State Comptroller's report: global warming and climate change doesn't interest Israel

The annual State Comptroller's report, which was devoted mainly to issues in the fields of economics and infrastructure, with an emphasis on socio-economic issues, also addressed two important environmental-socio-economic issues: energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energies and reducing fuel dependence. Plans are organized, and how the implementation of existing plans fails, so the goals are not achieved, and it is important to say that in advance these are low goals on any scale. However, this report is only the tip of the iceberg, and the big picture is even more worrying, because the State of Israel does not seem to believe in the climate crisis, in simple words: the indices are not indices, the goals are not goals and the performance is not performance.
Already in Israel's commitment at the Paris Climate Conference 2015, as part of a significant international move to tackle global warming and climate change, it was clear that we were not really interested. The targets the state has committed to by 2030 were: 7.7 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per capita, 17% energy efficiency in electricity consumption, 17% electricity generation from renewable energies, and a 20% reduction in private travel. And not only are these targets low, not to say losers, but unlike most developed countries and certainly developed ones, the State of Israel has committed to a relative reduction relative to the "business as usual" scenario, ie only in relation to the expected increase, and not an absolute reduction.
And in general this scenario of "business as usual" is problematic. why? Because it is interpretable. For example, did they take into account in the usual business scenario the government's decisions for energy efficiency and beyond renewable energies, or did they refer to the most mitigating scenario whereby all electricity production would be from fossil fuels? In addition, unlike most countries in the world, Israel has set a reduction target based on greenhouse gas emissions per capita, with it being clear to all that the absolute greenhouse gas emissions in Israel will continue to increase.
According to the auditor's report, the intermediate target for electricity generation from renewable energies by the beginning of 2020 was 10%. But the target was not achieved, and according to the state will probably be achieved by the end of the year. According to the Electricity Authority's report for 2019, the capacity of renewable energies in 2020 will be 6.4%, no more, and we will only reach 10% in 2025. It is true that the Minister of Energy, Yuval Steinitz, recently announced an increase in the renewable energy target for 2030 to 30%, a target almost double that we committed to in the Paris Agreement. But again, not only is the target still low, the outline hardly includes the use of energy storage, and that is where the future lies.
And what about greenhouse gas emissions? The Ministries of Energy and Environmental Protection have repeatedly shown how the shift from using coal to natural gas at power plants reduces carbon dioxide emissions at power plants, allowing us to meet targets and even beyond. But they forgot to add that according to a report by the Electricity Authority to examine "increasing the targets for electricity production in renewable energy by 2030", even if we move from a target of 17% renewable energy in Israel by 2030 to a target of 30% renewable energy, not only will we not reduce Greenhouse gas emissions and absolute air pollutant emissions from electricity generation in Israel but we will even increase them. More than carbon dioxide, a significant amount is released into the atmosphere, and again, emissions will increase and not decrease.
Many countries are preparing plans and preparing for the days when the economy will be carbon-neutral, with the way to get there being to stop using fossil fuels and switch to renewable energies. In Israel, on the other hand, there is talk of a transition to an economy that is low in pollution, not even carbon. And what a difference, first of all, as far as the issue is concerned, a polluting economy does not focus on greenhouse gases but on air pollutants and other pollutants. Also, the definition of a carbon door is deceptive, because unlike a carbon-zero economy in which zero is zero, the word poor can be interpreted. And between us, how can we be poor in pollution or carbon emissions if our economy is largely based on the use of natural gas?
After all these, and to complete the picture, it is also important to mention that one must prepare for dealing with the climate crisis. In this case, the State of Israel has prepared a comprehensive and detailed plan, but you will probably not be surprised to hear that it is not really budgeted and implemented in practice, and there is a chance that next winter we will be surprised when roads are blocked, houses flooded and more.
The climate crisis is the biggest challenge facing humanity, even more so than the corona crisis. If the State of Israel wants life and wants to be part of the countries of the world, it cannot resolve itself with arguments that we emit only a fraction of the world's emissions and that the birth rate here is relatively high. Just last summer we experienced some strong and prolonged heat waves, and September 2020 was the hottest since measurements began in the country. The last winter was also rainy and brought with it floods and injuries to the body along with damage to infrastructure and property. The climate crisis also has economic consequences, and they will intensify in the near future, as well as health and even security consequences. It is precisely the exit from the Corona crisis that creates an opportunity to invest in the transition to renewable energies, energy efficiency and public transportation, it is good for the economy, it is good for society and health and it is good for the environment.