Israel needs to do more for its climate ambitions, per latest OECD report

While Israel focused on crises in other sectors, not enough was done to meet its climate goals, according to a new environmental performance evaluation by the international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

With a 85-percent reduction goal for greenhouse gas, as well as carbon neutrality by 2050, Israel set an ambitious target. According to the OECD though, it's a far-fetched dream without any changes, and the Israeli nation is falling behind its peers.

The OECD recommended the adoption of Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman’s Climate Law, in addition to a few more initiatives, such as the removal of administrative barriers for accelerating the integration of renewable energy; a strategy to address the high car dependency; the strengthening of local government in tackling the climate crisis; and settings standards for new and existing buildings.

With that being said, Israel was commended for its investments into the reuse of wastewater and the desalination of seawater, especially since it is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, putting the Jewish state as “the largest user of recycled effluent water for agriculture across OECD member countries.”

Among the report’s recommendations was precisely the prioritization of investments into enhancing the sector, such as into public transportation, or leveraging “the full potential of a circular economy across all sectors, from preventing waste generation to keeping materials in use as long as possible, to transforming waste into resources.”

Finally, the OECD suggested education and awareness initiatives, specifically pointing out the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce Circular Economy Forum, and added that a bottom-up engagement with stakeholders was necessary, to inform and create incentives to reward cities and businesses that achieved predefined targets.

A consultant for some of Israel’s biggest startups, Josia Nakash, spoke to i24NEWS about the climate crisis and said it can't just be a tech solution, “it's about enhancing our human capacities to create safe environments that are ideal for us to flourish in."