Environment & Sustainability

This article examines how German environmental policymaking over the last 40 years transformed Europe’s economic engine into the international driver of green growth.

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.

On the road to ecological modernity, prosperity is possible without having to destroy the basis of our livelihood.

The Heinrich Boell Foundation has published a report, "Toward a Transatlantic Green New Deal: Tackling the Climate and Economic Crises". The report, which was prepared by the Worldwatch Institute for HBS, is part of a new paradigm for an integrated approach to the climate and economic crises in order to create sustainable economic progress into the future. Read the introduction and download the complete publication»

The Israel office of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung published a Hebrew translation of the book, Myths About Nuclear Energy: How the Energy Lobby is Pulling the Wool Over Our Eyes originally published in German as part of a HBS series on ecology. In addition to the translation, HBS Israel commissioned Dr. Shahar Dolev from the Israel Energy Forum to write a preface and summary in order to provide background and context to the Hebrew speaking audience on nuclear energy and the current discourse in Israel. The book debunks seven commonly held myths on nuclear energy including issues of safety, atomic waste disposal, climate protection among others. Click here to read the foreword and to download the publication»

Balmy weather greeted the hundreds of delegations that arrived in Cancun Mexico on the first week of December for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The Paths to Sustainability Coalition, run by Life & Environment and funded by HBS Israel, sent a delegation of three NGO representatives to participate in the conference following their participation in preparatory meetings with the official Israeli delegation. In addition, the coalition published a position paper in English and Hebrew critiquing Israel's climate policy thus far. The NGO representatives' participation is part of an overall strategy of the coalition to engage decision makers and advance climate policy in Israel. The Coalition’s position paper and more»

The Institute for Desert Environmental Research at Ben Gurion University's Sde Boker campus together with the Heinrich Boell Stiftung’s Israel office hosted a workshop in May which allowed for an objective, international, peer review of the McKinsey / Israeli greenhouse gas mitigation policy. Three top international experts were recruited for the workshop and participated in the day of multi-sector learning and dialogue together with a group of leading academics, environmental leaders from civil society, top officials from the Ministry for Environmental Protection and business leaders from Israel. The next day, the international experts were invited by the Knesset Environment/Health Sub-Committee to present their findings and recommendations. read more and see a video of the workshop»

The paper examines whether democracy at the country level and global climate change matter for another. It raises the question of how to support democracy’s advance in the face of multiple challenges that include the adverse effects of global warming and extreme weather events merits much more attention than it has received so far.

The recent earthquake damage to a number of reactors in Japan has again highlighted the potential hazards of nuclear power in a dramatic way. The description of nuclear power as reliable, secure, and a source of unbeatable energy has turned out to be a myth. To address the myths of nuclear power, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has commissioned renowned international nuclear experts to deliver reports that provide the public with an overview of current, facts rich, and nuclear critical know-how. On April 6th, 2011 the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Israel will be co-hosting a conference on the issue of nuclear energy as an option for civilian use together with the Hartog School for Government and Policy at Tel Aviv University and the Israel Energy Forum. We will be launching the book, "Myth of Nuclear Energy", written by Dr. Gerd Rosenkranz and translated into Hebrew with a chapter on the Israeli context written by Dr. Shahar Dolev. More about the conference and the guide»