Ministerial committee set to review Climate Bill on Sunday

A bill that would create a binding framework for Israel's efforts to combat climate change is expected to be presented to the Ministerial Committee on Legislation on Sunday. 

The Climate Bill proposes measures for the government and other public agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 50% of what they were in 2015 by 2030 and for Israel to become a zero-emissions net economy by 2050. It also creates processes for dealing with the climate crisis, such as applying a duty to assess the climate risks of large government programs.

The bill is based on a draft prepared by Adam Teva V'Din, one of the country's environmental watchdogs. One of the agreements of the coalition was to step forward a climate bill with ambitious emissions targets in line with other developed countries. 

The consent of the ministerial committee generally means that the coalition will support the passage of the bill and vote in its favor when it comes to the parliament.

"This is a fundamental law," Tammy Gannot Rosenstreich, deputy executive director of Adam Teva V'Din, told The Jerusalem Post. "Israel is far behind the rest of the modern world regarding climate legislation and climate protections in general."

If the bill progresses to the Knesset and eventually passes, "it will be a huge step forward" and provide organizations like Adam Teva v'Din the legal basis to take action against government decisions not in line with the country's targets, Rosenstreich said. 

Despite Israel setting many climate resolutions, the country's goals remain unmet.

The first climate bill

The first climate bill was presented to the government by former Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel in 2021. That bill was later improved upon by a team of professionals working under Gamliel's successor, Tamar Zandberg.

Zandberg's Climate Bill passed the ministerial committee and even a first reading in the Knesset only days before the parliament fell and elections were called. The current Knesset could have picked up the bill where it left off and aimed to pass it in a second and third reading. Instead, it went back to the ministerial committee. However, the new bill includes more ambitious targets. 

Another main point of the bill is that ministries must create climate change preparedness plans to build Israel's climate resilience and reduce the risks arising from climate change in Israel. 

Similarly, ministries and local authorities would be required to prepare for the impacts of climate change. 

For example, Rosenstreich said the Energy Ministry would have to prepare a plan that would inter alia prepare for predicted extended heat waves where the energy consumption of air conditioning would be higher. The Agriculture Ministry would need to prepare for climate impacts such as droughts and other extreme weather scenarios that could be problematic for farmers and their crops. The Defense Ministry would need to prepare for potential security threats from angry neighboring countries that could suffer from extreme water and wheat shortages. 

Another aspect of the bill is the demand for a climate risk assessment for major government projects before they are approved by the cabinet, including large transportation projects - although a negative climate impact would not necessarily stop a project from going through.

Finally, in line with an announcement made last month by the Prime Minister's Office, a Ministerial Committee on Climate Affairs headed by the PMO would be established to coordinate all parties dealing with the climate crisis. 

Rosenstreich said that the country would not achieve a net-zero economy without a climate law in place because experience in Israel and worldwide shows that climate resilience cannot be reached through "soft instruments." 

"Law is one of the most crucial elements when discussing climate change," she said. 

But she said there are "a lot of crossroads" before the bill moves forward, and while there is the potential for it to be fast-tracked and passed in only a couple of months, the more likely scenario is that it will take much longer. There is also the potential that the bill could be buried as the government deals with other issues, such as its judicial overhaul legislation, and eventually, be dropped or become irrelevant. 

Dozens of other developed countries have passed climate change legislation. On Friday, US President Joe Biden boldly took the issue forward, signing an executive order that created a new Office of Environmental Justice within the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Rosenstreich said the passing of the Climate Bill is even more important under the current government, which has taken several anti-environmental actions since coming into office, including removing a recently established tax on disposable goods. 

Moreover, the Arrangements Bill, which passed its first reading shortly before the Knesset's Passover break, includes many clauses that would harm the environment and public health. For example, it calls for allowing exemption from review by the National Coastline Protection Committee of national infrastructure projects and national master plans; subjects decisions by the National Forestry Officer to prior approval of the Finance Ministry for major initiatives on transportation and energy; and limits noise prevention and other protective measures concerning major infrastructure projects.

The Arrangements Bill also promotes concessions to electric power plants regarding compliance with the provisions of Israel's Clean Air Law, allowing coal-fired power plants to continue polluting Israel's air unhindered. 

A report released by the European Environment Agency last week showed that air pollution causes an excess of 1,200 premature childhood deaths annually in the EU and significantly increases the risk of disease later in life.

The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The Jerusalem Post maintains all editorial decisions related to the content.

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