Dear Friends,
I recently returned from the eventful United Nations
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Although it seems that the
conference was an overall failure on the global level, the Israeli
government has made some unprecedented strides. In fact, while actual
targets were never declared up till now, President Shimon Peres declared
to the world that Israel’s targets are to reduce emissions by 20%
by 2020 compared to ‘business as usual’ levels. I have to admit that
these promises are miniscule in relation to the required goal of
20% below 2000 levels, yet we take solace in the fact that this is
an improvement relative to the government ignoring the issue of climate
change until now.
In Copenhagen, I represented Green Course and was joined by 25 other
representatives from NGOs across Israel. The Israeli NGO delegation
sits under the umbrella of the Paths
to Sustainability Coalition. Our delegation calls upon the government
of Israel to formulate a comprehensive, ambitious and bold climate
policy and to allocate the resources necessary for its implementation.
Israel must set clear and substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emission
reduction targets, on par with the standards of developed countries
of the world, and in accordance with Israel’s level of economic development.
In Copenhagen, the NGOs delegation was looking to influence the government’s
GHG emissions policy by promoting local issues that related to climate
change like the proposed coal
power plant and Israel’s backwards energy sector. During
the conference, we learned from the international NGOs and got some
advice and insight on further activities we could organize in Israel.
As a side note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
Danish Jewish community for their most gracious hospitality during
the conference. We are grateful for your tremendous generosity in
hosting us.
Achievements After All…?
Throughout the conference the NGO delegation had daily discussions
and meetings with the officials from the Israeli government delegation.
These meetings were beneficial for both parties. Through our connections
with other NGOs, we had more information about other countries than
the government delegation. What we received in exchange for this
information was a chance to convince the delegation to commit to
stricter emission cuts. Every country had to declare their intensions
to the world meaning the Israeli government was finally in a position
where it had to make a decision. We wanted to influence that decision
to ensure its strength.
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