Speaking at the Climate Change Conference in Paris, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminded world leaders in attendance that Israel is at the helm of eco-technology development and innovation, and will share its expertise with other nations.

View of clean electric-powered windmills in the Golan Heights. ( Haim Azulay/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the 21^st UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on Monday evening, during which he stated that Israel was a leading force in eco-technology and would readily contribute to the effort to curb global warming and develop ways to make the world a cleaner and better place.

“Even as Israel plays a leading role in the fight against terrorism, we are also playing a leading role in addressing climate change…. We are one planet, and climate knows no bounds,” Netanyahu told the 150 leaders who gathered from around the world to address the “pivotal issue of our time,” as he termed it.

The premier stated that “Israel is committed” to the goals of preserving the planet and “will act accordingly, in deed and in word to fulfill them.”

The element of technology, which “gives us the ability to do the unimaginable,” is decisive in this process, he said, and Israel is a leading force in that department.

“Last year Israel was ranked number one in the Global Clean-Tech Innovation Index. We are a world leader in making the use of water more efficient, therefore more energy efficient. Israel is the number one recycler of water in the world. It has the highest ratio of water efficiency in the world – 70-80%, this is thanks to innovative technologies like drip irrigation, which I know many of you are familiar with,” he delineated.

“For decades, Israel has been a pioneer in solar energy. We are also developing state-of-the-art techniques to increase crop yields and to make desert agriculture possible. This all optimizes the use of water and the use of energy, and that’s important for our environment.”

Netanyahu’s office has launched an initiative to reduce global dependence on crude oil, especially in transportation, by establishing Israel as a global leader in the search for fuel alternatives. That would be beneficial for Israel and the world not only ecologically, as it would wean the world from its support of states who live off of oil production while supporting global terrorism

“Israel is developing what I can call a smart energy grid, and that includes using residential housing, not merely as a consumer of energy, but as individual plants producing energy. This is truly the wave of the future,” he added.

“Everything that I’m talking about here has one goal. It’s to optimize our resources; optimize the way we allocate our resources.”

Despite Israel’s water problem, it has been successful in developing technologies to contend with this issue. “We have learned to do more with less. This is what we as a planet must learn to do. We must learn to do more with less.”

A Small Country with Big Ideas

“Israel is a small country with big ideas,” Netanyahu said. “I believe that it’s not enough that we have those ideas, or that we apply those ideas in our own country.

“We are eager to share them with you, both individually and as a collective body as well,” he concluded, while inviting the world to join Israel as its addresses the crucial issues of climate change and other environmental challenges, “to make our world a safer, healthier and more peaceful place for our generation and for generations to come.”

While Israel is a relatively small contributor to climate change due to its size and population, it is highly sensitive to the potential impacts of the phenomenon, due to its location in the volatile Middle East.

A new, binding agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, applicable to all countries, is expected to be adopted at the conference. Israel has committed to reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions to 7.7 tCO2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) by 2030. This constitutes a reduction of 26% below the 2005 GHG emissions level. These reductions will come from sectors such as: electricity, industry, transportation, residential and commercial buildings, waste, and agriculture.

The Israel delegation to Paris, numbering about 70 members, includes Environmental Protection Minister Avi Gabbay and Director General Yisrael Dancziger, Members of Knesset, government officials, members of environmental NGOs, industry representatives, and more.

Eight Israeli companies also attended the conference, presenting their innovative technologies for renewable energy and climate change mitigation.

Israel’s clean tech projects are globally renowned, with innovative ideas such as powering entire buildings through the use of solar panels, converting wind into electricity, new technologies for clean water and many other inventions that are making the world cleaner and more energy-efficient.

By: Max Gelber, United with Israel