As every year, the poor countries of the developing world, represented at the annual global climate conference, are the ones who are concerned about the worsening consequences of the climate crisis on humanity – and demand both actions and assistance from the rich countries. Israel takes a value position that aligns with science, and stands by the poor countries in their demands. Even if Israel itself does not meet the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewable energies that it committed to, this is important news.
Eilat Rosen, Director of the International Conventions Division at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is the head of Israel’s negotiating team at the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh. She says: “The Egyptians see themselves as the representatives of the developing countries, and are making sure that this year decisions will be made at the conference that benefit them in the field of financing climate innovation and adaptation . Therefore, the developing countries, and Israel among them, recognize the importance of completing the gaps for the benefit of the developing countries – while maintaining what we have achieved in the field of reducing emissions and without going backwards.”
Rosen adds that “the poor countries, especially those that are more threatened by climate change, such as countries that are low in relation to rising sea levels, or countries that are going through accelerated desertification and prolonged fires and damage to agriculture and the water system, such as in the Middle East – are very worried. “They express concern in every forum of The conference that the rich nations are slipping away from two goals, due to the energy crisis and increasing dependence on harmful fossil fuels such as natural gas – both the goal of adjusting global greenhouse gas emissions to maintain the rate of increase in the average global temperature of less than one and a half degrees by the middle of the century compared to the pre-industrial era, and financing capabilities The developing world to adapt and prepare itself for climate change.
“Israel supports increasing the ambition to update the global emissions reduction targets every year, and not just every five years like today, and all this in light of the worsening situation of the crisis – which is beyond what was expected when the ‘Paris Agreement’ was signed in 2015, on which today’s emissions reduction targets are based. which many governments in the world do not comply with, including Israel. In addition, we join the demand to implement the commitment of the ‘Paris Agreement’ to submit a low-carbon development strategy report for implementation by the middle of the century.”
Since the agreement in 2015, the poor countries have raised 83.3 billion dollars from the rich countries to adapt to the climate crisis in the development of energy, transportation and green agriculture, and to reduce their own emissions – and this when the goal of the historic agreement from seven years ago was that within five years the rich world would contribute 100 billion dollars.
“In light of the ever-increasing climate events, the demand of the developing countries from the rich for an additional source of funding to deal with the destruction that has already been caused to them is increasing,” says Rosen. “Another key issue for us is the entry into operation of a trade mechanism, which will allow Israel to examine ways to implement its emission reduction targets for 2030 and even increase them, while providing aid to developing countries, and as a result also reach the goal of total zero emissions by 2050, as Israel has committed to do last year at COP26 in Glasgow.”