How to deal with
The world's coping with the climate crisis
The "Paris Agreement" signed in 2015 is the current mechanism for coordinating the inter-political effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against the climate crisis. As part of this, the countries of the world have agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that the average global temperature does not rise above 2 degrees (relative to the temperature before the industrial era), and even to strive to limit the rise to 1.5 degrees. Although most countries in the world have signed the Paris Agreement, the agreement is based on the good will of the countries and no binding quotas have been defined for each country or enforcement mechanisms to meet their obligations. To date, most signed countries have not met their goals and are not even close to them. However, it is already clear today that even the commitments made in the Paris Agreement are not enough to stop global warming from continuing.
The EU, which is leading the fight against the crisis, declared in 2019 a climatic and environmental emergency. In 2020, the EU released a trillion-dollar green economic plan over a decade to move EU countries to a low-carbon economy, while maintaining economic prosperity and improving quality of life, water and air quality, and improving health in all sectors of the economy: energy production and food growth , Transportation and construction, will be upgraded to reduce carbon emissions and use resources sustainably. The goal of the plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by 50% compared to 1990, and to reset emissions by 2050.
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The UK has withdrawn from the EU, and is still promoting an ambitious plan of a 68% emission reduction target by 2030 , compared to 1990. This target places the UK as a world leader in carbon reduction.
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While the outgoing US President Trump has denied the climate crisis and withdrew from the Paris Agreement, President-elect Biden is committed to the climate issue thanks to an extensive public campaign before the election calling for this issue. He appointed John Kerry, Obama's secretary of state. - "Climate Ambassador" of his new government and brought the US back to the Paris Agreement. During the campaign, Biden presented an ambitious $ 2 trillion green new deal plan over 4 years! The goals of the program are to add millions of jobs to the corona-stricken U.S. economy by encouraging renewable energy projects, upgrading the rail network, producing millions of electric cars, and renovating and upgrading millions of homes energetically.
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In the Far East, Japan, South Korea and China have set a target of net reset of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (net reset means that all greenhouse gases that continue to be emitted will be balanced by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, by technological means or by planting trees and rehabilitating natural habitats ).
How to measure in Israel so far
What about Israel? It signed the Paris Agreement and for this purpose adopted Resolution 542 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and streamline energy consumption in the economy .
In practice, the State of Israel has not advanced explicit and comprehensive legislation on the climate crisis, and this materially impairs its ability to deal with the crisis and its consequences.
Israel is one of the few countries in the OECD, alongside Turkey, which has not yet formulated a long-term climate plan and goals that match the magnitude and urgency of the climate crisis.
The transition of most of the electricity sector in Israel to gas-fired power plants instead of coal has led to a certain reduction in carbon emissions, but to a very modest and one of the lowest reduction rates among developed countries.
In recent months, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, led by Gila Gamliel, has made an effort to promote a more ambitious government decision with a 30% -40% emission reduction target by 2030, and an 85% reduction by 2050, but this decision is met with stubborn opposition from finance and energy ministries.