Israel is leading the fight against the climate crisis - opinion

Living in Canada, it’s been hard to dismiss the effects of our changing climate. Last year, the planet’s warmest, we experienced record fires, storms, and floods which wreaked havoc throughout Canada as well as many parts of the United States. We’ve also watched record temperatures and destructive weather events throughout Europe. While Israel was spared this year, the future may not hold the same promise.  

And it’s not just fires we all need to be concerned about. Wherever we live, rising sea levels, deforestation, record heat waves, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and pollution will touch us all in some way.

Israel has excelled in various hi-tech sectors, establishing itself as a global leader in innovation and technology including in MedTech, artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.  It is also aiming to be a global leader in addressing climate change. Israel’s advances in desalinization, agricultural technology, autonomous vehicles, waste management, green transportation, and renewable energy are moving it toward becoming a hub for research and development in clean technologies. According to Startup Nation Central, there are approximately 850 climate change start-ups in Israel, allowing the nation to contribute to the global conversation on climate action, and it has positioned itself as a valuable ally in the fight against the environmental crisis.  

To speed Israel’s evolution toward being a world leader in climate solutions, the Jewish National Fund of Canada (JNF Canada) developed the largest incentive prize in Israel’s history, the Climate Solutions Prize. 

This week, JNF Canada, with the support of Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (JNF-KKL), who is contributing matching funds toward the prize, will award the (US) $1 million Climate Solutions Breakthrough Research Prize in recognition of the most innovative and impactful solutions in the field of climate research. 

JNF Canada has always believed in partnering with the best organizations to maximize their impact and achieve their goals. In addition to the Breakthrough Research Prize for universities and research institutes, JNF Canada has created a platform for other organizations such as Capital Nature and Startup Nation Central to award over (US) $1 million in additional prizes (over $2.2 million in total prizes) to the most promising start-ups in the field.  

The timing of these awards is testament to the resilience of the Israeli academia and start-up communities.  

Ability to focus on more than one crisis

Despite the war and multiple challenges Israel is currently facing, its ability to continue to focus on the negative impacts of climate change is astounding. Besides helping in literal tikkun olam, Israel’s leadership in this field will help develop its economy as well as its relations with other nations seeking solutions to this global issue. 

From its social infrastructure investments to its planting of millions of trees and environmental conservation projects, JNF Canada has been an organization dedicated to the development of Israel. The Climate Solutions Prize initiative is now one of our most important endeavors, aimed at helping make Israel a global leader in the race to help solve the climate crisis.  

From solving its water shortages with drip irrigation and desalination (then exporting those technologies around the world) to protecting its people with the Iron Dome, Israel has a remarkable track record in solving seemingly insurmountable existential challenges. With the Climate Solutions Prize, we look forward to supporting Israel as a world leader in helping solve this global challenge. 

Galith Levy is the Chief Climate Solutions Prize officer at the Jewish National Fund of Canada. Jeff Hart is the executive chair of the Climate Solutions Prize.