"It is in man's nature to destroy everything on the face of the earth" (Aeschylus, 525-456 BCE).
Forty-nine degrees Celsius in Canada, uncontrollable fires in Greece and Israel, heatwaves in Siberia, melting icebergs in Antarctica, flooding in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and China. Scotland is melting, temperatures there are 10 to 15 degrees higher than average. The wildfire season in Israel is growing significantly longer, stretching from March to December rather than just the summer months.
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The UN climate report, published recently, leaves little room for optimism and indicates a point of no return. A record number of 234 leading scientists from over 60 countries agree that we've missed the boat.
The seemingly improbable signs near Israeli beaches warning of tsunamis and flooding may soon become an apocalyptic reality. Seaside hotels are at risk, as they are not constructed or reinforced with the right elements. Ports are at similar risk. The sea may reach the entrances to buildings.
The coming winter will be much tougher due to a shortage in natural gas. Gas prices in Europe have jumped by almost 500% in the past year. Have Israelis begun understanding the extent of the disaster?
The climate crisis and the dangers posed to Earth engage the world's leaders, first and foremost U.S. President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who addressed the issue in their speeches at the UN. It's indisputable: ministries for environmental protection, once overlooked, will in the coming years become the world's most important ministries in the war against nature and for survival. In the future, they may even outpace the defense budget, even in Israel, in the wake of more frequent and severe natural disasters.
Already, the budget of Israel's Ministry for the Protection of the Environment will grow to about NIS 340 million a year for routine operations. For the first time, NIS 625 million will be added for two years for a plan to combat the climate crisis – a sum that is nearly twice the ministry's core budget.
The ministry will act to declare a climate emergency. Israel has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. An intermediate goal for 2030 is a 27% reduction in emissions. The vision is to "turn Israel's economy by 2050 into a circular economy that aspires to minimize waste and maximize efficiency in the use of resources."
The problem we all face is that the natural catastrophes that have been gaining frequency throughout the world are unavoidable and will grow worse. Heavy rains and flooding in some areas, severe droughts in others. Coastal regions will suffer from rising sea levels, with frequent and severe flooding of low-lying areas. The feared melting of icebergs and the loss of Arctic sea ice in the summer have become fact.
Scientists hold that over the next decade, greenhouse gas emissions caused by industrial activity throughout the world (mostly in China and India) must be reduced by half, unilaterally and with no evasions. This warning, issued about a decade ago, hasn't had much impact, and the window for timely action is closing.
Even if significant steps are taken now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate change will not slow down as much as we'd like. Furthermore, since today, no significant steps are taken to reduce emissions by countries experiencing huge industrial momentum, such as China and India, nor even by the U.S., we can safely say that climate change will continue and will affect all areas of life, particularly in coastal regions, impacting water sources, health, ecological systems, and other natural systems.
Heavy ecological damage will be caused – the question is when, and what can be done to prevent the coastal cities from sinking. The mystery of why the residents of Haifa always preferred living on the Carmel and not near the sea, may soon turn out to have worked in their favor.
The government's strategic plan should address the climate changes expected in Israel by the end of the 21st century, including the possibility of temperatures rising by up to 3 degrees in the winter and up to 4 degrees in the summer. Rainfall is expected to drop in certain areas by 10% to 20%. There may be a rise in the probability of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and flooding. If preventive measures are not taken to limit exposure to the effects of climate change and extreme weather events, the economy, in all its sectors, may suffer significant financial losses.
They say that in Israel, the government never looks further than one term ahead. Not in this case.
"Adjusting to climate change is beyond the mandate of a single government ministry. Therefore, a multi-disciplinary, inter-ministerial strategy and action plans are needed," says a report of recommendations published by the Ministry for the Protection of the Environment from about 4 years ago.
"Preparation and adjustment are long-term processes that require commitment and flexibility to respond to new information and knowledge. The plan must by dynamic and adaptive and be reviewed every few years to check its progress, incorporate new information, and improve preparedness. When climate change becomes more widespread, it will become necessary to invest in focused programs designed to adapt to the changes. The first step is taking responsibility for this issue by the government."
Most of the world – 196 countries, including Israel – committed about 5 years ago, at the Paris Accords, to prepare themselves according to scientific forecasts and act to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, compared to pre-industrial times.
