This week the United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Glasgow and Israel is represented by a large number of politicians with Prime Minister Bennet leading the delegation. Bennet also gave a speech outlining Israel’s plans to deal with this significant crisis.
While until recently, such influential leaders as Donald Trump denied that climate change was an issue at all, events around the world, from excessive rain and flooding, fires and excessive heat as well as droughts, are clear indications that things are happening. The icecaps are melting, Greenland has seen ice layers disappear that were formed thousands of years ago and average temperature all over the globe are increasing. Denying is futile at this point and most of the world leaders are now convinced that the threat is real and action must be taken, now.
One of the major issues is the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases, in particular methane and carbon dioxide. And this requires very significant changes in areas as diverse as energy generation and mobility. Prime Minister Bennett referred to this when he pledged that Israel will be cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero, by 2050. While this would bring Israel in line with the pledge of a large number of other countries, it is questionable if Israel will be able to reach this goal. (It is questionable as well if other countries will be able to but since many already have started to act, they may have a better chance).
Does Bennett, who has admitted himself that he is a novice with respect to the whole issue of climate change, really understand what this means, zero emission? And the Israelis who listened to him, do they understand what this means for them? There are two sides to the declaration of “Zero NET Emissions”. One is the ability to reduce (remove) greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, to such an extent that the amounts that are being emitted are equal (or smaller) than the amounts removed. This equation (at least at this point in time, without efficient technologies for removal of greenhouse gases), is heavily biased towards the side of reduction. But reduction, means not burning fossil fuels, the main source of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide). So does Bennett understand what that means, no more gasoline fueled cars, no more diesel or gas or (g-d forbid coal) powered electricity generation. No more warming houses by solar, or wood, and the list goes on and on. Will Israel be able to transform itself so significantly by 2050? (Or for that matter will the world?)
Ironically, also this week a very extensive report was published by the State Comptroller on the preparedness of Israel for climate change and its consequences. The more than four-hundred-page report discusses all aspects of the impending crisis and how the various Israeli branches of government are dealing with it, but the overall picture the Comptroller describes is one of dismal failure, complete lack of action or initiative and in effect, a total ignoring of the crisis and its implications for Israel.
“Better Late than Never” definitely also applies here, even if Israel is already very late in undertaking action, and the pledges by Bennett in Glasgow, the adoption of a 100-point plan of action and the ever increasing urgency and with that the pressure from climate experts and environmental organizations, does give hope that Israel has started to take things seriously and that indeed steps will now be taken to really do something.
Israelis must believe that their government will start to do something and with sufficient openness, they will also be able to see and judge for themselves that the government intentions are real. There are two points that are worrisome and cast doubt on the real intentions of Israel. One of those worries is the tendency of many governments and leaders world-wide, to rely too heavily on science and technology to solve the problem, making many investments and efforts maybe superfluous or unnecessary. Bennet referred to this in reminding the world that Israel is “Start-Up Nation” and has overcome immense problems in many areas (such as water, specifically mentioned by Bennett) through “Jewish Ingenuity” and that Israel’s real contribution to the resolution of the Climate crisis will be through Science and Technology. This may be true, and given its success in other complicated and problematic areas, there is reason for optimism in this direction. But at this point in time, only a very small percentage of the many start-up companies in Israel deals with aspects of the climate and the changes that are happening, and only a very small amount of the money that flows to research is dedicated to this. A change will have to be brought about through heavier investments by government in the Universities in Israel. Technologies are developed based on science, and science is in the realm of the academics. And these are processes that take time and do not occur spontaneously or overnight. Relying on science performing wonders and technology transforming those wonders into reality is a dangerous path to walk without decisions to take action now with the options we do have in hand.
The second worry, and a reason for discomfort, is the fact that Israel today is fast becoming an energy superpower, with large amounts of natural gas being discovered and utilized (and sold). This beside the fact that there are still plans to explore for oil in the Negev desert. Is Israel going to give up on the enormous revenues involved in these undertakings? If, on one hand Israel will be promoting natural gas and on the other hand claims to aim for zero net emission of greenhouse gas (which is formed through burning of natural gas), how is this reconcilable?
At this point we must take the word of Prime Minister Bennett, and believe that Israel will move seriously into developing actions to control the global warming. With the right people and the budgets required in place, we may be optimistic that indeed Israel will be able to make a difference and we may believe that the revenues of the technologies developed, will make up for the losses of not selling gas and not using it.
The world may not be counting only on Israel, but without real solutions, the damage to Israel, in every aspect, will be disastrous. And maybe that will be sufficient for the powers that be, and their bureaucratic network, to finally do something.
I hope you found this article interesting and I welcome any comments you may have.
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