Israel Environment Bulletin vol 36/ sept - GOV.IL · Volume 36 of Israel Environment Bulletin...

2 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN | vol.32

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Dear Reader:Volume 36 of Israel Environment Bulletin focuses on some of the major plans promoted in Israel today in order to assure a more sustainable tomorrow.

Articles focus on the country’s intensive efforts to move toward local sustainability, based on a multi-layered approach that targets different audiences, on the long road toward the formulation of a national biodiversity strategy and action plan for Israel, which will hopefully be translated into action in the coming years, on progress in implementing the action plan for Israel’s major hotspot, Ramat Hovav, on an ambitious green building initiative with the participation of stakeholders from different fields, and, of course, on Israel’s continuing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Without doubt, Israel’s accession to the OECD in 2010, following a long and intensive review process, is a major achievement, which will catalyze Israel to initiate and implement new policies and regulations. An Environmental Performance Review by the OECD, slated for completion in 2011, will help pave Israel’s path forward.

To stay updated about other environmental developments in Israel, please visit our English website: www.environment.gov.il/english

Shoshana Gabbay Editor

At a GlanceNews in brief about a motley of environmental issues.

Moving Toward Local SustainabilityIsrael is implementing a multi-layered approach to mainstream a sustainability approach into the local level.

New National Biodiversity Plan for IsraelIsrael’s National Biodiversity Plan takes up the challenge of moving Israel from nature conservation to biodiversity conservation.

Implementing the Action Plan for Ramat HovavA major pollution hotspot is well on its way to reducing its pollutant emissions, preventing odors and avoiding risks from hazardous substances accidents.

Going for Green BuildingAn ambitious program for promoting green building should yield a host of benefits in terms of resource savings, greenhouse gas reductions and better quality of life.

Climate Change: High on Israel's AgendaAn interministerial committee is hard at work preparing recommendations for a national plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Israel Launches Greenhouse Gas RegistryThe voluntary greenhouse gas registry promises added benefits to companies, the government and the public.

Еnvironmental LegislationIsrael promulgates a host of new regulations, including an amendment to the Deposit Law on Beverage Containers, effluent quality standards, disclosure requirements on air pollution from vehicles and emissions permits.

Inquiries should be addressed to: Israel Environment BulletinP.O.B. 34033, Jerusalem 95464, IsraelTelephone: 972-2-6553777 | Fax: 972-2-6535934 | Website: www.environment.gov.il/englishE-mail: [email protected]

Production: Publications, Information and Internet Division, Ministry of Environmental ProtectionDesign: Studio Gideon Dan, Jerusalem | Cover photo: Sunset at Ma’agan Michael by Ilan Malester

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› 200 Million Shekels for Waste Separation in Local Authorities

An ambitious plan to increase household waste recycling rates was unveiled by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on July 29, 2010. The program is part of a comprehensive ministerial plan to bring about a waste revolution in Israel and transform waste from nuisance to resource.

According to the plan, the first local authorities to commit to separation at source – within three years and for a period of at least ten years – will be rewarded with a benefit package, totaling at least 200 million shekels (more than $50 million). Benefits will include replacement of waste bins, addition of waste collection vehicles, information and education, assistance in overcoming bottlenecks and finding solutions, and a 120 shekel payment for every household joining the program.

The 3 billion shekel, ten year action plan, is based on the separation of waste into two streams – wet (organic) and dry – and aims to increase household

recycling from 13% today to 55%. Main components of the plan include:

› Separation of waste in households

› Increase of the landfill levy

› Producer responsibility, by means of a Packaging Law

› Aid to local authorities

› Construction of recycling plants

› Creation of new markets for recycled products

› Knesset Unanimously Approves Packaging Waste Bill in First Reading

On June 21, 2010, Israel's Knesset unanimously approved a Packaging Bill, drafted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The proposed law, based on the principle of extended producer responsibility, seeks to regulate the treatment of packaging in Israel.

› 20 Million Shekels for River Rehabilitation in 2010

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has allocated 20 million shekels (more than $5 million) to help finance

river rehabilitation activities by river administrations, drainage and river authorities and the Nature and Parks Authority.

Efforts to rehabilitate Israel’s rivers began in the mid-1990s, when the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, established the National River Restoration Administration. Today 30 regional administrations are promoting plans for river rehabilitation at the regional level. The most recent initiative has seen the publication of calls for proposals to river administrations, drainage authorities and the Nature and Parks Authority for river rehabilitation projects in two tracks – plans for river rehabilitation projects and implementation of river rehabilitation projects throughout Israel.

› Israel's Government Ministries to Go "Green"

On December 13, 2009, Israel's government approved the proposal of Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan to make government ministries

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more environmentally efficient. The decision aims to use government as an example of sustainable practices and will be implemented, inter alia, through green procurement and the promotion of behavioral changes by employees.

The decision calls for:

› Setting quantitative, measurable targets for the reduction of electricity, water and paper consumption in government ministries.

› Reducing the quantity of waste produced and increasing use of products made from recycled materials.

› Committing to a switch to energy efficient, low pollution transport.

› Requiring internal auditors of government ministries to present performance reports to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which will compile the data and present annual reports to the government and to the public.

› Clean Coast Program for 2010 Launched

The Ministry of Environmental Protection's Clean Coast program launched its sixth year of operation, concomitant with the opening of the bathing season in Israel. The aim of the program: to protect the cleanliness of Israel's undeclared beaches (beaches that are open to the public but without lifeguard services) throughout the year.

The program integrates routine cleanups by local authorities and increased public awareness by means of education and enforcement: along the coastline itself, by means of the media and through educational and information programs in the formal and informal school systems.

Within the framework of the program, the Ministry of Environmental Protection covers 70% of the costs of beach cleanups, with the remaining 30% financed by the local authority. The latter employs its own contractors and bears responsibility for cleanups in its jurisdiction. All of Israel's local authorities have joined the program, committing to cleaning all undeclared beaches in their jurisdiction at least twice a week during the bathing season and once a week during the rest of the year.

An analysis of the results of the Clean Coast Index for 2009 demonstrates an improvement in cleanliness levels along

Israel's undeclared beaches. The year began with a score of "moderate" which stabilized at "clean" later in the year. On annual average, 60% of the coasts were found clean 60% of the time.

Meanwhile, Israel is gearing up for International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy, and slated to take place on Saturday, September 25, 2010. This year's event is especially significant since it marks 25 years to the program. Israel's Clean Coast Program aims to bring some 2,500 volunteers to 25 cleanup sites on and along the beach during the period spanning September 19, 2010 to September 25, 2010 to mark the event.

› Vehicle Scrapping Program Initiated

A vehicle scrapping program was initiated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the Ministries of Transportation and Finance, on January 1, 2010. Six scrapping sites for old vehicles are now open to the public throughout Israel: in Ashdod in the south, Petach Tikva and Jerusalem in the center, Kiryat Ata in the Haifa area and Hazor Haglilit in the north of the country. Owners of cars that are at least 20 years old, with a valid car registration, are now able to deliver their vehicle to one of



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these authorized sites for scrapping. The parts will be transferred for recycling and owners will be paid 3,000 shekels (about $800) compensation. In the first eight and a half months of the program, more than 7,700 cars were scrapped within the framework of this voluntary program, already exceeding the annual target.

The program is expected to facilitate the transfer of old and polluting vehicles for scrapping, thereby contributing to air pollution reduction in Israel. The scheme is meant to stop the use of old cars which are more polluting and less safe. It is expected to reduce air pollution in cities, reduce vehicle scrap along the roadways and increase raw material recycling.

› Policy Paper on Protection of the Coastal Cliff

On April 25, 2010, Israel's government approved the principles of a policy paper on the protection of the Mediterranean coastal cliff, prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Policy Center of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. Israel’s coastal cliff retreats landward at an annual average of dozens of centimeters each year, creating a risk of collapse.

The policy paper recommends two main ways to cope with the instability of the cliff:

› Construction of physical forms of protection for stabilizing the cliff and preventing its collapse, such as

breakwaters, geotechnical strips (fill material along the foot of the cliff ) or rock embankments, or regulation of rainwater drainage at the top of the cliff.

› Regulatory planning measures and property control, such as supervision and regulation of future building along the coasts, gradual removal of properties in the immediate risk zone, and prevention of new building in high risk areas.

The main recommendation of the policy paper is to establish physical protection along some 13 kilometers of the coastal strip, especially in urban areas, including Ashkelon, Herzliya and Netanya, where weakening of the cliff may lead to the collapse of adjacent buildings. The anticipated budget for implementation totals some 470 million shekels (about $125 million) over a 20 year period.

› Traffic Regulations (Amendment), 2010

A new amendment to the 2010 Traffic Regulations, scheduled to come into force in October 2010, sets more stringent requirements in two pollution emissions tests for gasoline fueled vehicles which are performed during the annual vehicle registration process: carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon testing. In the case of the former, the test will be conducted according to the maximum thresholds set by the vehicle manufacturer for every vehicle model (for 1995 vehicles and after), as is the case in European legislation, while, in the case of the latter, a hydrocarbon content test will be added for vehicles manufactured in 1994 and before according to a uniform threshold value of 1000 parts per million (ppm). As per the amended regulations, cars whose emissions consist of more than 0.1% unburned fuel will be banned from driving on the country's roads.

The amended regulation will apply to 2 million vehicles in Israel (83.3% of the total). The Ministry of Environmental Protection estimates that some 4% of Israel's old vehicles (1994 and before) emit hydrocarbons at a level higher than that stated in the regulations.

Implementation of the amended regu-lations will help identify most of Israel's substandard vehicles and will prevent them from moving on the roads, polluting the air and endangering public health.

› National Pesticide Waste Collection Campaign

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has renewed its pesticide waste collection campaign in the agricultural sector, which was initiated in 2009, in coordination with the Poisons Monitoring Unit of the Nature and Parks Authority.

Pesticide waste is made up of pesticide and chemical residues, most of which constitute expired pesticides in defective and often unmarked containers. As part of the campaign, the ministry collected pesticide residues, expired pesticides, spilled pesticides and pesticides in defective containers, free of charge, in different parts of the country.

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Sustainable development strategies for local authorities and non-urban regional councils, community gardens, sustainability training for municipal officials, performance indicators for local government, green neighborhoods – these are only some of the initiatives spearheaded in Israel in recent years in a conscious effort to move toward local sustainability.

