Israel not ready for climate change challenges
Israel is increasing its goals for the use of renewable energies, but the Ministry for Environmental Protection says it is nowhere near enough.
Israel’s Cabinet decided Oct. 25 to increase the production of electricity from renewable resources by 13% by the year 2030. The Cabinet adopted a proposal put up by the Ministry of Energy for increasing the share of renewable energies from 17% to 30%, rejecting demands by the Ministry for Environmental Protection to set the 2030 goal at 40%.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz predicted that the transition to cleaner energies could save the economy more than $2 billion annually. He described the new 30% goal as "ambitious and a real revolution," noting that the remaining 70% of Israel’s energy needs will need to be met by natural gas. As a reminder, Israel had discovered some 10 years ago enormous reserves of natural gas, off the country’s Mediterranean coast.
