Israel President Herzog at the Climate Conference: The Middle East is on the brink of disaster

State President Yitzhak Herzog said on Monday in his speech at the 27th Climate Conference that "the Middle East is on the brink of disaster." At the conference, held this year in Sinai, Egypt, Herzog said that "Here in Sharm el-Sheikh, I would like to repeat the firm commitment of the State of Israel to zero carbon and to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy by 2050. But Israel is ready to take on a much heavier responsibility. Israel is right to lead the effort for Regional climatic resilience. I intend to lead the development of what I call a 'renewable Middle East', a regional system of sustainable peace."
Herzog laid out his vision for the regional fight against the climate crisis, an issue that is "very close to his heart" and emphasized that he intends to lead the development of a "renewable Middle East" - a regional system of sustainable peace. That is, "the solar energy produced in the deserts of the Middle East will be available for export to Europe, Asia and Africa. Israel and Greece are already commissioning electrical connections for the purpose of supplying green electricity from Israel to Europe. In an area that is experiencing an accelerated desertification process, Israel also has the ability and knowledge to eradicate severe water shortages and offer solutions for food insecurity. We are willing to share the expertise and tools at our disposal - this is what a renewed Middle East will look like," said the president.
This year, for the first time at the UN climate summit, Israel also has a booth where it presents itself as "a country of alternative milk, alternative honey and alternative meat". This is also the first time in 40 years that Israel has a booth as part of a conference or summit held in Egypt.
The Israeli pavilion at the summit - one of the largest pavilions at the event - was opened today in a festive ceremony by President Herzog, with the participation of the outgoing Minister of the Environment Tamar Zandberg, the outgoing Minister of Education Yifat Shasha-Biton, the outgoing Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Orit Perkash, the Minister of Regional Cooperation Isavi Frij , representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and more. The pavilion, which was built at a cost of five million shekels, presents solutions called "climate-tech", practical solutions designed to solve the climate crisis and based on nature. In the next two weeks, more than 35 different events will be held in the Israeli pavilion on diverse topics: preservation of biological diversity, climate innovation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to climate change, regional cooperation, food security, water, energy, dealing with the desert phenomenon, and more.
According to Yonatan Peled, deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the fact that the UN climate summit was held this year in Egypt, and next year will be held in Dubai, is evidence of the importance of the region in the fight against the climate crisis, and especially of the fact that Israel is an integral part of the regional solutions.
In his speech, Herzog also said that joint ventures between Israel and other countries in the region are already being planned, and tomorrow it is expected that memorandums of understanding will be signed with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates regarding a major project called "Prosperity Green and Prosperity Blue Partnership" - within the framework of which Jordan intends to provide Israel has green electricity, while Israel for its part intends to supply Jordan with desalinated water, in cooperation with the United States and the United Arab Emirates. "This is the best example of a creative partnership that brings value to all partners, which will contribute to the stability of the entire region," Herzog added.
The president concluded his speech with a special request to the neighboring countries. "This emergency requires us to join forces," he said. "Not tomorrow - but right now. Let's turn the climate crisis into an opportunity to deal with the conflicts of the 20th century - and thus promote essential collaborations for the 21st century. Let's leverage necessary regional partnerships, in order to create a path towards inclusion, stability and prosperity, on In order to create the renewed, shared Middle East."
Upon his arrival in Sharm, Herzog met with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II. The two discussed, among other things, the tripartite cooperation between Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Israel on the issue of energy and water and the South Jordan project to restore the Jordan River. Also, the two discussed the further promotion of relations between the countries and various regional issues. Herzog then met with the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; The Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan participated in the meeting. The president also met for the first time with Italy's new prime minister, Giorgia Maloney, and with Britain's new prime minister, Rishi Sunak. In their meeting, the two also discussed security challenges - chief among them the Iranian nuclear issue.
This year's conference is not expected to provide good news regarding the fight against global warming. Unlike in the past, the conference does not even focus on the goals for reducing carbon emissions in the various countries, but on the assistance of the rich countries to the poor countries to deal with and adapt to climate change.
Last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that a dramatic increase in funding for adaptation to climate change is needed to save millions of people from "climate massacre". Adapting to climate change includes preparing flood defences, storm shelters and emergency plans to protect people during extreme heat waves and droughts. Guterres said that only a small part of the required funding was provided by the rich countries for the protection of poor countries that are at risk due to the climate crisis.
A report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) states that the effects of the climate crisis will be so severe that they will exceed the ability to provide protection without additional funding, leading to "long-term shocks" that will affect future generations. The report found that 80% of countries have started adaptation plans, but only a third of them have set goals and target dates.