and financial instruments that incorporate environmental considerations, and attract investments from polluting entities that ignore the consequences of their activities on the environment."

David Yahami, Director General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, commented on the carbon emissions targets: "We intend to reduce carbon emissions from waste by nearly 50% by 2030, and by 2050 reach a dramatic reduction of approximately 92%. In the work we did in 2018 in which a mapping of all the built-up areas in the State of Israel was carried out, it was found that close to 50% of the electricity consumption in Israel can be produced using the built-up areas and putting solar panels on them. We can reach 40% of renewable energy by 2030." Yahami added, "We are far from the standards of the European Union. While EU countries have significantly reduced carbon emissions, Israel has increased. It should be understood that a greener environment is also more economical. We will have to price the carbon prices because if we don't do it the Europeans will do it for us, and then we will also have to pay Europe to those manufacturers who meet the requirements and we won't be competitive either."

According to Ofer Malka, Director General of the Ministry of Transportation, "Public transportation is a central element in the strategic and economic development of the State of Israel. We can see in the wake of the corona that it is possible to develop local employment centers. Before the crisis, the possibility of working from home did not arise, but the truth is that a company does not need to concentrate in one place, it can create regional employment centers. Today, the Minister of Transportation is leading the idea of ​​transportation centers that also include business development - a person who arrives at a train station and has his daily business needs in it, this will reduce the need for travel and encourage the use of public transportation."

David Leffler, CEO of the Ministry of Economy and Industry: "The great national project was born from the Paris Agreements, in which there was a global commitment to transition to a low-carbon economy, and Israel committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 40% by 2050. We are trying to replace the gases used in the industrial plants with gases that are less damage the ozone, and want to reach a 16% reduction per year in the emission of these gases." Lefler commented on the situation in Israel compared to the world: "At the center of our work is the concept of a circular economy." In the advanced western world that we want to be a part of, we cannot continue to pollute the environment. 90% of the treatment of pollution in Israel is at the end point, at the end of the process, when pollution has already been released into the environment and only then do we try to treat it. In the world, the trend is different - 50% of the treatment of pollution is at the source of the creation of the pollution, in the optimization of the processes in factories".

Dalit Zilber, CEO of the Planning Department: "The issue of green construction was signed in 2020 and will come into effect in March 2022. Urban renewal makes us a better city with the addition of housing units within the existing structures. The strategic plan of the State of Israel and the planning director speaks of the addition of approximately 60% of housing units to the total number of housing units for the year 2020-2040, as part of urban renewal projects. It's a very big challenge." On the subject of renewable energy, she stated that: "We are promoting a national outline plan to multiply the uses of all facilities and renewable energy. For example, agriculture - whether it's on roofs, on water reservoirs or on exchangers - we need to find the complementary measures, not only planning, but everything that will allow us photovoltaic coverage. The goals that the state has set are excellent, but we need to know how they will not eliminate all the open spaces for us."

Udi Adiri, Director General of the Ministry of Energy: "The climate crisis requires us to look beyond the scope of normal planning. One thing depends on the other - if you take vehicles and convert them to electricity then it increases the demand for electricity and you need to ensure that the electricity network is reliable. If the electricity in Israel is not reliable and at a reasonable price, no one will switch to an electric car." Adiri elaborated on the plan to reduce carbon emissions: "In the last two years, we have built a concrete plan for 2030 consisting of several policy measures. The first - the closing of all coal-fired plants in Israel by 2025, and a complete cessation of coal-fired electricity generation; Increasing Israel's renewable energy target to 30% by 2030; Energy empowerment program of 1.3% per year; And a general goal of moving to electric transportation, and transportation free of fossil fuels." Adiri also emphasized that "the plans lead to a reduction of over 90% of air pollution from electricity production and, together with the energy efficiency, over a 50% reduction of CO2 emissions. If we do not meet these intermediate goals, it is a clear sign that we have deviated from the path to 2050, for which the goals we set are to reach an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases."

international commitment

Dafna Aviram Nitzan, director of the Center for Governance and Economics at the Israel Democracy Institute, said about the challenge of the climate crisis in the face of international commitment: "In the past two years, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has led the way along with four government ministries, in an extraordinary and appreciative cooperation, together with the Israel Democracy Institute and accompanied by the OECD organization A complex and challenging move to formulate international goals towards a transition to a low-carbon economy. The climate crisis is advancing towards us with giant strides and the public understands this - the findings of a recent survey show that the majority of the public in Israel is aware of the risks of global warming, is disturbed by it and believes that the Israeli government should prepare accordingly. The path to reducing the consumption of polluting energy and switching to green and more efficient energy goes through the removal of bureaucratic and regulatory barriers, building according to green standards, installing solar panels on roofs, developing public transportation infrastructure, electric vehicles, encouraging the business sector to develop storage and renewable energy technologies, investing in and adjusting the electricity grid and encouraging energy efficiency".