The new emphasis given to sustainable development at the local level is based on the recognition that local authorities play a key role in economic, environmental and social development. With nearly 93% of Israel’s population residing in localities numbering more than 2,000 people and 75% living in urban areas numbering more than 20,000 people, it is clear that the quality of life of most of Israel’s population is dependent on urban quality of life.

The importance of the local sector is not new to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Local environmental units have long played a critical role in advancing environmental issues on the municipal level, serving as the local arm of the ministry. However, today’s efforts are focusing on innovative approaches, with special attention to agents of change who are expected to jump start the transition to more sustainable practices on the local level.

According to Sigalit Rachman, local sustainability coordinator at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, since triple bottom line is at the center of local sustainability, improvements in social, economic or environmental parameters will necessarily bring about benefits that exceed the sum of each part of the sustainability triangle. Therefore, the ministry is promoting a multi-layered

approach, which targets different groups at different levels – the Ministry of Environmental Protection, relevant government agencies, local authorities, and civil society, with the hope that they will then serve as agents of change among wider circles of the population.

This multi-layered approach, which involves partnership building between central government, local government and civil society, is largely based on empowerment and capacity building. The structure is expected to mainstream a sustainability approach into the conduct of local government, using both a top-down and bottom-up approach.

Ministry of Environmental Protection: A Lead Player

A key player in the construction of a local sustainability strategy is the

MOVING TOWARD LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY

"Because so many of the problems and solutions being addressed by Agenda 21 have their roots in local activities, the participation and cooperation of local authorities will be a determining factor in fulfilling its objectives. Local authorities construct, operate and maintain economic, social and environmental infrastructure, oversee planning processes, establish local environmental policies and regulations, and assist in implementing national and subnational environmental policies. As the level of governance closest to the people, they play a vital role in educating, mobilizing and responding to the public to promote sustainable development." From Chapter 28, Agenda 21

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Ministry of Environmental Protection. By means of partnerships and accumulated knowledge, much of it based on the experience of international bodies such as the UN, the European Union and the OECD, the ministry is developing tools to empower and train its own “agents of change,” namely its regional offices and dozens of municipal environmental units throughout the country. But even more importantly, the ministry is forging new partnerships with government agencies, local authorities and the third sector to ensure that all sides of the sustainable development pyramid are given a voice.

National Government

The Ministry of Environmental Protection cannot be a lone player in the field of local sustainability. Therefore, efforts toward local sustainability in Israel encompass the following government ministries:

› Ministry of the Interior: The Local Government Administration in the Ministry of the Interior provides local government with a unique training center, known as Mafam. Eight mafamim operate in Israel, which are instrumental in spearheading training for sustainability in local authorities, including the development of local action plans. The Western Galilee Mafam has been especially active in advancing environmental protection at the local level.

› Ministry of Construction and Housing: Activities focus on promo-ting sustainable and resource saving projects with weak communities.

› Ministry of Health: Activities aim to pro mote a healthy lifestyle, an im por tant element of sustainable development, especially in coor di-nation with the Healthy Cities Network.

› Ministry of Agriculture: Activities include the preparation of strategic plans for regional councils and for

the management of open spaces according to sustainability principles, landscape planning, and ecological and community gardens.

› Ministry of Infrastructure: Activities focus on promoting energy efficiency and energy savings in local government.

› Ministry of Transport: Activities focus on reducing private car use, with future initiatives expected to promote pedestrian and bicycle friendly cities and a more efficient public transport system.

› Ministry of Welfare and Social Services: Activities aim to promote social sustainability.

Local Government

Local authorities in Israel are divided into three categories:

› Municipalities (75): numbering more than 20,000 people.

› Local councils (127): local authorities with a municipal, rural or communal character and a population ranging between 2,000 and 20,000.

› Regional councils (53): councils which include rural and communal settlements in a specific geographic region.

The Union of Local Authorities in Israel is the roof organization of Israeli local authorities – both municipalities and local councils – while the Center of Regional Councils unites the country’s regional councils. Both have taken an active role in promoting local sustainability.

The Regional Councils Center, for example, catalyzed the preparation of sustainable

> Local authorities are best equipped to promote local sustainability <

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development strategies in a large number of Israel’s regional councils, beginning in 2004, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Environmental Protection. The preparation of such master plans is especially important since Israel’s regional councils span some 80% of Israel’s land area. Beginning with six regional councils in the Galilee (Misgav, Mateh Asher, Zevulun, Menashe, Jezreel Valley and Megiddo), the process has expanded to 27 regional councils throughout the country. The Mateh Asher Regional Council in the Galilee, spanning some 22,000 hectares with 32 communities and 20,000 residents, one of the first to take up the challenge, is a case in point. This regional council, characterized by an abundance of mountains, forests, national parks and nature reserves and beaches, initiated its master plan for environment and sustainable development in 2005. The process, based on a partnership between central government, aca demic institutions and NGOs, saw the development of a sustainability dictionary, mapping of stakeholder positions, preparation of an environmental survey, definition of targets with public participation, formulation of a policy and its translation into a covenant for environmental quality and sustainability, development of indicators and targets for improvement and future directions.

Joining Together to Protect Climate and Combat Air Pollution

Recognition that cities are responsible for a significant amount of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions, but can also play a central role in providing solutions for climate change and improved quality of life, has prompted the mayors of eighteen major cities in Israel to sign a unique convention in February 2008 – The Convention of the Forum 15 for Reducing Air Pollution and for Climate Protection. The convention is a local version of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign, initiated by the International Council for Local Environmental Organizations (ICLEI).

The convention calls for developing municipal master plans for the reduction of air pollution and protection of climate, setting clear, measurable targets for reducing urban greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and achieving the first results of the following five CCP milestones within three years:

Establishing a basic inventory and 1. forecast for key sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the city.

Setting targets for air pollutant and 2. greenhouse gas emissions reduction (no less than 20% by 2020 in comparison to 2000).

Developing and adopting a short to 3. long term local action plan to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Implementing all measures and 4. actions derived from the local action plan in the city and municipality.

Monitoring and controlling air 5. pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and reporting on the actions and measures implemented within the framework of the local action plan.

Most of the municipalities have already conducted their baseline emissions inventory and forecast, and are now defining their annual goals for reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions. This is accompanied by the development of local action plans and initiatives to reduce emissions in four areas:

Transportation and fuels:1. creating bicycle paths, inspecting vehicular air pollution, encouraging public transportation, car pooling and walking, and enhancing street lighting efficiency.

Energy conservation and environ-2. mental friendly con struction: applying enhanced environmental building standards for public buildings, improving energy efficiency

Forum 15 – The Israeli Forum of Self GovernmentForum 15 brings together fifteen municipalities in Israel, which receive no financial aid from the government and are managed as closed economies on the basis of their independent financial resources. The cities of the Forum include nearly 3 million residents (approximately 40% of Israel’s population) but it is estimated that more than 80% of Israel's population makes use of the municipal and metropolitan services provided by these cities.

of their independent financial resources. The cities of the Forum include nearly 3 million residents (approximately 40% of Israel’s population) but it is estimated that more than 80% of Israel's population makes use of the municipal and metropolitan services provided by these cities.

Heller Garden in Jaffa / Photo: IIris Reuven



of public irrigation systems, installing photovoltaic cells on the roofs of public buildings, and recovering energy from landfills.

Waste and recycling:3. enhancing public access to recycling installations for paper and organic waste and establishing waste sorting stations.

Green spaces:4. rehabilitating degra-ded open spaces and initiating municipal afforestation projects.

Adv. Eitan Atia, General Manager of Forum 15, notes that "the Convention is the first of its kind initiative in Israel, obligating a governmental authority to measurable, quantitative improvement in air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, which will be monitored and overseen. To our best knowledge, implementation of this project on both the local and national levels makes it unique, not only in Israel but in the world. The Convention underscores the interdependence of national policy and local policy, based on the understanding that both separate and collective actions are required to reach the desired goals.”

Environmental Capacity Building in Local Authorities

Local authorities in Israel are best equipped and best situated to promote local environmental quality and sustainability. However, they differ in their abilities to promote the subject. Therefore, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Forum 15 and the Union of Local Authorities in Israel have recently joined forces to promote a climate protection project in local authorities, based on their different needs and conditions.

The one million shekel project, in which each side will invest 500 thousand shekels, includes a number of elements:

› Instituting measures to promote the implementation of the Climate Convention of Forum 15 through support for the completion of emission surveys, preparation of a guidebook on measures for implementing the different elements of the Convention (energy and green building, waste and recycling, transport and fuels

and greening of the city), training of municipal personnel, and membership in ICLEI.

› Development of a program or convention on efficient resource use for all of Israel’s small and medium sized local authorities (182 local authorities), which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in three major areas: electricity consumption, waste generation and water and sewage consumption.

› Training and capacity building in a range of environmental and sustainability fields including organization of a sustainable urban transportation course, a green building course, and a strategic planning for sustainability course.

Civil Society: A Catalyst for Action

Section III of Agenda 21 deals with strengthening the role of main groups. Chapter 27 specifically notes that “one of the major challenges facing the world

Performance Indicators for Local AuthoritiesAn important tool to measure the movement of local government toward sustainable development is a system of performance indicators. Such indicators provide a comprehensive picture of local management, in terms of resources, outputs and outcomes. A study recently published by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and titled “Managed Municipal Sustainability: Toward the Development of a Performance Indicator System for Assessing Sustainability in Local Authorities” focuses on municipal sustainability and specifically on the monitoring and performance assessment of the management of local sustainability.

Municipal sustainability is considered to be a direct outcome of the local authority’s policies and actions. Therefore, it is both measurable and publicly accountable in terms of the allocation of resources and their conversion into programs and projects aimed to serve public needs.

As part of the study, a wide number of indicators was developed in the fields of environmental sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability. Pedestrian mall in Zichron Ya’akov / Photo: Ilan Malester



community…is the need to activate a sense of common purpose on behalf of all sectors of society. The chance of forging such a sense of purpose will depend on the willingness of all sectors to participate in genuine social partnership and dialogue…” This approach is increasingly being taken into account in Israel, based on the understanding that full participation and commitment by civil society is critical to achieving the goals of sustainable development. Therefore, the Ministry of Environmental Protection is currently identifying bodies with experience in community work and partnering with them in capacity building on the local level.

