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.
Published on July 29, 2020