Shuli Nezer, Senior Vice President for Industries at the Ministry of Environmental Protection: "Israel has built a strategic process that includes all sectors of the economy and will allow Israel to join the other OECD countries that have set goals for a zero-emissions economy."

Galit Cohen, Senior Vice President for Planning, Policy and Strategy at the Ministry of Environmental Protection: "Together with our partners in the government, we will create the regulatory framework that will encourage the financial system in Israel to incorporate climate risks into the decision-making process for granting loans, making investments and creating insurance policies. And this is to prepare the Israeli economy for climate change, and to encourage it to take advantage of the opportunities in the new markets."

Dr. Gil Proctor, Director of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, presented the national goals and the effects of the formulated strategy: it is possible to reduce between 80% and 85% of Israel's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to the base year (2015). This is the first time that Israel presents a comprehensive strategy that will result in an absolute reduction in emissions as early as 2030 and a low-carbon economy in 2050. The strategy will lead to Israel's weaning of fossil fuels and a full transition to renewable energies. As in the rest of the world, the industry in Israel will undergo far-reaching changes. This strategy will allow us to reduce over 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2050." Proctor added that: "The pollution damages are expected to increase rapidly due to the increase in the number of vehicles and the congestion on the roads. But implementing the national strategy for switching to electric transportation and reducing road travel will allow us to stop pollution in the next decade and reduce it to almost zero by 2050. The realization of the vision and the transition to a low-carbon economy are the insurance certificate that provides Israel with the resilience to deal with climate change and prosper in a low-carbon world."

Yuval Lester, head of the environmental policy department at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, stated that: "In the coming weeks we will put on the government's table a memorandum of law to deal with climate change. And we will continue to promote the Israeli government's carbon pricing policy. We will work together with local authorities to prepare local implementation plans. We will work to promote a low-carbon, competitive, innovative and highly productive Israeli industry. The transition to a low-carbon economy will meet all the residents of Israel - we believe that the implementation of this plan will improve their quality of life, and they will take responsibility for their consumption habits while internalizing their responsibility for future generations."

"Transparent" website investigation There is no connection between the government's words and its actions

The "Transparent" website, which provides investigations funded by donations and public participation, devotes in-depth research to the government's environmental promises and the infrastructure behind them, or the lack of infrastructure:

From the article Disguise or makeover: Has the Ministry of Energy joined the fight against the climate crisis

"A goal of 30 percent renewable energy by 2030 is an ambitious goal." (Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Udi Adiri, during discussion held in the Economic Committee in October on the subject of electricity production from renewable energy)

Let's start with a simple distinction between truth and lies. In an international comparison, the goal that Israel has set for itself - to reach 30 percent renewable energy by the end of 2030 is a low goal. which is the opposite of ambitious. Other countries in the world, such as Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Morocco and even Egypt, have set much more significant goals for themselves. 

is also Netanyahu, who pledged During the international climate conference that Israel will stop using gas, oil and coal by 2050, thereby taking another declarative step in the right direction, did not change the middle goal which is, so to speak, at 30 percent and is considered low. Why supposedly? 

Because in addition, according to the data of the Central Bureau of Statistics, electricity production constitutes 32% of the total energy consumption in Israel. My goals Paris Agreement They also include the energy for industry and transportation, as well as those under the responsibility of Minister Steinitz. This means that in fact 30% renewable energies constitute only 10% of the entire energy economy, which is far from enough.

In another part of the report, the author details that despite previous government decisions not to promote oil shale mining, which causes air and water pollution and is dangerous to health, the Ministry of Energy is trying to smooth over two projects that allegedly received approval. As I remember, thanks to the public effort and investigations by brave journalists, the attempts to establish oil production facilities from oil shale (fracking) in the Adolim region and the Golan Heights were canceled.

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• The Ministry of Environmental Protection is examining mechanisms for pricing carbon emissions against the backdrop of the climate crisis
• The Ministry of Environmental Protection reports on the restoration of the Evrona Reserve one year after the oil spill
• The Ministry of Environmental Protection recommends a 30% reduction in emissions in 2030