The catalyst for local sustainability in Israel is without doubt the Center for Local Sustainability, a LIFE Third Countries project, headed by the Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University and ICLEI. The three-year project (2006-2008) aimed at advancing the capacity for sustainability in Israeli local government through such means as training, networking, capacity building and tool development. Today, the fruits of the project are self evident. The Center for Local Sustainability has emerged as the hub for local sustainability activities in Israel. Its dedicated website (www.kayamut.org.il) is a one-stop shop on local sustainability, replete with information on

sustainability plans, best practices, training sessions, publications, and more.

However, additional partnerships are also being built – with green groups, non-profit organizations and philanthropic foundations – focusing on the often forgotten social side of the sustainable development triangle. One example is the Movement for Israeli Urbanism (Merchav in Hebrew), a non-profit organization which strives to improve urban quality of life, by using participatory planning processes which include residents, stakeholders and representatives of the planning municipalities. One of its more recent initiatives is a Mayors’ Institute, based on the Mayors’ Institute for City Design, an American initiative that has trained more than 800 US mayors in urban renewal. In

another area, Transport Today & Tomorrow, an NGO

founded in 1998 to promote sustainable transportation in Israel, has initiated green commuting projects aimed at reducing private car use in Israel and is now focusing on promoting soft transportation – pedestrians and cyclists – as witnessed by the First International Conference on Walking Towards the Future which was held in April 2010.

A particularly promising partnership is that forged between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and JDC Israel, an organization dedicated to helping Israeli society enhance its own capacity to meet the needs of its weakest members. One of the first projects to be implemented within this framework is the development of community gardens, a project which began in Jerusalem, but is

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now operational, with the help of round tables, in Lod, Jerusalem, Acre, Bat Yam and Beersheba. And, what’s more, the project is being expanded to the national level, with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and a national steering committee.

JDC Israel brings an essential capacity building element to local sustainability. One of its divisions, ELKA, is dedicated to enhancing the capacity of Israel’s social services to respond to the needs of vulnerable populations by improving the skills and effectiveness of senior national and local authority officials. ELKA seeks to establish a triple sector leadership (public sector, business sector and third sector) which is based on three circles: environment, society and economy. It is also cooperating with

the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Association for a Sustainable Economy to define quality of life indicators for cities in Israel which are based on sustainability at the local level.

Moving Toward a More Sustainable Tomorrow

Today, more and more localities in Israel are going green. Taking responsibility for the environment is reflected in the signing of the Climate Change Convention by 18 of Israel’s largest local authorities, by the establishment of environmental committees in each of the country’s local authorities, by new partnerships between central government, local government and civil society on sustainability issues,

and by the ever growing number of environmental NGOs which are dedicated to the subject. Positive developments abound in local authorities throughout the country – whether in conservation plans for urban ecology, development of public space for leisure and recreation, formulation of municipal strategies for sustainable development, or plans for sustainable transportation and building.

Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has played and will continue to play a critical role in catalyzing and guiding these initiatives through its multi-layered approach. Promoting both up down and down up initiatives, empowering agents of change in different target audiences, and building the capacity of all sectors are already making a difference – building a model of sustainability on the local sector which is much bigger than the sum of its individual parts.

Community GardensIn 2004, an initiative to turn a neglected plot of wasted land, previously the target of building plans, into a community garden, began in a Jerusalem neighborhood. With some funding and a lot of good will and volunteerism, saplings were planted, irrigation systems were set up, composting was started and events were planned. The Bustan Brody project soon became a model for many more community gardens in Jerusalem, green spaces in which neighbors met to chat, rest, and plan for a better environment. Everyone who has taken part in the cultivation of a community garden has emerged with a sense of pride and belonging, a feeling of camaraderie, and a realization that he or she can make a difference in the quality of life and environment of their neighborhood.

In the past, the Ministry of Environmental Protection supported community gardens by means of calls for support proposals to local authorities. However, it was soon realized that more was needed, especially in terms of close relations with the community itself. The recent partnership with JDC Israel will allow just this: work in the field with the community, which will eventually ripple and extend to other community / environmental initiatives. This will be enabled through round tables with the participation of stakeholders, all coming together to fulfill a common goal.

> Triple bottom line is at the center of local sustainability <



Israel is proud to publish its National Biodiversity Plan to coincide with International Biodiversity Year and in conformity with its commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The challenge today is to move Israel from nature conservation to biodiversity conservation. When Israel’s first nature reserve was proclaimed in the Hula Valley in 1964, the population of the country was less than 35% of its size today. For this small population of 2.5 million, the aesthetic pleasure derived from nature and the recognition of nature’s “intrinsic value,” sufficed to justify the investment in “nature

conservation.” Israel’s population has now reached 7.5 million and continues to grow at a rate higher than other developed states – 1.8% annually. A new realization is trickling in: the time has come to move from mere protection, based on reserves that fence in nature and fence out people (“passive management”), to management that targets biodiversity conservation throughout the land.

Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan, publi-shed in January 2010 and unveiled on the occasion of the Jerusalem Environment and Nature Conference in May 2010, takes up the challenge of moving Israel from nature conservation to biodiversity conservation, from mere development to sustainable development.

Biodiversity Trends in Israel

The challenge of conserving biodiversity in a country such as Israel is daunting, to say the least. On the one hand, Israel’s small heterogeneous landscape and diverse climatic conditions have yielded a rich biodiversity on all levels – genetic, species, ecosystem and landscape. On the other hand, accelerated development

and population growth, together with the effects of climate change, threaten this unique biodiversity through habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, increase in invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation of resources. On the one hand, protected areas in Israel are on the increase – constituting some 30% of the country’s total area. On the other hand, most of them are located in desert landscapes, with only about 3% of the non-desert region currently protected in nature reserves. These protected areas cannot provide the ecosystem services required by the remaining, unprotected 70% of the surface area. Ways must now be found to acquire ecosystem services from the entire complex of open landscapes in Israel.

The number of species in Israel comprises about 3.5% of the globally known species, largely attributed to the location of the country at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as to its access both to the Mediterranean Sea and to the Red Sea. But there’s more to Israel’s biodiversity than that: Israel’s flora is especially rich in terms of the land area of the country, Israel is one of the

ISRAEL’S NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY PLAN

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world’s richest areas in progenitors and relatives of major agricultural crops and domesticated species, and bird species richness in Israel is very impressive, with year-round residents, summer breeders, winter visitors and as many as 500 million birds crossing the country twice a year between their breeding grounds in Europe and wintering grounds in Africa.

Yet, a look at Israel’s ecosystems shows a mixed picture, as pointed out in Israel’s Fourth Report to the Convention on Biodiversity, published in November 2009. On the one hand, the threats to biodiversity by accelerated development and population growth have taken a heavy toll. On the other hand, major investments in environmental protection and nature conservation, including the enactment of the Protection of the Coastal Environment Law, the implementation of a rehabilitation project for Israel’s streams, and the promotion of urban nature conservation, have mitigated the negative impacts to some extent.

Main Components of Israel’s Biodiversity Plan

Israel's National Biodiversity Plan both implements Israel’s commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity and complements the 2003 government decision on sustainable development which resolved that the country’s policy shall be “based on the principles of sustainable development practice in Israel that combine a dynamic economy, wise use of natural resources, and protection of the ecosystems…”

The plan identifies the dangers and threats to Israel's biodiversity and outlines possibilities for confronting them through the use of responsive methodologies for managing biodiversity and the ecosystems that host it. Furthermore, the plan relates to a number of supporting instruments without which biodiversity

conservation would remain a dead letter: it identifies the legal instruments still missing for its enforcement, evaluates economic incentives for implementing the plan at the various levels, and encourages education and increased public awareness to replace the need for enforcement. The plan also identifies gaps in the research required for appropriate biodiversity and ecosystem management and proposes measures for

closing these gaps. Finally, it highlights the benefits derived from linking biodiversity conservation in Israel with relevant professional and political activities in the international arena. Above all, the plan seeks to find the appropriate management tools to conserve the maximal number of Israeli species and to maintain each in a population size compatible with the needs for optimal provision of ecosystem services.

Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management: The Critical LinkBiological diversity, or biodiversity in short, includes the entirety of living organisms, with an emphasis on the diversity of their form and function. It is a major component of all ecosystems, which, in turn, provide benefits, known as “ecosystem services,” that are invaluable to human well-being and to development, and include the provision of food, fiber and medicines, air quality, drinking and irrigation water, and a suitable climate.

While species of all kinds can persist and sustain their service provision function only when residing in ecosystems, ecosystems cannot provide services without the sustained existence of these species in them. Therefore, ecosystem management is used to protect each species at the appropriate population size for the optimal provision of the majority of services.

Israel’s biodiversity policy has traditionally been based on “nature conservation” – the designation and declaration of protected areas, grounded in nature protection legislation and statutory land-use master plans, and on the protection of endangered species. It was largely based on passive management, whereby ecosystems are protected from human interference. The approach advocated by Israel’s biodiversity plan is to move toward active biodiversity management which aims at the optimal conservation and management of biodiversity components and their ecosystem services throughout the country using a range of tools. However, since the expertise and the experience for implementing active management are limited, trial and error in field implementation are often necessary (“adaptive” management). Furthermore, because knowledge gaps for quantifying service provision are very large as well, adaptive management is driven by the understanding that the larger the number of species, the greater the differences among them, and the larger the evenness in their population sizes, the greater the chances for each of them to make a unique contribution to the provision of one or several services. In other words, the plan concludes that the larger the ecosystem’s biodiversity, the greater the diversity of its services and the efficiency of their provision.

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The National Biodiversity Plan in a Nutshell

Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan is the product of a long-range and intensive collaborative effort, which was led by Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, together with the Nature and Parks Authority and representatives of other government ministries, academia, research institutes and non-govern-mental organizations.

Following is a summary of the different chapters of Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan:

› Chapter 1 presents the concept of "biological diversity" and highlights the centrality of biodiversity in

providing "sustainability" to human development.

› Chapter 2 identifies the risks and threats to the existence and functioning of Israel's biodiversity and thereby to its benefits for human well-being. It presents means to prevent or minimize such damages and to preserve biodiversity and its functions.

› Chapter 3 identifies the future risks to Israel's biodiversity, based on forecasts of population growth and global climate changes, indicates deficiencies in national master plans with respect to protecting biodiversity against these future threats, and suggests steps for requisite updates of these plans.

