Minister Gabbay: "Israel is coming to the conference with dramatic goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that can move our economy to become based on cleaner energies such as gas and solar instead of polluting fuels. The main solution that we as a government need to promote is natural gas at a reasonable price that will make industry and transportation use it"
Notice of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
About 40,000 representatives from around the world, headed by presidents, prime ministers and ministers of environmental quality, will gather in Paris from today until December 11 at the 21st meeting of the Climate Change Convention, with the aim of forging together a new and binding global climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all partner countries. The new agreement will oblige all member states, developed and developing, to take measures to adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Israeli delegation to the conference consists of approximately 70 participants from all sectors of the economy. The diverse delegation includes representatives of the government - the Ministries of Environmental Protection, Foreign Affairs, Economy and Energy - local government, industry, academia, civil society, organizations and the greens, and more. The delegation is headed by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be accompanied by the Minister of Environmental Protection, Avi Gabai, the Director General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Israel Danziger, and other senior officials. The Prime Minister will speak today at the opening ceremony of the conference. During the conference, Israeli representatives will participate in discussions with the rest of the world regarding the climate change treaty and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and in addition, the Israeli delegation will hold a series of side events that will present the Israeli angle in preparing for climate change.
Israel is coming to the conference after about two months ago the government approved the national goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and optimizing energy consumption in the economy. The implementation of the goals will lead to a reduction of approximately 25% emissions by 2030, reduction of health damage from air pollution, fuel and electricity savings and cumulative economic benefit to the Israeli economy in the amount of over NIS 100 billion. The goal of the program is a reduction of about 25% of the expected greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, which is 7.7 tons of emissions per capita in 2030. In order to achieve the goal, national goals have been set for the reduction and optimization of energy consumption in the economy and the production of electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2030: Electricity production from energy Renewables will stand for a rate of at least 17% of the total electricity consumption in 2030, reducing electricity consumption by 17% and reducing private travel by 20% in 2030. For this purpose, the government approved a budget of NIS 800 million.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection is currently promoting a plan to implement the goals that will lead to a reduction in state spending and savings for citizens in electricity and fuel, streamlining and increasing the competitiveness of industry and the economy in general, leveraging investments and economic growth, developing the Israeli cleantech industry, creating jobs and reducing environmental pollution and the resulting morbidity.
