Israeli Elections Overlook Critical Environmental Issues, Experts Warn
Despite severe environmental challenges in Israel, including over 5,500 annual deaths from air pollution, 80% waste landfilling, lagging public transport, and reliance on fossil fuels, environmental issues are being marginalized in the upcoming Knesset elections. While Israel is economically developed, its environmental infrastructure and services lag behind, comparable to developing or even underdeveloped nations. Experts emphasize the need for the next government to prioritize environmental policy, setting clear goals, action plans, and budgets.
Key environmental concerns include air pollution from transportation and waste, industrial emissions, and power plants, which impose significant health and economic costs. Addressing these requires tackling the transport and waste sectors, particularly waste fires. Climate resilience, especially preparing for heatwaves, is another urgent issue, impacting health, economy, and national security. This necessitates climate-adapted planning, infrastructure upgrades, nature-based solutions, and integrating climate considerations into all government decisions.
Sustainable transportation, improving air quality, and enhancing quality of life are also critical. This involves expanding public transport, promoting walking and cycling, establishing transport authorities, and designating low-emission zones. Protecting open spaces and biodiversity is essential, requiring compact urban planning, urban renewal, and reducing suburban sprawl, alongside expanding nature reserves and ecological corridors.
Experts point to readily implementable solutions like a rapid transition to solar energy with storage, which would reduce emissions and enhance energy resilience. Revolutionizing waste management by reducing landfilling, increasing recycling, and recovering energy from waste are also crucial for environmental and economic benefits. Other immediate actions include cooling public spaces through shading, improving building energy efficiency, and promoting local food consumption while reducing food waste to bolster food security amidst climate and security challenges.
