Israel's governments have so far not prepared a national plan that includes goals, schedules and adequate budgets for the reduction that will be required in carbon emissions

Adam Teva and Din hosted an international session in Israel with the participation of the ambassadors of the USA, the European Union and Denmark and Israeli officials, in preparation for the Copenhagen conference at the "Environment 2020" conference

In the international panel held at the 2020 environment conference, the representatives of the prominent countries that will lead the Copenhagen conference of the United Nations that will take place in December this year, along with senior officials from the political and business sectors in Israel, were hosted. Among the members of the panel there was a consensus that the economic crisis is an opportunity for the countries to invest in green infrastructures and lead to a real global environmental revolution. In their reference to Israel, those present claimed that its character and technological capabilities are capable of leading it to take an important part in this revolution.

The Copenhagen Conference in Israel - background

The Copenhagen Conference is the international conference of the United Nations that will convene in December of this year and at the end of which the Copenhagen Agreement will be signed as a continuation of the Kyoto Agreements with the aim of leading to a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in order to deal with the threat of the climate crisis.

In Copenhagen, all eyes will be on the representatives of the USA, the main contributor to the emission of greenhouse gases in the world and the policy of the new American administration on the subject, and the representatives of the European Union leading the fight against global warming. At the conference, Israel is expected to change its status and receive recognition as a developed country, which will oblige it to reduce emissions and adapt the economy to these changes. The bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which was drafted by Adam Teva and Din and signed by 70 members of the previous Knesset, is currently in the stages of being readmitted and is arousing great interest among Knesset members from all factions of the house.

The session was moderated by attorney Tzipi Isser-Itzik, CEO of Adam Teva and Din, the Israeli organization that received recognition as an observer organization within the framework of the UN climate discussions and with the participation of the US ambassador to Israel, James B. Cunningham, the EU ambassador in Israel Ramiro Cibrian Ozell and the Danish ambassador in Israel Lisolte Plessner, as a representative of the conference hosts. MK Ofir Pines (Labor) Chairman of the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, Valerie Barchia, Deputy Director of Planning at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Asher Greenbaum, Chairman of the Association of Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals and Environmental Quality, also participated in the Association of Manufacturers who provided the Israeli perspective for the evaluations in preparation for the Copenhagen Conference and in view of The global economic crisis.

European Union Ambassador Sibrian Ozal congratulated the incoming American administration for joining the fight for climate change alongside the developed world. Ambassador Ozel claimed that the economic crisis has no effect on the Union's environmental policy, with all that implies. "This was officially decided only recently. Europe's economic plan balances the economic stimulus with a long-term approach. The economy in times of crisis is aimed at promoting innovation, green technologies and energies" and added his expectations from Israel "as a candidate for the OECD and as a leader in many technological fields, it is important that Israel harness its expertise in the field of the environment and that it treat issues of environmental protection with the same level of seriousness as it treats other issues."

Ambassador Pelzner, representative of Denmark - the country hosting the Copenhagen conference, stated that her country is the most efficient in the world in saving energy. A fifth of energy consumption is achieved through renewable energy, mainly wind. According to her, the developed countries of the world should adapt to the changing winds and mobilize for the fight against climate change, including Israel. Pelzner noted that the economic crisis can be a lever for an environmental revolution and added in an anecdote that as someone who used to ride her bike to work every day, rain or shine, she would have expected to see more riders at the expense of private cars in Tel Aviv.

American Ambassador Cunningham pointed out that the US recognizes its central role in the issue and emphasized the far-reaching changes in the American government, which are designed to prepare for the burning environmental challenges that are on the agenda. Cunningham took advantage of the occasion and called for cooperation with industrialized countries, including those that are not defined as developed under the Kyoto Protocol, among other things in establishing funds to adapt to climate change. "Industrialized countries need to understand their responsibility for the future of their children and the people of the world. India, China, Brazil and other countries should enter into a dialogue with the developed countries in order to lead to a cleaner world." Cunningham said.

Attorney Tzipi Isser-Itzik, CEO of Adam Teva and Din, detailed the alarming data regarding greenhouse gas emissions in Israel, against the background of the continuous failure of Israeli governments for generations to deal with the phenomenon "about 99% of the energy, industry and transportation interface in Israel is currently based on Mineral fuels only (coal, oil and natural gas). Electricity consumption per capita and the amount of CO2 emissions per capita in Israel are 20-30% higher compared to economically similar countries. In a business-as-usual scenario, the government's forecast is that greenhouse gas emissions from Israel will increase by the year 2025 by approximately 75% compared to the year 2000.

The governments of Israel so far have not prepared a national plan that includes goals, schedules and adequate budgets, in accordance with the global trend." In response to the question of whether the economic crisis is harming the effort to fight climate change, Isser-Itzik quoted the words of the renowned British economist, Lord Nicholas Stern, who claimed that the crisis is an opportunity "When you look at the phenomenon of the climate crisis - it is worrying, when you stand for the proposed solutions to the phenomenon - it becomes To be reassuring, but when you think about the great economic potential inherent in these solutions - it already becomes attractive."

Asher Greenbaum, the representative of the industry insisted on the trend of marking the carbon footprint claim on the products in the world as also affecting the industry in Israel. "The Israeli industry needs to do its utmost to produce the lowest carbon footprint, otherwise it will have no place in exports to foreign countries that attach great importance to the carbon footprint of imported products," Greenbaum said, adding that this is the basis for cooperation to promote the issue in Israel.

MK Ofir Pins-Paz (Labor): Hastened to congratulate Gilad Erdan at a time when it appeared that Erdan would receive the Ministry of Environmental Protection portfolio and attack the incoming government, for the fact that despite the global importance attached to the issue, it did not bother to mention the issue of the environment in its guiding principles .

The announcement was made by Adam Teva and Din's spokesperson