› Chapter 4 deals with the ability of economic tools to valuate the benefits of biodiversity, taking into consideration that many of these benefits are "public goods" with no market value but with existential value to humans and to society.

› Chapter 5 deals with the legal aspects of biodiversity protection in Israel. This chapter points out the current legal structure in the field and its deficiencies and suggests legal tools for improving it.

› Chapter 6 deals with the scientific research and monitoring necessary to effectively protect and properly manage biodiversity to assure its successful functioning in attaining the sustainable development targets, thus securing the well-being of Israel's population.

› Chapter 7 deals with education and public awareness of the values of biodiversity, based on the recognition that even if gaps in knowledge are closed and tools for protecting biodiversity are improved, public and societal cooperation are vital for achieving goals.

› Chapter 8 surveys the possibilities for Israel’s involvement in the international arena, in light of the relatively large number of international legal tools that deal with biodiversity. It clarifies both the political benefits and the professional benefits of Israel's international involvement.

› Chapter 9 assembles the specific recommendations that were made in each of the previous chapters and compiles them into a proposed action plan, which presents guidelines for tactical and strategic actions to the different government ministries and to relevant stakeholders.

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Future Threats to Israel’s Biodiversity

Both accelerated human population growth and climate change threaten biodiversity and its attendant services. Population growth will continue to increase built-up areas, while reducing the total area of non-urban and non-agricultural ecosystems and their consequent ability to support biodiversity. At the same time, development will reduce the size of species populations, whether directly through reduction in habitat size or deterioration in habitat quality, or indirectly through conditions favorable for invasive alien species and local potentially erupting species. And to make matters worse, these threats will be magnified by the projected temperature rise, reduced rainfall and increased climatic instability.

To deal with these present and future threats, two complementary approaches have been advocated in the biodiversity plan. The first is to expand the currently existing fabric of protected areas, so that it encompasses most of the Israeli ecosystem types and biodiversity components. The second is to manage non-protected areas in a way which complements the nature reserve system based on the recognition that a complete suite of ecosystem types is necessary to protect the components of Israel’s biodiversity and to secure the ecosystem services which are specific to each of them.

A prerequisite for securing the provision of ecosystem services in the face of the projected threats is the recognition that biodiversity conservation supports rather than conflicts with development. Two measures have therefore been proposed:

› Introduction of innovative national planning, with most of the country’s area functioning as an aggregate of biosphere regions, each encompas-sing a spatial gradient in which moderately declining development intensity would be linked with a parallel moderately increasing conservation intensity;

› Interlinking the biosphere regions with ecological corridors along the country’s climatic gradient to facilitate the dispersal and migration of plants and animals between regions of varying threat levels and reduce the risk of species extinction. Corridors will help mitigate the damages of ecosystem fragmentation and would respond to the threat of climate change by providing pathways for the “migration” of dispersing individuals of species, from southern or low altitude regions to more northern or higher elevation regions with a more favorable climate, which would enable them and their services to persist.

Nature Reserves and National Parks in Israel (2009)

Number Total Area (km2)

Nature Reserves 236 4,454.1

National Parks 76 201.7

Total 312 4655.8

Facts and Figures – Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services and Threats

› 46 ecosystem types were identified in Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan, clustered into 11 groups, the largest of which is the woodland and shrubland ecosystem.

› 19 services provided by these ecosystems have been defined and 17 threats to their provision have been described, including fragmentation and habitat loss, habitat degradation, invasive alien species and species outbreaks, water flow modifications for various uses, overexploitation of water resources, and pollution.

› Nearly 90% of Israel's ecosystems provide cultural services.

› Plants that are progenitors or relatives of cultivated plants are supported by 70% of the ecosystem types.

› Nearly 60% of the ecosystems maintain biodiversity which is renowned as high or unique.

› About half of the ecosystems are involved in water provision and 20% provide water purification and quality control services.

› Biodiversity in all ecosystems is threatened by losses in habitat area, with a little more than half threatened by pollution and a third by overexploitation of water.

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Examples of Active Management in Israel: Reinforcement and Reintroduction

Though the total number of endangered species in Israel relative to the total number of species is small, they constitute a substantial proportion of certain taxons. Some of these endangered species were granted legal status as protected natural assets, and a few nature reserves were set up to protect them. In fact, all of Israel’s amphibians, reptiles, aves and mammals with the exception of eight species, all of the CITES-listed species and many species of plants, fish, crabs and others have been declared protected natural assets or are protected by law. Yet, such protection is not always enough. Active management

is necessary to reinforce some populations and to reintroduce others.

In the case of reinforcement, artificial propagation is followed by translocation of carefully assembled nuclei of individuals from propagation facilities to ecosystem sites that harbor species endangered due to their small population size. Population reinforcement has been implemented in Israel for animal species such as raptors, otters, turtles and amphibians as well as for coral reinforcement in the Gulf of Eilat. In contrast to these species, some species have become extinct in Israel and their rehabilitation has required a lengthy, expensive and sensitive process known as reintroduction. Locally extinct species which have been reintroduced with various degrees of success include the onager (“wild ass”), the Arabian oryx, the Persian fallow deer, the Carmel roe deer and the white-tailed eagle. Although reintroduction projects mostly promote the provision of cultural services alone, they have a major impact on public sympathy, thereby promoting societal support for nature conservation. Thus, while the management of ecosystems promotes the conservation of individual species, there are species whose specific conservation advances the management of entire ecosystems.

> Israel's National Biodiversity Plan takes up the challenge of moving Israel from nature conservation to biodiversity conservation <

Endangered Species in Israel› Of Israel’s 2,388 wild plant species,

414 (17.3%) are endangered (of which 36 have become extinct). Only 67 are among Israel’s 268 protected plant species, 66 are endemic native species and 203 are species whose habitat is highly threatened.

› Of Israel’s 545 vertebrate species (excluding marine species), 142 species are endangered, some 28 species are regionally extinct of which four have been reintroduced, and six are extinct, out of which five species and three subspecies were endemic.

› According to Israel’s Red Data Book of Vertebrates, 35% of the country’s remaining vertebrate species are endangered (20% of avian species, 62% of mammal species and 82% of amphibian species).

› Of 206 breeding bird species, 45 are at risk, 19 are endangered and 18 are vulnerable.

› 15 out of about 200 known freshwater mollusk species, 4 leech species and another 19 insect species related to aquatic habitats have become extinct over the past century.

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Main Recommendations of the National Action Plan

Israel's National Biodiversity Plan includes guidelines for biodiversity management at both local and national levels and calls for the institution of a package of measures to advance conservation and secure the functionality of Israel’s biodiversity in providing services to the people of Israel.

The steps proposed for the protection and conservation of biodiversity include:

› Integration in planning – taking account of the needs of biodiversity in providing ecosystem services in planning processes and reviewing existing and proposed master plans to ensure that they take account of the threats to biodiversity posed by demographic and climate change trends.

› Monitoring – developing systems for monitoring changes in biodiversity and in the provision of ecosystem services to follow-up on the causes of these changes and their results. Such networks would provide early warning and would catalyze new and improved conservation and management tools, thus contributing to the "adaptive management" approach.

› Legislation – promoting legislative changes, including economic

incentives for the protection of biodiversity. Current legislation in Israel provides protection to a large number of species, although it does not explicitly address biodiversity, ecosystems and their services.

› Awareness – increasing the awareness of each and every citizen of Israel, including public representatives and government officials, of the importance of biodiversity. Cultivating biodiversity literacy and promoting public involvement and participation to facilitate the implementation of measures instrumental for biodiversity conservation.

› International cooperation – parti-cipating in the international arena and increasing the knowledge base on the functioning of biodiversity and the means to protect it, in order to position Israel among countries for whom biodiversity conservation is a foremost concern.

Toward the Future

In his foreword to Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan writes: “The accelerated rate of human development and its impacts on open space and on the other ecosystems which sustain it is both large and significant. It is

imperative for us to understand that these accelerated development rates, which, among others, have been responsible for climate changes, endanger all of the benefits or "ecosystem services" provided by Israel's ecosystems, which we often take for granted: food, fibers, water and air purification, flood control, pharmaceuticals, material recycling, pollination, recreation, inspiration, and more. In light of the new understandings and insights on biodiversity and ecosystem services, we must promote the subject using coordinated efforts and diverse tools, including: education and information, spatial planning and management, legislation, economic instruments, scientific development and more.”

Today, it is more evident than ever before that an ecosystem approach to the mana-gement of natural resources coupled with wise land-use planning will go a long way toward protecting Israel’s biodiversity. Israel has much to be proud of when it comes to nature conservation, as expressed in its legislation and in the establishment of dedicated institutions. However, today, the country is beginning to recognize that nature conservation is just one aspect of biodiversity conservation and that a more active approach which relates to the full range of Israel’s biodiversity and ecosystem services is necessary. One of the main contributions of the recently formulated National Biodiversity Plan lies in its clear message that biodiversity conservation is directly linked to human well-being, since it is biodiversity that secures the flow of ecosystem services without which development would not be sustainable.

> Biodiversity conservation is directly linked to human well-being <

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Professor of Ecology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Head of the Center for Environmental Conventions of the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research

Editor, Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan

Why did you take on the task of chief editor of Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan?

When I was approached by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which spearheaded the process of compiling a biodiversity plan for Israel, I saw this as an opportunity to help progress Israel on the road to conservation of biodiversity specifically, as distinct from the more generic “nature conservation.” I decided to take on the challenge of editing Israel’s biodiversity plan in the hope that the final document will serve as a tool or catalyst for a new understanding of the existential value of the environment, which is reflected in the services provided to humanity by its ecosystems, thanks to their biodiversity. Although Israel has many accomplishments in the field of nature protection, we have a long way to go in assimilating the rationale for biodiversity conservation. I realized that the challenge was to try first to incorporate biodiversity into the professional discourse, as a prerequisite for its broader assimilation by the public and subsequently by policy-makers.

Has preparation of the plan contributed to biodiversity conservation in Israel?

A written plan can only pave the way to improved biodiversity conservation; it is not a substitute for action. We will only see the contribution of the plan when a decision is made to implement it, when it is implemented in practice, when its implementation is monitored, and when the results of monitoring are carefully checked and conclusions are drawn and utilized for further improvements in the plan.

Nevertheless, the very preparation of the program constitutes a major achievement since it exposed the public, even if only a small part of it, to innovative insights about biodiversity, its function in providing ecosystem services, the link between ecosystem services and human welfare, and the link between the provision of ecosystem services and sustainable development.

