Green Politics

The food that we eat plays a big role in the search for solutions to climate change. Agriculture is one of the major contributors of greenhouse gases. But the way we farm our land can also be a big part of the solution.   This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Open external content on original site This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy.

Can and should the global climate be regulated by technological means, the so called geoengineering? In our first episode of our podcast "Tipping point" our host took off to hear from experts what these approaches mean for the planet’s environment and society. This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Open external content on original site This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy.

At the UN’s COP 22 climate conference in Marrakech, the international community closed ranks despite (or perhaps because of?) the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. 

The UN summit in Marrakech is the next step for operationalizing the Paris Agreement. Controversial issues e.g. damages caused by climate change and financing for the poor countries are on the table    

An interview with the Co-President of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung on rethinking the concept of growth.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals, to be established in 2015, will seek to protect ecosystems, conserve resources, and lift millions of people out of poverty. Unfortunately, the Sustainable Development Goals negotiations reflect the relatively little that is currently possible in a multilateral framework  

As rate of emissions grows at alarming rates, a future of dangerous climate conditions is looming, Nevertheless, too often proposed “solutions” are designed on wishful thinking, political agendas, or unfeasible technologies, rather than addressing climate change root causes. “net-zero emissions”, one of the latest faulty “solutions”, suggests that the world can continue producing emissions as long as there is a way to offset them.

In the wake of declining political will for environmental protection, many in the environmental community are advocating for the monetization of nature. Some argue that monetization, by revealing the economic contribution of nature and its services, can heighten public awareness and bolster conservation efforts. Others go beyond such broad conceptual calculations and seek to establish tradable prices for ecosystem services, claiming that markets can achieve what politics has not. However, such an approach collapses nature’s complex functions into a set of commodities stripped from their social, cultural, and ecological context and can pose a threat to the poor and indigenous communities who depend on the land for their livelihood. Although the path from valuation to commodification is not inevitable, it is indeed a slippery slope. Avoiding this pitfall requires a reaffirmation of the precautionary principle and a commitment to democratic decision-making and social justice as the foundations of a sound environmental policy for the twenty-first century.

The bioeconomy above all focuses on technological innovation to make better use of available resources. In principle, this is not a bad idea, says Barbara Unmüßig. The question though is for the benefit of whom and at whose expense these innovations are implemented, and also what the undesirable side-effects are like. This is a plea against focusing on growth.

As a relatively new player in the climate change arena, Israel is quickly catching up with many developed countries. However, the road to a comprehensive climate policy is still long.      

As the UN climate conference convenes in Durban, South Africa, Maya Givon, Coordiantor of the Paths to Sustainability NGO Coalition, says that our ability to deal successfully with the unprecedented challenge of climate change is connected to our ability to transition to a greener, more sustainable economy that will significantly augment mitigation efforts. The summit in Durban is an opportunity for leaders worldwide to answer this call, by removing political barriers and allowing a continuation of joint global effort to halt climate change.

With Israel asking itself some deep questions about the directions it should go in embodied in the recent protest movement, the Green Movement just released the first draft of a new economic plan for Israel. Based on the Green New Deals that emerged from green think tanks and political parties from around the world, the Economics of Tomorrow suggests a new model for government intervention that promotes economic development while preserving ecological resources and social democratic values. Alon Tal And Racheli Tedhar Kener, chairpersons of the Green Movement, offer a unique perspective, linking the economic plan with the currrent surge of protests for social justice in Israel.

The controversy about the use of nuclear power continues. In connection with the debate about climate change and what can be done about it, the nuclear industry and political forces that support it have undertaken efforts to present the use of nuclear power as a means of combatting climate change. The Heinrich Boell Foundation has published a paper “Nuclear Power – Myth and Reality” as early as February 2006, which argues against this notion. The heated debate has recently become more evident also in Israel. In the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from August 7, 2009, Gal Luft demanded a serious debate on the use of nuclear energy in Israel, while practically proposing its use. Joern Boehme, the director of the Israel office answered the claims made by Gal Luft concerning the debate in Germany in a letter to the editor, published in Haaretz on August 18, 2009. Read the op-ed by Gal Luft followed by the response letter by Joern Boehme»

The Heinrich Boell Stiftung has defined the issue of climate change and sustainable development as being central to its work internationally, both in the areas of mitigation and adaptation. It advocates and advances an agenda for development rights for developing nations and contributes to seeking solutions in many international forums while at the same time, adapts its work to the specific context of each of its 28 offices around the world.

Former MK Mossi Raz and current Chairperson of Life & Environment, provides an analysis of the new Israeli budget just pushed and passed by Yesh Atid and offers a new economic model that suggests real solutions for the three-fold crisis we are in - financial, social and environmental. The Israeli model, called Economics of Tomorrow could be the building blocks of a more sustainable economic strategy for the future than Yesh Atid's (There is a Future) current vision.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation Israel, Life & Environment and the Forum for Economics of Tomorrow proudly present the study "Economics of Tomorrow - Green Policy for Economic Resilience". A comprehensive and holistic program to create a sustainable economy, achieve social justice and combat climate change in Israel. This Hebrew document includes executive summaries in English and Arabic.    

As a relatively new player in the climate change arena, Israel is quickly catching up with many developed countries. However, the road to a comprehensive climate policy is still long. 

From December 7th to 18th, 2009 the much awaited for United Nations Climate Conference (COP 15) is taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Heinrich Boell Foundation in Israel is supporting a delegation of Israeli NGOs from the Sustainability Coalition - working under the auspices of the environmental umbrella organization Life & Environment - to actively advocate for a comprehensive climate policy by the Israeli government.