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 to formulate an effective "climate policy package" under the existing conditions on the ground. 55 out of 60 (92%) public bodies that responded to the State Comptroller's Office questionnaire believed that the issue of climate crisis is relevant or partially relevant to their activities, while 86% of the public bodies that responded to the questionnaire believe that climate crisis is not being addressed appropriately and comprehensively in Israel.
The audit revealed that:
Uncertainty as a barrier: The tools used by the government today, for example, short- and medium-term decision-making based on classical cost-benefit analysis, are not sufficient to meet the challenge of the Climate Crisis. The review revealed that the Climate Crisis is characterized by inherent uncertainty that has contributed in various cases to the difficulty of promoting government action (as in the case of promoting national preparedness activities and not budgeting for them 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 dealing with a cross-cutting and systemic issue such as the climate crisis leads to barriers and multiple conflicts between ministries – both regarding the level of ambition that should be pursued 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 bodies when making decisions on defining goals on the subject; and it burdens the government's action on 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 hardly budgeted for in an appropriate scope and in a designated manner. For example, the establishment of a National Administration for Preparedness for Climate Change Risks 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 (except for energy efficiency, which was partially budgeted), as well as the mechanism involved in their implementation - which was not budgeted for. In the test of results, a working model of budgeting in segments (by ministry) and one-time or specific budgeting does not allow for systemic advancement of the Climate Crisis issue while setting significant goals in the areas 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 costs are estimated at billions of NIS over several decades) combined with market solutions, there is concern about the government's ability to realize its goals for a horizontal 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 in Israel Actions have not yet been taken using green financial tools and regulation (such as green bonds and loans) that will assist in the transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as actions that will help it integrate into global processes to attract foreign green investments that will promote green economic growth.
Climate crisis as a strategic threat and emergency: As of July 2021, the climate crisis has not been officially declared as a threat or strategic issue that justifies systemic preparedness by bodies in Israel (such as the National Security Council, the defense establishment, the National Economic Council, etc.). It has also not been declared a "climate emergency," and it is not being addressed to create long-term prevention or for any systemic preparedness to deal with the expected impacts. This is while a majority of 87% of government bodies that responded to the questionnaire believe that the climate crisis has 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 positively noted that in April 2021 the Ministry of the High Court published the climate law memorandum. It should be noted that as of the date of the audit, the law memorandum had not yet been approved.
State Comptroller Engelman He noted that addressing 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 government attention and budget allocation. This review chapter proposes examining a change in perspective regarding the manner in which the climate problem is addressed, the normative and institutional framework within which the issue is addressed, and the policy tools that will be adopted.
For all parts of the review on the science website:
- Introduction: Israel's progress in addressing 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 Climate Crisis; Market Failure
- Chapter 4: Lack of organizational, functional, and professional preparedness to address the climate crisis
On the same subject:
