PM Bennett aims to get Israel to zero emissions by 2050, he told the Sunday Times as he heads to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.
He said that to achieve this, he aims to phase out coal within the next three years and gradually introduce a carbon tax.
“For the world to get to zero emissions by 2050, changing our behavior will do less than half the job. The other half will come from technology that has yet to be developed. That’s where Israel has to lead.”
However, as Israel’s tech sector is not concentrated on climate issues, Bennett noted that
he needs to get “Israeli entrepreneurs to pivot from making another cool web app to pivot to working on something with significance.”
Bennett said he plans cut red tape “with a machete” so that green startups can work with government agencies, public utilities and local authorities. He also envisions matching government money to that of venture-capital funds who want to invest in green tech so that “we share the risk while they enjoy the profits.”
“We have a huge potential in the region to create partnerships in the energy field," he added. "Israel is a very small state, in territorial space. We’re in a region where water is scarce but our most of our neighbors don’t lack for empty desert space, and in 2021, that space means energy. And energy means water.”