What are your expectations for the future?

I would like to see biodiversity and ecosystem services mainstreamed within government policies and in the actions of ministries – Environmental Protection, Agriculture, Infrastructure, Education, Science, and Justice as well as the Nature and Parks Authority and the Planning Department of the Ministry of the Interior. I would like to see the implementation of an ecosystem services assessment project whose results will serve as a baseline for monitoring the results of the plan’s implementation. I would like to see the establishment of a national monitoring system for biodiversity and ecosystem services. I would like to see the establishment of a national research fund for biodiversity conservation. And, of course, I would like to see the implementation of the recommendations of the National Biodiversity Plan and the advancement of Israel into a key player in the global environmental arena, through advancing the Convention on Biological Diversity as well as other Multilateral Environmental Agreements whose implementation is linked to biodiversity issues of global concern.

What is your vision for the future?

The year 2010 has been proclaimed by the UN as “International Biodiversity Year.” It so happened that Israel’s Biodiversity Plan was launched on May 17th of that year. A few weeks after the launch, on June 5th, World Environment Day was observed with the theme “Many Species, One Planet. One Future,” namely – “environment” and “biodiversity” are one. Action on behalf of the environment and its biodiversity is neither a luxury nor an “extra.” It is an existential necessity.

Our environment is the collection of the dynamic and functioning ecosystems which provide services vital to our daily existence. And ecosystem services derive from the central component of these systems – the living world and its diversity, or biodiversity, in short. Although a small country with unique circumstances, Israel is part of the global environment. It is incumbent upon us to do our part in conserving the rich biodiversity of our country not only for our own benefit but for the benefit of people everywhere. Thus, I hope that the launching of Israel’s National Biodiversity Plan will serve as a milestone on Israel’s true road to sustainability, a road that depends on a functioning environment, its ecosystems and biodiversity, within Israel and around the world.

PROF. URIEL SAFRIEL ON ISRAEL’S NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY PLAN



Meet Ramat Hovav: an industrial park in Israel's southern region, including 17 major chemical factories and Israel's only site for the treatment of hazardous waste, employing 3,000 people directly and 6,000 indirectly, and with revenues of some $2.5 billion, most of which come from exports. Until recently, Ramat Hovav was identified as one of Israel's most polluted hotspotsLarge quantities of industrial wastewater, much of it containing toxic organic and inorganic materials, have long been produced in the Ramat Hovav industrial park. They have been targeted as the major cause of odor and other forms of pollution in surrounding areas. Despite attempts by the Ramat Hovav Local Industrial Council, established in 1989, to address these and other problems,

solutions were not forthcoming. Even the construction of a joint biological treatment plant, designed to reduce the organic substance content in the combined wastewater of the factories, failed to solve the problems.

In an effort to put an end to the pollution, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued new business licensing conditions to the Ramat Hovav industries in 2004, which called for in-house treatment of the wastewater at the individual plant level rather than their discharge to joint treatment facilities and evaporation ponds. In addition, it approved an action plan for the reduction of air, water and soil pol - lu tion from the industrial park and its surrounding area, which in turn received government approval in November 2004. The plan called for advancing wastewater treatment in the area, stopping the discharge of effluents to the joint biological facility and evaporation ponds, remediating the evaporation ponds and the national hazardous waste treatment site, preventing risks from hazardous materials incidents, and conducting continuous air quality monitoring at a radius of 20 km from Ramat Hovav.

Mediating an Agreement

Implementation of the government-approved action plan did not come easy.

Not long after receiving their new business licensing conditions, the industrial plants in Ramat Hovav appealed to the courts against the "unreasonable" conditions and timetables imposed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. In 2005, the court called for a mediation procedure to help resolve the differences, in which some 40 stakeholders participated, including government, the industries, public representatives and environmental NGOs.

After more than a year and a half, in which all stakeholders made their voices heard and three external bodies (an Israeli expert, a Dutch consulting group and a USEPA expert) presented their recommendations, a mediation agreement was concluded in December 2006. The agreement was signed by the Environmental Protection Ministry, industrial plants, the Ramat Hovav Industrial Council and Sustainable Development for the Negev (an NGO).

Highlights of the Ramat Hovav Action Plan and Mediation Agreement

The main aims of the Ramat Hovav action plan are to reduce pollutant emissions to a level in which compliance with health guideline values for chemical pollutants in the air is assured, odor nuisances are

IMPLEMENTING THE ACTION PLAN FOR RAMAT HOVAV

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prevented and risks from hazardous substances accidents are avoided.

More specifically, the plan calls for the following, in accordance with set timetables for implementation:

› Stopping the discharge of industrial effluents to joint treatment facilities and ponds and remediation of existing evaporation ponds.

› Treating the industrial wastewater to a high quality at the individual plant level and under its exclusive responsibility.

› Remediating the hazardous waste treatment site at Ramat Hovav.

› Increasing inspection, monitoring and enforcement.

› Preventing pollutant emissions from industrial plants (stack and fugitive emissions), in line with the European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive.

Wastewater Treatment

Until 2008, the highly polluted wastewater in Ramat Hovav was treated by a joint biological treatment plant, from where it was transferred to 150 hectares of evaporation ponds. As of January 1, 2008,

industrial wastewater is treated solely in-house and the quality of effluents leaving the plants for the evaporation ponds complies with the interim standards set in the business licensing conditions of the individual plants.

By January 1, 2012, industrial effluents will no longer be discharged to joint evaporation ponds. Individual evaporation ponds will be established at the plant level in such a way as to assure that environmental hazards are prevented. Six old evaporation ponds, constructed prior to the establishment of the Ramat Hovav Local Industrial Council, were rehabilitated in 2006-7, at a cost of NIS 20 million to the Council and the factories. Plans call for the installation of solar panels on the ex-pond surface to produce "green" electricity.

Remediation of all remaining common-use evaporation ponds is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2014.

Air Quality

While the mediation agreement does not specifically deal with air quality, it does include a clause calling for accelerated discussions between the sides on the

prevention of odor and air pollution. Accordingly, new conditions on air pollution abatement were incorporated into the business licenses of the industries in March 2008. They require the factories to prepare a plan for implementation of IPPC and for emissions reductions based on Best Available Techniques (BAT).

As per the conditions, the industrial plants largely complied with the conditions within 18 months (October 2009) and are set to begin full implementation of BAT in order to comply with the health guidelines values set by the Almog Committee, the interministerial committee that determined the maximum concentrations of pollutants in the air, to which respiratory exposure would not cause adverse health impacts to the population, including sensitive populations. In the first phase, by the end of 2010, compliance with the standards will be required within a five kilometer radius of Ramat Hovav.

In order to minimize emissions of hazardous substances from point and fugitive sources, the following measures have been taken:

› Leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs in all the plants in order

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Odor Nuisances Originating from the Ramat Hovav Industrial Park

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to reduce fugitive emissions. The program is expected to help reduce some 70% of all industrial leaks.

› Facilities for the reduction of point emissions, which are responsible for air pollution and odors, have been completed in some of the plants. Such technological solutions are expected to reduce some 95% of all point source emissions.

Hazardous Substances and Risk Assessments

An important aspect of the action program relates to risk reduction from hazardous materials accidents. Therefore risk assessments from hazardous materials events in the Negev Junction (nine kilometers away from Ramat Hovav), where a new Israel Defense Force (IDF) training base city is scheduled to be built, have been conducted. As part of the assessment, hundreds of processes and hazardous substances were checked in order to assess existing safety measures and potential improvements. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ramat Hovav Local Industrial Council have already begun to implement recommendations for each plant in terms of processes, installations and substances. A renewed assessment within a five kilometer radius of Ramat Hovav will be completed in 2010.

Remediation of the Hazardous Waste Treatment Site

A 230 million shekel remediation program was initiated in the hazardous waste treatment site at the Ramat Hovav industrial zone in the southern part of Israel. The agreement, signed between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Services Company in 2006, calls for the remediation of the acidic ponds and old waste reservoirs in what is known as plot 181 in the southern part of the hazardous waste treatment site

(due for completion by March 2013), and, in parallel, for upgrading the treatment of inorganic solid waste before landfilling by means of a solidification/stabilization process.

The hazardous waste treatment plant at Ramat Hovav, operated by the Environ-mental Services Company, handles inor-ganic, organic, liquid and solid hazardous waste using different treatment processes and technologies. The most recent addi-tion, a solidification/stabilization facility, which began operations in August 2009, treats the wastes destined for a new on-site landfill for hazardous waste. The prod-uct of the solidification/stabilization pro-cess complies with the values stipulated in the European Directive on landfilling.

Work on plot 181, where evaporation ponds and temporary reservoirs

and landfills were set up prior to the establishment of the Environmental Services Company, is proceeding as well. Following a pilot project which saw the remediation of six leaking ponds as a first step, measures to remediate the acidic ponds in the southern area of Ramat Hovav area began in 2008 and a treatment facility was constructed nearby.

In parallel, groundwater treatment was initiated, old hazardous waste barrels are being removed, tested and targeted for different forms of treatment, and contaminated soil is treated. The completion of the remediation process and the prevention of environmental hazards during the process, presents a major challenge, a challenge which is expected to be met successfully.

Some Facts and FiguresBeginning in 1998, following complaints about odors emanating from the site, the Environmental Unit of the Ramat Hovav Council began conducting chemical and meteorological tests in the area. In the ten year period between 1998 and 2009, 1319 tests for the detection of organic materials were conducted, with the following results:

› Toluene was detected in 682 tests: in 1998-2002, toluene was detected in 65%-100% of the tests; in 2003-2009, it was discovered in 38%-50% of the tests.

› Carbon disulfide was detected in 169 tests: in 1998-2002, carbon disulfide was detected in 17%-64% of the tests; in 2003-2009, it was detected in 3%-8% of the tests.

› Carbon tetrachloride was detected in 39 tests: in 1998-1999, carbon tetrachloride was discovered in 25%-38% of the tests; in 2000-2009, it was detected in 0%-8% of the tests.

› Methylene chloride was detected in 272 tests: in 1998-2002, methylene chloride was detected in 30%-80% of the tests; in 2003-2009, it was detected in 6%-18% of the tests.

