ENVIRONMENT:  Israel to Reduce Greenhouse Gases

The Israeli government approved a program to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 25% which was presented to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change at the end of September. Parties to the Convention are expected to adopt a new agreement at the December 2015 climate conference in Paris. Under that agreement, all countries, including Israel, will be legally obligated to reduce GHG emissions.
The program that was submitted to the government for approval includes:

Providing NIS 300 million in financial support to Israeli companies over four years, so that they can invest in energy efficiency;
An increase in renewable energy to 17% of total energy production; currently, 2% of Israel’s electricity is generated by renewables;
A 17% reduction in electricity consumption;
An improvement in public transportation that will result in a 20% reduction in private vehicle usage, as well as a transition from diesel to compressed natural gas for heavy vehicles.

The program will lead to a 25% decrease in GHG emissions—the equivalent of 7.7 tons of emissions per capita. This will result in a massive decrease in pollution—and thus lower morbidity and mortality, as well as savings in fuel and electricity bills. It will also result in long-term energy security, efficiency, increased competition, job opportunities, further development of a clean tech market, and economic growth. The ultimate savings for the Israeli market will be NIS 100 billion.

Environmental Protection Minister Avi Gabbay: “We are presenting dramatic targets for Israel. Every citizen will feel significant savings in their electric and gas bills, and in the reduction of air pollution in the wake of implementation of this program. And we are keeping to targets that will take us another step forward, toward the direction of OECD countries, saving billions for the economy and developing advanced green technologies.”