Israel's Environmental Impact Assessments Face Calls for Strategic Reform and Broader Evaluation
The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection recently published a dedicated webpage explaining Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for development projects including construction, infrastructure, and energy. EIAs evaluate how proposed plans affect natural surroundings and local residents, addressing resource use such as land and water, and potential environmental hazards like air pollution, noise, or radiation. These assessments help authorities and the public make informed, science-based decisions by weighing environmental impacts against economic and social benefits.
EIAs, mandated by the 2003 Planning and Building Regulations, are prepared by project developers under detailed guidelines and reviewed by environmental consultants and the Ministry. Typically, an EIA includes five sections: environmental description, site preference, project activities, expected environmental impacts with mitigation measures, and conclusions with recommendations. A key component is examining alternatives, including a "zero alternative" scenario where the project does not proceed, different locations, project scale, and operational technologies to minimize environmental footprints.
However, despite the goal to identify the "preferred alternative" balancing environmental, economic, and social factors, regulations lack clear criteria for selecting this alternative. In practice, EIAs often assess only how to reduce impacts of a preselected project rather than questioning its necessity or exploring fundamentally different approaches. For example, an EIA for a new waste landfill may focus on reducing odor or contamination but not compare it to more sustainable waste management methods like recycling or energy recovery, nor consider the economic implications of greener options.
Professor Adi Wolfson, head of the Green Engineering master's program at Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, highlights this gap and advocates for complementary tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), which are used in various EU countries but currently absent in Israel. The 2023 OECD Environmental Performance Review of Israel also notes the lack of a strategic environmental assessment system for policies and plans. Additional evaluations recommended include environmental and health risk assessments that consider physical and mental health impacts on diverse populations.
Transparency is maintained by publishing approved EIAs for public comment before final plan approval. Yet, given Israel's small and densely populated territory, Wolfson stresses the need to reform the environmental evaluation framework to begin with strategic assessments that set policies and master plans, ensuring comprehensive analysis of alternatives and their environmental, health, and climate effects. This approach aims to better align development with sustainable and responsible environmental stewardship.