› In 2002-2009, 3,152 complaints about odor nuisances were received in the Council headquarters, of which 1,628 related to odors emanating from Ramat Hovav and 1,524 related to odors emanating from other localities. The percentage of complaints relating to odors from Ramat Hovav plummeted from 65% of the total to 35% of the total in recent years.

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Monitoring

In order to ensure that the wastewater treatment system and plant activities do not cause air pollution, the Ramat Hovav Council and the Ministry of Environmental Protection operate an air monitoring system, undertake sampling in three circles surrounding Ramat Hovav, and make the results available to the public on the Council’s website:

› Inner circle – continuous measure-ment in stacks and on the fence of the industrial plants according to criteria set by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in order to ensure compliance with air quality guidelines. Continuous monitoring devices are under the responsibility of the plants. Stack spot checks and sampling at the factory’s fence are the responsibility of the Ramat Hovav Council and the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

› Intermediate circle – measurement along the boundaries of the Ramat Hovav industrial zone in order to prevent non-compliance with air quality guidelines from non-

spot sources, from stacks and byproducts. The Council undertakes continuous monitoring by means of five monitoring stations along the boundary and within Ramat Hovav. In addition, four surveys are undertaken annually by the Council and by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

› Outer circle – monitoring in communities surrounding Ramat Hovav is undertaken by the Ramat Hovav Council by means of five monitoring stations situated in the settlements surrounding Ramat Hovav.

Environmental Conditions Now and in the Future

Significant reductions in air, soil and water pollution are already evident in Ramat Hovav, due, in large degree, to the major environmental investments made by the factories in the industrial park. Innovative technological solutions in all point sources of odor nuisances and other forms of air pollution are in advanced stages of construction and operation,

the quality of wastewater discharged by industry has improved dramatically, and risk assessments conducted for potential hazardous substances events show that by means of relatively simple measures, the risk range may be reduced to a five kilometer radius of the built-up area of the park by 2010 and later to the industrial park's boundaries.

With full implementation of the action plan, it is estimated that emissions from wastewater treatment facilities will drop by 97%, stack emissions will be reduced by 95% and fugitive emissions will decrease by 66%.

Based on the implementation of all components of the action plan, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has a high level of confidence that air pollution and odors in the areas outside the boundaries of the Ramat Hovav Industrial Council will soon be a thing of the past and that residents in the surrounding region will no longer be subject to odor nuisances.

IDF Training Base City at the Negev JunctionOn April 1, 2007, the Israeli Cabinet decided to relocate a number of military training camps from the central region of the country to the Negev Junction, just 9.5 kilometers away from the Ramat Hovav industrial park. The government placed responsibility on the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to establish the training base city and called on the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ramat Hovav Industrial Council to continue their monitoring activities and to improve air quality in the region.

In mid-2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection submitted its professional opinion on the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the IDF training base city which was prepared by the Ministry of Defense according to its guidelines. The EIS assesses the exposure risk of the future population in the training base city to impacts of air pollution, soil pollution and hazardous substances, originating in the industrial plants and evaporation ponds of the Ramat Hovav industrial area and proposes ways and means of reducing these impacts.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection is determined to ensure that implementation of its pollution prevention plan in the Ramat Hovav industrial area will be completed by the end of 2011, more than a year before the training base city will be populated.

> With full implementation of the action plan, it is estimated that emissions from wastewater treatment facilities will drop by 97%, stack emissions will be reduced by 95% and fugitive emissions will decrease by 66% <



Director, Environmental Unit, Ramat Hovav Local Industrial Council

The Ramat Hovav industrial park, which includes many of Israel’s major chemical industries, is managed by the Ramat Hovav Industrial Council. The site, which was synonymous with environmental degradation only

twenty years ago, has undergone a major transformation as environmental concerns began to filter in during the 1990s.

A number of events catalyzed the transformation of the Ramat Hovav industrial area into a leader in environmental improvement. Most important was the recognition, by both enforcement bodies and by the plants themselves, that environmental behavior at the park must be changed, that stringent environmental targets must be set, that enforcement must be stepped up and that public complaints about odors must be responded to. Strict enforcement was coupled with steady pressure from citizen groups and environmental NGOs with the result that major financial investments were made by the plants to comply with the environmental requirements of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Over the past year and a half, the industrial plants in Ramat Hovav drafted their environmental plans and transferred data to the authorities; today they are getting ready to introduce and operate new technologies based on stringent conditions which are currently being added to their business licenses.

Improvements are expressed in monitoring results both within the industrial park, at its boundaries and in surrounding communities. They are also expressed in the ever decreasing number of complaints about stench emanating from the Ramat Hovav industrial area. Every complaint about stench is immediately checked, both through air sampling at the site of the complaint and by meteorological tests to determine the source of the odor. At the completion of the investigation, the resident is provided with a detailed report on the monitoring results and the source of the odor. Where some two-thirds of the complaints were once traced back to Ramat Hovav, today only a third emanates from the area and two-thirds originate in other localities.

Toluene, one of the organic compounds emitted in Ramat Hovav, is a representative example of what has been achieved. In the 1990s, industrial plants in Ramat Hovav began to take steps to reduce toluene emissions through recycling, mainly for economic reasons. Later, they began to use simple means to achieve emissions reductions. And in the second half of this decade, they implemented a Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) project and began to introduce best available technologies such as catalytic oxidation. Reduced emissions have been achieved for other pollutants as well and we expect full compliance with the European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive within a few years.

The changes I am witnessing every day, every year, are especially gratifying. Years ago, my lectures focused on the site’s degraded environmental conditions. Over the past four years, I am proud to deliver lectures which point to the positive results we have seen as a result of our efforts. Once I could only say that I am hopeful. Today, I can honestly say that my hopes are being fulfilled as I witness the dramatic transformations that have taken place in Ramat Hovav.

TZUR GLIN ON ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN RAMAT HOVAV

Teva-Tech plant / Photo: Students of Makif Vav, Beersheba



The Ministry of Environmental Protection is determined to promote green building in Israel, in cooperation with stakeholders from every sector On November 17, 2009, hundreds of visitors flocked to the Ministry of Environ-men tal Protection’s booth at WATEC Israel 2009, the Second International Conference and Fifth International Water Technologies, and Environmental Control Exhibition. The booth, designed as a model green house, invited participants to experience, first hand, the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable building.

The decision to feature a model green house at Israel’s prestigious international convention and exhibition on environmental technologies was not arbitrary. It reflects the importance this subject is gaining on today’s agenda. However, to date, green building has been promoted by government ministries, municipalities, the private sector, and the

third sector in different ways, without a directing hand. Therefore, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has decided to promote a multi-faceted plan on green building in Israel, in full cooperation with stakeholders from every sector.

The Foundation for Green Building in Israel

Although the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued guidelines on green building as long ago as 1997, the real foundation for green building was laid in the 2003 government decision on sustainable development, which related, inter alia, to energy conservation and green building. The Ministry of Environmental Protection took the lead in implementing the government decision, largely through its decision to promote and finance Israel’s very first green building standard, Israel Standard 5281 for buildings with reduced environmental impact, published by the Standards Institution of Israel in November 2005. New or renovated residential and office buildings, which comply with specific criteria on energy, land, water, wastewater and drainage, and other environmental subjects, are awarded a “green label.” In a separate process, a standard on the energy rating of residential and office

buildings (Israel Standard 5282) was approved by the Standards Institution of Israel in 2005 and many of its components were incorporated in Standard 5281 so that compliance with the energy chapter of the green building standard requires fulfillment of some of the requirements of the energy rating standard.

Over the past couple of years, it has become clear that a voluntary standard is not enough, and what’s more, that improvements in the standard are sorely needed. Therefore, the Minister of Environmental Protection commissioned the Israel Green Building Council in 2009 to review different international standards and compare them to the voluntary Israeli standard. Based on this background study, the Ministry of Environmental Protection decided that the time has come for significant standard revision, with the cooperation of stakeholders including the Ministry of the Interior, the Standards Institution of Israel, the Green Building Council, the Ministry of Construction and Housing, and others. It was further decided that the upgraded standard will include a minimum threshold which will be mandatory for all buildings in Israel and additional recommendations for green building which will remain voluntary. The go ahead for the project was given in May

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2010 in an agreement signed between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Standards Institution.

The path toward an upgraded standard will be facilitated by the work of a steering committee which will formulate a national vision of green building and recommend a roadmap for upgrading the existing standard, with the help of foreign and Israeli experts. The upgraded standard, which will include both mandatory and voluntary components, will relate to a wide variety of buildings: residential and office buildings, schools and kindergartens, hotels, medical institutions, commercial buildings, public community buildings, industrial buildings and renovated buildings. And when it comes to subjects to be covered in the standard, expert committees have already been appointed on energy, land, water, wastewater and drainage, construction materials and waste, internal building quality, health, well-being and movement, and building management including recycling and noise. But that’s not all. Plans call for investing major resources in branding the standard through media publicity, guidebooks and publications, training sessions for different target audiences, and even an online help desk.

Why Now?

Several factors have come together to make this an optimal time for green building in Israel, most important of which are the climate crisis and the economic crisis. Both crises have catalyzed a change in thinking worldwide and in Israel too. The recognition has sunk in that accelerated economic growth is not the answer. It must be balanced by a new conception of green growth, a conception in which green building is central.

In parallel, Israel has begun to invest major efforts in confronting the climate crisis. In 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection commissioned a carbon cost

curve from McKinsey & Company to facilitate the preparation of a national climate change action plan by reviewing Israel’s greenhouse gas mitigation potential. The results, published in November 2009, confirm the importance of green buildings in the struggle against global warming. In fact, the conclusions show that buildings account for some 60% of total electric power consumption in Israel and, what is equally important, that the investment in green building is economically feasible.

The study found that under the business as usual scenario, emissions from the building sector would rise from 24 MtCO2 in 2005 to 44 MtCO2e in 2030 – an 81% increase, which is attributed to the continued growth in Israel’s population and the consequent growth in the residential and commercial building sectors. Such growth inevitably leads to increased use of air conditioning, heating and ventilation and higher demand for light bulbs and electrical and electronic appliances.

The McKinsey report points out that the most significant emissions abatement potential lies in reducing demand for electricity within five main categories in the building sector: green construction of new buildings, building retrofit, improved air conditioning systems, advanced lighting systems and electronic appliances.

