Climate Change: Israel 2050

 In 2019, the Ministry of Environmental Protection approached the Israel Democracy Institute requesting that it launch an inter-agency launch a large-scale project aimed at formulating a vision, goals and roadmap for a transition to a thriving, low-carbon, economy by 2050.  The economic vision and goals formulated as part of this process will be codified in a 'Climate Law' and will serve as the basis for a government resolution and integrated into government work plans. The project is spearheaded by IDI in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Ministries of Transportation, Energy, and the Economy, who announced at the 2021 Eli Hurvitz Conference: "We will cooperate on Israel's climate policy, to lead to an 85% reduction in Israel's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050."

The project is in cooperation with the Israel Planning Administration as well as representatives of the business sector and civil society organizations. The program also receives professional guidance from the OECD, which has published a report that includes a set of key recommendations for moving to a low-carbon economy in Israel.

Four professional work teams were established. Each team was led by the government ministry responsible for the field (energy, transportation, industry and waste and buildings and cities), along with teams comprised of the business sector (industry, commerce, etc.), finance and civil society teams, and representatives of organizations and civil society organizations.

Along with this collaborative initiative, IDI formed two professional working groups: a team led by Prof. Natan Sussman, which examined the macroeconomic effects of transitioning to a low-carbon economy, and a team that compiled a civil society report led, by Dafna Aviram-Nitzan and Prof. Natan Sussman, which examined policy proposals required to minimize possible harm to vulnerable populations during the shift to a low-carbon economy, while implementing a "'Just Transition' approach.

This report presents the results of the work led jointly by the Israel Democracy Institute and the Israel Innovation Institute - a proposal for government policy to promote climate innovation

Nathan Sussman, Professor of Economics and Senior Visiting Research Fellow and leader of the “Israel 2050: Climate Crisis Preparedness” project at the Israel Democracy Institute, explains how carbon tax can lower emissions while having virtually no adverse effects on business activity and growth.

Israel is small, crowded, and polluted. If we fail to act, we will see more and more damage to the country, especially to our most vulnerable populations

Implementing IDI's Israel 2050 program for emissions reduction is not only an urgent necessity, but also highly beneficial in economic terms.

As part of IDI's 'Israel 2050' initiative, a survey found that the majority of Israelis are concerned about the risks of global warming and believe that their government should act accordingly.