A tsunami is unavoidable
According to studies, tsunamis flooded parts of the coastal cities in Israel several times over the course of history. A major tsunami occurs once every 200 years, on average, and the last one was in 1759. An earthquake or long-term processes along the coast are the basis for the fear of a tsunami.
The Herodian harbor of Caesarea sunk beneath waves 16 to 40 meters high. The water reached inland, 1.5 to 3.5 kilometers from the normal water line. Archeological findings show that a similar event occurred over 9,000 years ago in the Tel Dor area.
A government report and scientific studies warn of a tsunami in Israel that will flood areas up to 1.5 kilometers inland in successive, 5-meter-high waves. A study performed by Prof. Daniel Felsenstein and Dr. Michal Leichter from the Hebrew University's Geography Department predicts that the waves may inundate one-fifth of the territory of Nahariya and one-fifth of the territory of Haifa.
A risk assessment report submitted to the government determines that the areas most at risk are the Yarkon River estuary in north Tel Aviv, the Kishon estuary in Haifa, and the marinas in Ashdod and Ashkelon. The report was written by Dr. Amos Salmon and researchers at the Geological Survey of Israel. It includes a map of the risks that indicates the areas with the highest potential of damage from flooding in case of a tsunami wave.
Although 12 years have passed since the tsunami report was submitted to the government, there is still no orderly plan for constructing buildings resistant to flooding.
What about floods from other causes? Even without a tsunami, buildings along the rivers are at risk. In the north, the Ga'aton in Nariya has already caused extensive damage, with insufficient compensation provided to the victims. And what about the Kishon in Haifa, the Hadera Stream, the Yarkon, and the Lakhish River in Ashdod?
Place for renewable energy
But what does all this have to do with real estate and this supplement? Today, only about 6% of Israel's electricity is produced using renewable energy sources – a woefully low figure compared to advanced countries. As the "start-up nation," our situation should have been different.
The Biden administration has declared that solar energy has the potential to produce 40% of American electricity by 2035 without driving up consumer prices. In Israel, the government recently set a new national goal for renewable energy sources – until 2030, about 30% of the country's electricity is to be produced from renewable energies.
This goal will be achieved mainly by installing solar panels on walls of new buildings or adding them to existing buildings, and through wind turbines. The sun and the wind will provide 48% of the electricity in the world by 2050 – which will require over 423,000 sq.m. of land. There's a feeling that here, unlike the rest of the world, talk is like sand, due to the government's shortsightedness.
The question is whether in Israel, which suffers from a shortage of available lands, there is enough territory to make progress in this field. Discussions of the National Council Planning and Building Council revealed that the total territory needed for achieving the goal is about 120,000 dunams – like the size of Tel Aviv – out of which at least 36,000 to 84,000 dunams must be in open territory. Ironically, this is sure to encounter resistance on the part of environmentalists. The Arrangements Law includes this issue under the reduction of obstacles to planning and building, but in Israel, these are empty words, when issuing a simple building permit takes 3 years.
It seems red tape rules not only when it comes to construction, but also when it comes to ecological treatment. Recently, a tender was issued for a sixth desalination facility in Western Galilee, and three serious proposals were received. But this was accompanied by 12 years of objections and delays, including by the Ministry of Defense.
The announcement by the Ministries of Finance and of Environmental Protection declares that "The tender was issued following the governmental decision from June 2018 to increase the amounts of desalinated water. The facility, expected to be completed in early 2025, will join the existing desalination facilities in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Palmachim, Hadera, and Sorek."
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And what about the private sector? Are developers saving money on going green? The developers are committed to join in saving planet Earth. Raul Srugo, President of the Israel Builders Association, said: "It's unavoidable – the climate crisis is here, now. We, the developers, support the issue and encourage the government to adopt regulations and implement green building in all public projects, without exception. All the relevant governmental bodies should act together to remove obstacles to recycling construction waste. Times should be shortened, a green track should be created in the licensing procedures for construction and green infrastructure, procedures for creating an advanced recycling infrastructure should be accelerated, and preference should be given to high-mass issues in construction compared to items that increase the cost of construction."
Everyone understands that the future lies in zero energy buildings, which generate all the energy they consume. The state must consider expanding the use of recycled materials and energy-efficient construction a national interest and to begin implementing these immediately.
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