Building Retrofit

Most existing buildings were not designed with resource efficiency in mind, but that does not mean that they cannot become more resource efficient. This is where building retrofit comes in. It is now widely recognized that retrofits can play a vital role in resource conservation and energy savings, and, of course, in concomitant greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The Ministry of Environmental Protection is currently reviewing possibilities for retrofit plans, in cooperation with different stakeholders, based on a recent study on the feasibility of such plans in Israel. The study looked at retrofit programs in several developed countries, surveyed

Key Findings of the McKinsey Report on Green Building› Energy efficient construction methods,

based on improved planning, design and directional orientation, insulation and sealing improvements, use of advanced construction materials and use of advanced and efficient air conditioning/venting/heating systems, are important means of abatement. The total abatement potential from this group of technical levers is 3.9 MtCO2e, representing 38% of total abatement potential in the sector.

› Building retrofit, which includes improvements in existing insulation and sealants, shading for windows and replacement of windows and doors, is another major element. The total abatement potential from the renovation or improvement of existing buildings is

2.9 MtCO2e, representing 28% of total potential abatement in the sector.

› Improvement of air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems would reduce emissions by 0.7 MtCO2e, representing 7% of total potential abatement.

› Improvement of lighting would reduce emissions by 2.3 MtCO2e, about 23% of total abatement potential in the sector.

› Introduction of more energy efficient electric appliances would reduce emissions by 0.6 MtCO2e, or 5% of total potential abatement in the buildings sector.

› Assuming all technical levers are implemented, greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector would fall by about 24% by 2030 compared to a business as usual scenario, and would be 38% higher than in 2005.



different forms of financing mechanisms, including grants, tax breaks, subsidized loans, and other forms of support, and recommended possibilities for Israel.

The conclusions pointed to the necessity for government intervention in order to reap the economic, social and environmental rewards of energy efficiency in buildings and recommended a basket of measures for different sectors. The following recommendations, for example, relate to residential buildings:

› Grants to socio-economically distres-sed households for retrofit projects.

› Subsidized loans to help implement retrofit projects through the establishment of an energy efficiency fund.

› Information campaign to increase awareness of energy efficiency among the general public.

› Obligatory energy efficiency projects by the Electric Corporation, within the framework of future commitments of Israel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One possibility, currently under review, is the integration of a retrofit plan within the framework of urban renewal plans such as Israel’s veteran Project Renewal. A pilot project in apartment buildings in distressed areas, in which different insulation materials will be installed and analyzed, has been suggested. This would allow for an objective analysis of potential electricity savings in Israel as a result of thermal insulation of the building envelope, while improving the quality of life of socio-economically disadvantaged populations and providing them with a more comfortable building space.

Stepping Stones toward Green Building

Recognition of the major contribution that green building can make to a sustainable lifestyle and to greenhouse gas mitigation – and, at a reasonable cost to the economy – has prompted the Ministry of Environmental Protection along with numerous other agencies and organizations to push ahead on a more ambitious green building plan for Israel.

Several measures have already been taken, or are in advanced planning processes:

› Agreement with the Standards Insti-tute of Israel to upgrade the Green Building Standard 5281, to include schools, hospitals, neighborhoods, renovations and more, with the help of the world’s leading experts. The idea is to make part of the standard mandatory for all building in Israel and to leave some parts voluntary for those who want an upgraded structure. Experts in the field will be chosen to accompany the process.

› Upgrade of Israel Standard 5282 on the energy rating of residential and office buildings and steps to apply it to all new buildings.

› Review by the interministerial committee on green taxes of Israel’s Tax Authority of potential economic incentives, in the form of tax breaks, to contractors for compliance with green building principles.

› Establishment of a subcommittee on green building within the framework of an interministerial committee on greenhouse gas emissions reduction to make recommendations in the context of climate change, taking into account obstacles and constraints.

› Declaration by Israel’s largest contractor, Shikun & Binui, that all new building by the company will comply with Israel’s green building standard, as a minimum, and that every project will be accompanied by a green building expert.

› Initiatives by local authorities, especially in the central part of Israel, to implement green building plans in structures and neighborhoods. One example is Kfar Saba, which published a compendium on green building which requires all developers in the jurisdiction of the city to work according to the guidelines or

Ramat Hanadiv Visitors Pavilion / Photo: Amit Geron, Courtesy of Ramat Hanadiv



A Look at Green Buildings in Israel

› Intel Design Center in Haifa: Intel’s new building integrated environmentally friendly material in the

construction, provides for separation and recycling of waste, introduces natural lighting by means of patios that allow for daylight penetration, includes energy saving air conditioning and electricity systems, boasts a green roof to provide thermal insulation, and more. The building was certified by both the American LEED Gold standard and by Israel’s voluntary green building standard.

› Maklef House in Beersheba: This office building, originally built in the ‘70s, is the first

office building in Israel to be retrofit and adapted to Israel Standard 5281. The building uses narrow, vertical windows in the façade to let in daylight and contribute to natural shading and improved air flow, alongside numerous elements such as more efficient air conditioning and heating systems, recycling systems, and more.

› Ramat Hanadiv Visitors Pavilion: The Visitors Pavilion, certified as a green building in 2008,

was not planned as a sustainable building. Nevertheless efforts were made to assimilate as many green building principles as possible during building in order to make it sustainable. Construction and demolition waste was recovered; energy consumption was reduced by means of a soil-covered roof, a geothermal air conditioning system, and the penetration of natural light; and integration in the landscape was assured by means of two central axes which traverse the building: a longitudinal, scenic axis linking the nature park and the gardens and a lateral axis encompassing the entrance square to the gardens and creating an inner courtyard that welcomes visitors. In July 2010, Ramat Hanadiv received the Beautiful Israel award for the Visitors Pavilion and its educational activity from Israel’s President Shimon Peres.

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according to the requirements of the Green Building Standard. Other examples include Ra’anana and Yavne, which decided to obligate the Green Building Standard in all new building in these cities.

› Initiatives by government ministries on different aspects of green building: a building code by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, green school buildings by the Ministry of Education, energy efficiency by the Ministry of Infrastructure and green hotels by the Ministry of Tourism.

› Establishment of non-governmental organizations on green building, including the Israel Green Building Council in 2007 and the Israel Green Building Association in 2004.

› Certification of green buildings, both according to Israel Standard 5281and according to the American LEED standard. Notable examples include the Intel Design Center in Haifa, Maklef House, headquarters of ICL Industrial Products in Beersheba, the Leumi Bank in Tel Aviv and the Visitors Pavilion of Ramat Hanadiv between Zichron Ya’akov and Binyamina. Several dozen more buildings are undergoing certification and others still, such as the planned Porter School for Environmental Studies in Tel Aviv

University, are striving for even higher standards, aiming to receive a LEED Platinum standard. Plans for the Porter School call for a zero-carbon green building, which will be much more than a certified green building in which environmental learning is to take place. It will also serve as a “living lab” for research and teaching on green building itself.

In parallel to these and other develop-ments, several supporting activities have been launched to increase awareness of green building in Israel, both among professionals and the general public. For example, the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued a call for proposals on research studies on green building, specifically relating to green building incentives, the economic feasibility of green building, and the supply of green building products in Israel to meet demand in target markets abroad. In addition, seminars and symposiums have been organized in recent years, with the participation of experts from Israel and abroad, and guidebooks and publications have been prepared.

Plans for Tomorrow

In his speech on the occasion of the certification ceremony of Intel’s first

green building worldwide in June 2010, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan emphasized that “we cannot continue with accelerated, inefficient and wasteful development, but we must, already today, move on to economic growth which is based on the promotion and development of the environment. Green building is one of the most significant components in this strategic approach.” The minister went on to say that when confronting the climate change crisis, Israel’s proven hi-tech ability, coupled with current efforts to promote sustainable consumption in Israel, especially when it comes to electricity consumption, can yield a double profit, both technologically and environmentally.

The environmental impacts of the building sector are enormous, especially in a dense country such as Israel, in which some seven million square meters of building are added every year. On the one hand, building is an existential need; on the other hand, means must be found to prevent the severe negative implications of building on the environment, in terms of energy consumption, raw material consumption, water consumption and pollutant emissions. Green building is a key to solving the dilemma, paving the way toward wiser, healthier and more sustainable development.

> Buildings account for some 60% of total electric power consumption in Israel and the investment in green building is economically feasible <

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At the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, Israel's President, Mr. Shimon Peres, announced that "the government of Israel will make best efforts to reduce its CO2 emissions by 20% in 2020 compared to a business as usual scenario." Just a month later, in January 2010, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan endorsed the President's declaration in a letter to the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC in which Israel’s government declared its association with the Copenhagen Accord and set a path to achieve the announced mitigation goal. The Copenhagen Accord, inter alia, calls on the parties to the Climate Change Convention and the Kyoto Protocol to submit their specific mitigation pledges to the Convention Secretariat.

Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is an especially difficult challenge in Israel, a country with limited resources that is undergoing economic growth against a backdrop of increases in both population and energy consumption. In order to meet the challenge, special emphasis has been placed on building GHG emissions scenarios, while focusing on the necessary steps to reduce these emissions in an economically viable manner.

Surveys and Forecasts

To estimate future emissions of GHGs in Israel, on the one hand, and identify mitigation options, on the other, the Ministry of Environmental Protection commissioned two studies in recent years: a survey of GHG emissions in Israel, future forecasts and mitigation options (the

Heifetz study published in January 2009) and a carbon abatement cost curve for Israel that quantifies a range of reduction measures across sectors (the McKinsey study published in November 2009).

In order to estimate GHG emissions in the coming decades in Israel, the Heifetz study constructed a baseline forecast termed the business as usual scenario (BAU). The forecast pointed to a 63% increase in GHG emissions by 2025, largely stemming from an increase in fuel combustion in the energy sector. The study then reviewed and analyzed mitigation options in the relevant sectors (energy, transport, industry, waste, etc.) using a detailed cost/benefit analysis. They included, among others, energy-conscious building, appliance efficiency, reduction in electricity consumption, and reduction in mileage and fuel consumption in transport. On the assumption that all identified measures are implemented, the study estimated a potential reduction of about 27% of the anticipated emissions under a BAU in 2025 compared to 2000.

With the results of the Heifetz study in, the Ministry of Environmental Protection commissioned McKinsey & Company to further assist in estimating the GHG abatement potential in Israel and evaluate the sectoral and overall costs involved in realizing this potential. The abatement cost curve quantifies Israel’s abatement potential in ten sectors along with associated costs. The McKinsey study estimated that Israel’s GHG emissions will double by 2030, but that implementation of the examined technical abatement

measures would reduce GHG emissions to 64% of expected emission growth by 2030, thus dropping the increase in emissions to 32% of total business as usual emissions.

