Israel Passes New National Climate Change Plan

The new action plans will be written in accordance with climate change scenarios prepared by the National Emergency Authority and the Environmental Protection Ministry.

By Gil Tanenbaum, TPS

Israel’s government Sunday voted to approve a new climate plan, under which all government ministries must – by the end of 2023 – submit action plans that will specify their preparations to meet the climate crisis, also known as “climate change” and Global Warming.” The vote was made as Israel is set to take part in the upcoming UN Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Conference, to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 – 18 November 2022.

The new action plans will be written in accordance with climate change scenarios prepared by the National Emergency Authority (NEA) and the Environmental Protection Ministry, and with the priorities and analyses of climate trends prepared by the Climate Change Authority in the Environmental Protection Ministry.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that the climate crisis poses a threat to the world, but can also be an opportunity for Israel’s economic advancement. And Israeli high-tech firms – known collectively as Startup Nation because there are so many startups in the country in that field – are renowned worldwide for their innovations in alternative energies, energy and water conservation, agriculture, and alternative foods.

“Ahead of the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Conference, we are taking another important step in preparing government ministries for the climate crisis by setting a deadline for submitting a readiness plan that will require all of the relevant ministries to present the Cabinet with annual reports on their progress in implementing the action plans,” said Lapid.

There are many Israeli firms that operate in fields that help deal with the climate crisis. For example, GenCell Energy, an Israeli provider of hydrogen and ammonia to power fuel cell solutions, offers the GenCell EVOX, a new off-grid EV charging solution that leverages alkaline fuel cells, hydrogen and ammonia to power technologies. The company says that this was designed to resolve range anxiety and grid limitations by generating green, grid-independent, on-site power that can charge EVs anytime, anywhere.

Other firms are developing the latest tech for renewable energies such as solar power. Many, like Redefine Meat, offer alternatives to animal-based products, like meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. In doing so they save the world all of the waste that comes from the animal food industries as well as the energy resources and greenhouse gas emissions that they cause.

Israel’s government has been promoting the changeover from fossil fuels for some time now. Just one program that the Ministry of Environmental Protection has been engaged in is the provision of dishwashers to local schools so that they can stop using disposable utensils.

And the City of Tel Aviv in April launched a pilot program with Israeli startup Lumiweave, the developer of a clean energy system in the shape of an umbrella that provides shade during the day and lighting after sunset.

Sunday’s decision joins a series of plans and actions being carried out by the Environmental Protection Ministry to improve the State of Israel’s readiness for the expected changes in the wake of the climate crisis. The Ministry has – inter alia – passed the Climate Law on its first reading in the Knesset and is due to continue to work toward its advancement in the next Knesset.

The Ministry has also worked to support local authorities in writing focused preparation plans for the climate crisis. It is currently advancing a national plan on increasing shade and cooling urban areas by planting trees, as well as a plan to rehabilitate streams and encourage local authorities to preserve natural urban green spaces.

Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg stated, “Advance preparations on a national level are critical in saving lives and the environment. The step we are taking today is a significant step toward preparing Israel to deal with the damage and the changes brought by the climate crisis.”

Preparing for the effects of, and the damages caused by, climate change is designed to protect public health and welfare from the implications of the climate crisis and from both anticipated and current changes.

The effects are now being seen around the world in the form of extreme emergency events such as an increase in the frequency of wildfires and floods, which are liable to worsen as global warming continues.

In Israel, this is manifesting, for example, in the reduction in the number of cold nights per year which has caused changes in the level of agricultural produce appropriate for Israel. All maritime infrastructures will need to adapt to the projected increase in sea levels. Israel’s cities will need to adapt by increasing shade and forestation to counter longer severe heat waves.

Against this background, the NEA has begun to prepare climate change scenarios in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Ministry. Earlier this year, the NEA issued the first scenario regarding floods. In the coming years, it is expected that additional scenarios will be issued that will assist the various government bodies in preparing for the climate events that are expected to occur in our region including heat waves, wildfires, snowstorms and extreme cold.