This year, 2022, is the year when it
became clear to us all that we are in the midst of a powerful climate crisis
that is only getting worse. Widespread floods in Pakistan displaced tens of
millions from their homes and flooded about a third of the country. Devastating
hurricanes hit the East Coast of the US and the Caribbean, wreaking havoc on a
massive scale. Severe droughts dried up great rivers in Europe and China. This
is only a partial list of the major disasters which UN experts have told us
time and time again, are only likely to increase as we continue to emit
greenhouse gases.
World leaders, government
representatives, experts, representatives of the private sector and civil
society, academics, opinion shapers, and policy formulators will meet for the COP
27 annual climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt during the month of
November to discuss ways to prevent the climate crisis. Success of the
conference is of the utmost importance. So too is the advancement of all the
issues it will focus on, such as the continuation of global efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, adoption of a global goal for adaptation and adjustment
to the climate crisis, increasing climate financing and progress on the topic
of ”loss and damage,” as well as advancing cooperation in the exchange of
knowledge and experience.
Israel, located
in an arid region and facing chronic water shortages, high temperatures, and a
difficult environment for agricultural development, has had to invent creative solutions. Through decades of knowledge and experience, it
has found practical solutions to climate challenges, which Israel wishes to
share and collaborate on in order to bring about their implementation. These solutions involve areas that are essential
to handling the climate crisis, such as efficiency of water resources and
creation of new water sources, drought-resistant agriculture and precision
agriculture, invention of animal protein substitutes and sustainable crops, energy efficiency
and energy storage, restoration and preservation of forests in arid areas,
circular economy, and the production of new materials that are climate and
environment-friendly. Many ideas also
come from an active and aware civil society, which contributes to the
climate-environmental discourse and activities, ideas that often are then integrated
into government action.
Evidence of
Israel’s desire to share information is the establishment, for the first time,
of an Israeli pavilion at a
COP conference. The pavilion will focus on climate innovation and
solutions, and dozens of events aimed at creating international and regional
cooperation in the Middle East will be held. We understand that regional and international cooperation is critical to
dealing with the climate crisis; therefore, our goal is that every event at the
Israeli pavilion will create a long-term partnership and process. The participation of an especially large
and high-ranking Israeli delegation is also expected. The delegation will include
representatives from all the sectors that must be harnessed in order to deal
with the climate crisis: government, civil society, the private sector, local
government, academia, and more.
In order to
overcome the climate crisis, humanity needs practical, applicable solutions to
build climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that can be
implemented on a local as well as a global scale. These solutions should help
meet global mitigation goals and reinforce resilience among countries and
communities that are already affected, as well as assist in the implementation
of the UN's sustainable development goals – the SDGS.
International
cooperation in the field of climate innovation also provides an excellent
opportunity to strengthen the economy for the benefit of all, create new jobs,
and advance human prosperity, while preserving nature, the climate and
ecological diversity.
We all have an
important part to play in preventing the climate crisis. Israel hopes that the
Sharm el-Sheikh conference will be a great success and mark a positive turning
point in the future of humanity. You are invited to come and see us at the
Israeli pavilion at COP 27!