Israel's climate team heads to Baku as Herzog prepares for US visit

President Isaac Herzog hosted a reception on Tuesday for the Israeli delegation that will head to Baku in Azerbaijan for the annual United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

Each year, a different country hosts the conference.

Herzog led the Israeli delegation to the conference last year, which took place in December in Dubai.

Aside from being genuinely interested in climate change and control, Herzog traveled to the UAE knowing that many world leaders would be there, which would give him the opportunity to raise the hostage issue with top-tier statesmen and politicians.

This year’s delegation will be led by Minister for Environmental Protection Idit Silman and include, among others, Yaakov Asher, chairman of the Knesset’s Environmental Protection Committee, and former MK Dov Khenin, who chairs the President’s Climate Forum. Representatives from 167 nations will attend the conference, which will open on November 11 and close on November 22.

Herzog in Washington

While Silman and company are on their way to Baku, Herzog will travel to Washington, DC, to participate in the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, which opens at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on November 10.

In Washington, Herzog will make a point of meeting with outgoing US President Joe Biden to wish him well and thank him yet again for all that he has done for Israel in the course of a long political career, especially during the past year.

At the reception on Tuesday, Herzog said he was very proud that Israel was among the first countries to recognize the dangers of global warming and climate change.

He told members of the delegation that they have a two-fold mission. One is humanitarian in that solutions that Israel has found for crises in energy, water, agriculture, and food security can be shared with the rest of the world, and the other is to disseminate the truth about Israel and Zionism.

Based on his own experience in Dubai, Herzog was confident that all the members of the delegation would find their visit to Baku fruitful and meaningful.

Emphasizing that climate change is not going to disappear, Herzog said that solutions must be found together, despite disagreements among countries on other issues. “We have the opportunity for meetings and cooperation with other nations in the region,” he said.

Aware there are those who think environmental issues should be put aside during the apocalyptic period in which Israel is currently engaged, he told his guests, “But you all know the importance of continuing the work. We have to recognize that if we don’t do something about global problems, we are doing a disservice to our own people.”

Silman proved that when there is a common cause, people who disagree on other issues can work well together. Though she and Khenin are politically polarized, she called him “a partner, a friend, and a mentor.”

While Khenin and Asher are also at opposite ends of the political divide, Khenin commended Asher for his commitment to environmental protection and the desire for a better world for the next generation. Asher, for his part, described Khenin as a person “of great integrity.”

Looking to Baku and beyond, Silman said, “We will be partners to all other nations in seeking solutions for coping with climate change.” Such partnerships, she continued, would benefit the world at large.

Although Israel has come up with several solutions to water scarcity, drought, forest fires, and more, “we are still a long way from the goals that Israel has set itself,” said Silman. She, Asher, and Khenin each stressed the need to push through legislation on the environment. There is widespread consensus in the Knesset for such a law, which has already been prepared, but there has been a delay in putting it to the vote.

Asher warned that in the final analysis, the wording of the bill will be significantly different from the current text. He explained that if the legislation is to receive public support, everything to do with the environment must be more practical and couched in simpler terms so that all sectors of the population will understand.

According to Khenin, nothing that environmentalists hope to achieve can be undertaken until the political problems that have split the nation are resolved, “We have to find a way to do this,” he insisted. While it is very important for Israel to attend the climate conference, he said, it is more important for Israel to be able to say what is being done to find solutions because so many issues derive from other problems.He cited the energy crisis in Europe, which has been dramatically affected by  the war in Ukraine.

On the other hand, advanced technology is providing partial solutions. China, he noted, is developing new sources of energy.

Technological innovation will resolve the climate crisis, declared  Dror Bin, the director-general of the Israel Innovation Authority. In Israel, there are currently 800 hi-tech companies dealing with environmental issues, and representatives of 80 of these companies will be in Baku, he said.

Solutions that Israel can conceive and develop will also be of enormous benefit to the economy, he noted.

 Later in the day, Herzog eulogized Israel’s third president, Zalman Shazar, on the 50th anniversary of his passing and the 100th anniversary of his arrival in the Holy Land. Shazar was the first president to occupy the President’s Residence.