Extreme Heat Frequency in Israel to Surge Sharply Despite Government Budget Cuts

Israel is experiencing a significant rise in extreme heat events due to climate change, with the Mediterranean region identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a climate hotspot warming faster than the global average. Temperatures in the region are expected to rise between 3.5 and 9 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century. Israel’s warming rate is approximately 0.5 to 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade, potentially reaching 4 to 5 degrees inland and in mountainous areas, and 3 to 3.5 degrees along the coast and lowlands by century’s end.

The Israel Meteorological Service reports that extreme heat waves will become commonplace across the country in the latter half of this century. For example, heavy heat conditions currently affecting about 10% of summer days in Tel Aviv are projected to occur 70% of the time by 2100. In Beersheba, such heat waves could increase from 10% to 50%, and in Eilat from 40% to 90%. Temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius may arrive sooner than expected, with once-in-a-century heat events potentially happening every two years. The number of days exceeding 30 degrees Celsius in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area has already increased more than fivefold since the 1960s, from 20 days annually to 109 days in 2024.

This rise in extreme heat poses serious health risks, with preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Environmental Protection indicating that each heat wave causes an average of 45 excess deaths in Israel. The increased frequency and intensity of heat waves will place growing strain on the healthcare system.

Despite these alarming trends, the Israeli government has reduced climate-related budgets. Environment Minister Idit Silman cut approximately 200 million shekels from her ministry’s climate budget. Additionally, the national urban cooling and shading program has not received funding for the past two years, and overall climate adaptation budgets continue to shrink. This contrasts sharply with European cities, which are investing billions of euros in climate change preparedness.