(Image via go-green.com)
Israel’s cabinet approved a joint proposal by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Finance on Sunday to formulate a national plan on greenhouse gas emissions, the Globes newspaper reported.
An inter-ministerial committee will be formed to study a range of issues, including energy efficiency, green construction, and the ramifications for Israeli industry and exports. The committee will be chaired by the director-general of the Ministry of Finance, Haim Shani, and is expected to submit its recommendations for an operational plan by October 2010.
In proposing a concerted national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Finance emphasized the potential benefits for the Israeli economy and local cleantech industries in particular. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is also a condition for Israel joining the OECD, the Globes report notes.
The minister of environmental protection, Gilad Erdan, has been lobbying for the establishment of a greenhouse gases committee for several months. Erdan is scheduled to deliver a keynote address tomorrow at the Environment 2020 conference in Tel Aviv in a session entitled “Environmental Vision for the Next Decade.”
Author: Ira Moskowitz
When his kids were small, Ira would point to litter on the ground and tell them: “That makes me angry!” He still gets angry about pollution, waste and abusive treatment of our world, but is encouraged by the growing awareness of environmental issues and has been following the latest developments in cleantech with great interest. Ira grew up in the green hills of western Massachusetts and moved to Israel in the early 1980s after completing an MA in Middle Eastern Studies. He has worked as a software developer and journalist, and translates works of Hebrew fiction and non-fiction to English. Ira is trying to age gracefully, but refuses to surrender his youthful belief in the potential for change, including a collaborative future for the peoples of the Middle East. To contact Ira, email ira (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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