This is according to a position paper on behalf of "Adam Teva and Din" for the discussion of the environmental lobby in the Knesset this week
The State of Israel, despite its size, ranks among the highest places in the world in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per capita; Significant preparation is required in order to meet the international goals.
Today, Israel emits 65.1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Although this is a relatively small amount compared to emissions in the rest of the world - but an examination of the amount of emissions per capita (9.15 million tons per year) shows that Israel is ranked higher than much larger countries such as Great Britain, France, Italy and China.
The State of Israel will be required to reduce 61 million tons of carbon dioxide in the aggregate by the year 2025 in order to meet the goals of the developed countries. Israel is preparing to join the OECD, the prestigious organization for economic cooperation and development, which places special emphasis on environmental issues. In preparation for joining, the State of Israel will be required to present significant and operative steps to promote environmental issues.
At the end of the year, the important international conference is expected to be held in Copenhagen, in which the new global order in the fight against the climate crisis (post-Kyoto agreements) is expected to take shape. The agreements that will be formulated at the conference are expected to be more effective, more ambitious in terms of the required reduction and will oblige more countries - including Israel. We have before us a narrow window of opportunity of 5 months to promote significant legislation on the issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and present a positive trend to the world according to which Israel, as a developed country, joins the global effort. Israel has an inefficient energy economy and the continuation of its activity at the current standards will lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions
There are several key variables, the continued preservation of which will lead to the expected increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the territories of the State of Israel, such as:
- A policy of supplying all current and future demand for electricity, however large it may be, as well as the continued development of the electricity sector based on coal. In this regard, it should be noted the predicted increase of approximately 10.5% in carbon dioxide emissions as a result of the construction of the new coal station in Ashkelon. Additional external costs of the coal station are estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars (air pollution, purchase of "pollution visas", coal prices, etc.).
- A transport policy based on encouraging private transport.
- The energy sector accounts for about 83% of total emissions in Israel. Today, there is no significant energy saving plan on the horizon - which would include, among other things, dealing with renewable energies, energy conservation and more. In a "business as usual" situation, the government expects a 67% increase in carbon dioxide emissions from this sector
A global scenario of "business as usual" entails significant negative effects on life in the State of Israel.
- The climate - warming at a higher rate than the global average; A 20-30% decrease in the amount of precipitation; and more.
- The water sector - a drop in the level of the Sea of Galilee, groundwater reservoirs and surface water reservoirs; pollution of water reservoirs; speaking; Soil salinization that harms agriculture; and more.
- Ecosystems - extinction of animals and plants; increase in the distribution of invasive species; increase in the frequency of fires; and more.
- Public health - expanding the distribution of carriers of parasitic diseases; increased risk of water-related diseases (malaria, etc.); heat waves and sand and dust storms affecting children, the elderly and the sick; and more.
The approach in Israel is the approach in the world
Bottom-Up - checking the area and formulating the goals from the existing potential It is only possible to moderate the growth and not reduce it!
- There is no significant plan on the horizon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- A narrow view - compared to emissions in other countries and not in relation to emissions in Israel;
- There is no significant plan for streamlining the polluting energy economy - there is extensive use of coal, no energy conservation, no encouragement to use alternative energies, etc.
Top-Down - setting goals according to the recommendation of UN climate scientists and examining how they are implemented and achieved as a second step.
- Bali's road map: reduction targets of 25%-40% by 2020 in developed countries, relative to the base year 1990, and an overall global reduction target of at least 50% by 2050;
- striving to reduce emissions and implementing extensive legislation on the subject in many countries around the world (England, USA, European Union and more);
- Economic incentives to encourage green technologies and energy conservation and optimization.
Israel does not align with the global approach to fighting the climate crisis and greenhouse gas emissions
The recommended approach is a top-down approach and promotion of a bill to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases 2009
A bill to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases 2009-XNUMX is a bill drafted by "Adam Teva and Din". The bill takes the approach of setting targets for reduction as a first step: it is proposed that the Israeli government establish a national plan for setting intermediate targets, means and ways to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. In the second phase, various tools are offered to meet the goals of the program, including: economic tools, imposition Limits on greenhouse gas emissions from various sources, imposing civil fines, establishing registration and reporting obligations and punitive sanctions. It is also proposed to establish financial incentives and tax benefits to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, it is proposed to anchor the goal of reducing emissions in all relevant procedures in the country Planning and construction procedures and electricity sector planning.
The bill is a significant milestone in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which have been proven to be the main cause of climate change and global warming. The countries of the world have already internalized the need for extensive legislation and the establishment of specific goals that derive tools for their implementation. We are also responsible, the fate of the earth is also in our hands.
Adam Teva and Din calls on the members of the Knesset to support the bill to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and thus to promote a significant step for the State of Israel in the fight against the climate crisis and to place Israel in line with the other leading countries in the world!
More on the subject on the science website
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Ruthie, I agree with you 100%
Why on such an intelligent site, every time you want to show air pollution and gas emissions they show a picture
of such an innocent and friendly "Livnia"/cooling tower - and emphasize the smoke coming out of them, which is actually water vapor - as an example of pollution - is not suitable for a respected site like the science to mislead the public, look at industrial facilities and not cooling towers as an illustration.
And a little expansion for optimism
http://www.energianews.com/article.php?id=2938
Someone else entirely:
There is room for a little more optimism:
http://www.themarker.com/tmc/article.jhtml?ElementId=skira20090521_1086966
All the big countries you mentioned have reactors to produce electricity from nuclear energy. Since energy
Renewable cannot replace (quantitatively, at least at the moment) conventional energy
For burning fossil fuels, our situation will not improve in the coming years compared to those countries.
fresh:
You modified the proposal a bit because in the original response you clearly talked about "laws that allocate budgets".
In any case - this is also the reality - budgets are routed through laws.
It also does not change anything because a budget functions in the same way whether it was transferred as a result of a law or whether it was transferred for another reason.
And finally - laws that allocate to someone arise anyway from the understanding that it is worthwhile (in order to reach the goal) to allocate to that someone the same budget so that whether there is a law in the way or not - the understanding that you suggested exists equally.
Not diverting a budget by virtue of the law, but by virtue of an understanding that this is a better way to reach the goal.
fresh:
Without going into the preference you expressed for one law over another - it is advisable to understand that the phrase "legislation is a stupid way" cannot be a justification for this type of proposal. After all, you propose one law instead of another, but the law you propose is also a product of legislation.
Legislation is a particularly stupid way to prevent pollution, these are laws that cannot be complied with. In contrast, laws that allocate budgets for scientific research that will enable the development of technology for inexhaustible energy that does not pollute will solve 80% of the world's ecological problems.