A special report published this afternoon (Tuesday) by State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman states that the State of Israel is not prepared for the climate crisis and that Israeli policy on the issue has not adapted to the extent of the problem yet.
According to the comptroller, 84% of public bodies have no plan at all to deal with the climate crisis.
The document states that Israel is one of the few countries in the world that does not yet operate on the basis of a budgeted and approved national deployment plan, even though it is in an area that is at increased risk and therefore even more exposed to the risks of climate change.
The report noted that “Climate change has effects that are reflected in four main trends: rising temperatures, lower precipitation, rising sea levels and rising frequency of extreme weather events - affecting both human and natural systems. These trends are often reciprocal and reinforce each other, and each has potentially devastating effects."
The comptroller also points out the dangers of climate change. "Increasing and exacerbating climatic events, along with continually changing climate patterns, can cause significant damage to the Israeli economy and pose a risk to Israel's national security, especially: damage to natural water sources, damage to food supply; damage to open spaces and ecosystems and loss of ecosystems. damage to open spaces and ecosystems and loss of animal species; damage to public health; damage to the power supply; damage to technological systems. It is a security and geo-strategic threat, due to depletion of water and food resources in the geographical area of Israel, in addition to other effects such as declining work productivity, increased risks to at-risk populations and the "energy poverty" phenomenon, risks to the insurance market and national infrastructure."
In his opinion, "Israel's being a 'desert threshold' country could lead to extreme changes compared to the global average, especially in air temperature, sea water and natural water sources, and in the intensification of the 'desertification' process."