Accelerating Climate Action in Israel
Refocusing Mitigation Policies for the Electricity, Residential and Transport Sectors
This report analyses the actions necessary in the near and medium term to reduce Israel’s GHG emissions in three sectors– electricity, residential and transport, for which specific policy recommendations are developed. The report will serve as input to the roadmap that will be developed to support the country’s long-term low-emission strategy (LT-LEDS). The report adopts a “well-being lens” that aims to integrate climate action and broader societal priorities, such as affordable housing, better accessibility to jobs, services and opportunities, and improved health. Such an approach can make climate policies both easier to implement politically, economically and socially, as well as more cost-effective. Particular attention is given to avoiding locking in unsustainable development pathways that would impede the achievement of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in the second half of the century. In addition to the range of sector specific recommendations, a key recommendation for Israel is to enshrine the vision and targets of its LT-LEDS in national legislation, once developed and agreed. While written before the COVID-19 crisis, this report can also inform decisions on Israel’s recovery from the crisis, helping to avoid actions that would lock-in “inferior” carbon-intensive paradigms and entrench inequalities or reduce quality of life more broadly.
Foreword
Israel, along with the rest of the world, is confronting an immediate health and economic crisis due to COVID-19, which is adding greater complexity to the low-carbon transition. The development of Israel’s long-term low emissions development strategy (LT-LEDS) has constituted an opportunity to align government action around the pursuit of a low-emissions future. This instrument is today, more than ever; key to support the alignment of near-term action with long-term goals. An integrated approach that addresses climate and well-being as part of a cohesive and coherent strategy is indispensable for making climate action more feasible, acceptable and cost effective as well as to avoiding further lock-in of emissions and inequalities. Developing sectoral policy packages in line with this approach – especially for sectors that are difficult or key to decarbonise - will be necessary. This will allow Israel to transform the economy, benefit from its capacity for technological innovation, and reach multiple well-being priorities while building its resilience towards future shocks, such as heat waves, droughts or other diseases.
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