Environmental Policy

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.