Following Copenhagen, Toward Mexico

Israel’s intention to strive for a 20% reduction of GHG emissions below BAU by 2020 is largely based on the implementation of two existing government decisions, which set a goal of 10% renewable energy for electricity generation and 20% reduction of electricity consumption by 2020.

Most importantly, the announcement by the President of Israel and the subsequent association with the Copenhagen Accord led to a government decision, taken in March 2010, on the formulation of a national action plan for the reduction of GHG emissions. In accordance with the decision, an interministerial committee, headed by the director general of the Ministry of Finance, was set up to specify the steps required for the implementation of such an action plan, including regulation, removal of barriers, cost benefit analysis, economic incentives, and more, and to submit recommendations to the government by October 2010.

Four working teams are now focusing on the most promising areas of emission reduction potential in Israel:

•Energy efficiency •Renewable energy

•Green building •Transportation

The process is being facilitated by a team from the S. Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology in the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, which is assisting the working groups to determine the policy tools that should be implemented to attain Israel’s emission reduction target.

CLIMATE CHANGE: HIGH ON ISRAEL’S AGENDAMoving from surveys to action, from Copenhagen to Cancun

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Climate Change Policy ConferenceIn recognition of the importance of changing the trend of increase in GHG emissions which is anticipated under the BAU scenario, a high level conference on climate change will be convened in Israel on October 18, 2010, within the framework of the “Energy and Business Convention 2010.” The conference, which will be opened by the Minister of Environmental Protection, attests to the high priority given to the issue in Israel and to the country’s efforts to take part in international efforts to reduce GHG emissions.

Sessions at the conference will focus on local and global climate policy; targets for meeting Copenhagen Accord commitments; and low carbon technologies (smart grids, renewables, energy efficiency). Participants, including representatives from government, industry and the financial sector, will hear invited lectures from prominent international experts hailing, among others, from the Pew Center on Global Climate Policy, the OECD, the International Energy Agency and the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety (BMU in Berlin).

Readying for the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico – COP 16 Israel is gearing up for the 16th Climate Change Conference which will take place on November 29-December 10, 2010 in Cancun. The country’s Second National Communication on Climate Change, which outlines Israel’s progress in confronting the challenges of climate change over the past ten years, should be completed just in time for the summit.

Israel hopes to host a side event at the summit on: “Developing Innovative High Yield Agriculture by Overcoming Constraints of Arid Climate Conditions.” The proposed side event, based on Israel’s expertise in the efficient use of water, will include presentations on dairy farming in hot climatic conditions; use of saline water for irrigation; and grazing and preservation of desert habitats.

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Five year (2008-2012) investment program for renewable energy, including establishing an R&D center for renewable energy technologies in the Negev.

Energy efficiency, with the aim of bringing about 20% savings in anticipated electricity consumption by 2020.

Establishment of targets and tools for the promotion of renewable energy including generation of 10% of Israel's electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Establishment of a directors-general committee to prepare a climate change policy and to formulate an adaptation action plan.

Establishment of an interministerial committee on formulating a national action plan for the reduction of GHG emissions.

Major Government Decisions on Climate Change

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What gets measured, gets managed – this is the motto of Israel’s voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry. The new initiative, launched on July 1, 2010, represents an important milestone in Israel’s efforts to confront climate change and, what’s more, it is good for the environment and good for the company. By preparing emissions inventories, companies and organizations will not only help the environment, but will help themselves by identifying new ways to reduce inefficiencies, enhance productivity and improve their corporate image.

The launch of the system in Israel coincides with a growing recognition of the importance of calculating, registering and reporting GHG emissions. In Israel, the groundwork for the registry was laid some two years ago. At that time, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the S. Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology in the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, with the participation of stakeholders from government, industry, public transport, environmental NGOs and others, initiated the preparation of a protocol for a greenhouse gas registry that defines guidelines for mapping, quantification and reporting of GHGs, which is especially adapted to Israeli organizations.

In June 2010, a training workshop for interested companies was convened, and

industries and organizations were invited to join the system and help shape Israel's climate change policy. In order to test the system, the first year of implementation (2010) will serve as a pilot project, with the first reports on 2010 emissions due by June 30, 2011. Lessons learned will be used as a basis for further updates and improvements.

More on the Registry Protocol

Israel’s registry protocol takes into account stakeholder needs as well as insights gained from similar protocols worldwide. It encourages balanced and accurate reporting which meets international standards.

The registry is predicated on the principle of voluntary participation, followed by an obligation to comply with the guidelines prescribed in the registry protocol once companies and entities join the system. The protocol provides a starting point for companies in the process of identifying, quantifying and reporting their GHG emissions.

The main aims of the protocol are:

› To assure consistent reporting of GHG trends over time using standardized approaches

› To adopt international quantification methods and set methods for reporting at the level of the plant or emission source

› To assure transparency in GHG accounting and reporting and verify emissions, while promising confidentiality of the data

› To provide tools for preparing reports which comply with internationally accepted standards.

The Israeli protocol is based on the GHG Protocol Initiative Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, which was developed by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council

What’s in the Protocol? › Introduction

› Reporting systems worldwide and in Israel

› Structure of the registry and reporting system

› Guidelines for calculating the emissions characteristics of all the sectors

› Guidelines for calculating emissions in specific sectors

› Summing up and reporting the emissions inventory

› Quality control and data registry

› Guidelines for implementing the reporting system in Israel.

The protocol includes appendices with detailed tables of the emission factors needed for emission calculations, general instructions regarding greenhouse gases that might be emitted from each sector, and examples of calculation methods to facilitate implementation.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES GREENHOUSE GAS REGISTRY The voluntary greenhouse gas registry promises added benefits to companies, the government and the public

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for Sustainable Development, and on ISO 14064 Part 1 on Entity Reporting. Participants are obligated to report on CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions, while other GHGs are to be included separately in accordance with the emissions of different sectors such as semiconductors (PFCs, HFCs), electricity producers and transporters (SF6) and cooling and refrigeration systems (HFCs).

Why Join?

Joining the registration system will allow firms to identify opportunities for greenhouse gas reduction, to increase process efficiency and to optimally prepare for compliance with future emissions reduction obligations. Advantages include:

› Creating a database for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions of organizations and industrial plants.

› Internalizing procedures for efficiency, emissions reductions and savings of funds and resources.

› Managing business risks which may arise from greenhouse gas emissions.

› Improving the corporate image through greater transparency and reporting to the public.

› Preparing for future mandatory reporting and reduction plans.

› Participating in carbon trading markets in the future.

But these benefits are accompanied by obligations. A company or organization interested in joining the registry is required to do the following:› Map its emission sources of greenhouse gases, either from

direct operational emissions or from indirect emissions of energy consumption.

› Quantify the scope of greenhouse gas emissions according to the procedure outlined in the protocol.

› Submit a summary report to the registry.

As of August 2010, twelve organizations and firms have joined the system:

Agrexco Ltd. �

Assif Strategies �

Bank Hapoalim �

Bank Leumi �

Delta Galilee Industries �

Egged �

Initiatives for the Environment Ltd. �

Intel Electronics �

Nesher Israel Cement Enterprises Ltd. �

Numonyx Israel Ltd. �

Oil Refineries Ltd. �

Psagot Investment House Ltd. �

These companies have taken a decision to better manage their emissions, improve their efficiency, save money, and help the environment. Their decision, and hopefully the decision of many more companies, to join the system will bring additional benefits to both the government and the public. Transparent reporting of GHG inventories will benefit the government in facilitating the formulation of policy measures on GHG reductions and will benefit the public in providing new insights into climate change issues, which will hopefully bring about increased personal commitment and action.

> Joining the registry will allow firms to identify opportunities for GHG reductions, to increase process efficiency and to optimally prepare for compliance with future emissions reduction obligations <

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Clean Air Regulations (Disclosure of Air Pollution Data from a Motor Vehicle in an Advertisement), 2009

Section 38 of the Clean Air Law relates to the obligation of marketers of new vehicles to advertise data on the level of air pollution emitted from the vehicle and on the vehicle's fuel consumption. Accordingly, the Minister of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Minister of Transport and with the approval of the Knesset Economics Commit-tee, promulgated Clean Air Regu lations on the disclosure of air pollution emissions from vehicles in advertisements.

The regulations, signed in July 2009, require that every advertisement for a new vehicle include data on air pollution, based on air pollutants and greenhouse gases that are emitted from the vehicle. The air pollution level is determined for each vehicle on a scale from 1 to 15, with 1 representing the lowest emissions and 15 the highest and, in the case of motorcycles, on a scale from 1 to 7. The air

pollution level is calculated according to formulas and tables which are published on the Hebrew website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

In addition, the new regulations stipulate that the vehicle advertisement is to include data on laboratory testing of fuel consumption in urban and interurban driving.

The exact manner and form of data presentation (including colors) is provided in the Annex to the regulations.

As of July 2009, tax benefits of up to 15,000 shekels are given during the purchase of clean cars, in accordance with the pollution level.

Clean Air Regulations (Emission Permits), 2010

The Clean Air Law, 2008, sets requirements for emission permits from major industrial polluters, which include, among others, large-scale energy, metal, mineral, chemical, and

waste management industries, as specified in the annex to the law. In June 2010, the Minister of Environmental Protection signed regulations, which went into force in July 2010, on the particulars, in terms of both form and content, of submitting a permit appli-cation to the duly appointed official in the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The application must include information about the emis-sion source, including:

› A description of the emission source, its boundaries, size and operation;

› Permits and licenses gran-ted to the emission source in the field of environmental protection and nuisance prevention (e.g., business license, poison permit and administrative decree);

› Information on the vicinity of the emission source, including sensitive areas such as nature reserves, population concentrations and places which may be occupied by vulnerable populations such as children and the ill.

Applications are to be prepared according to guidelines published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, based on reference documents (BREFs) on Best Available Techniques (BAT) as

well as models, examples and professional methodologies and procedures.

The following documents must be attached to the permit application:

› Process survey: survey of all processes, materials, activities, emission sources and facilities for the reduction of pollutant emissions;

› Emission survey: survey of pollutants and the rate of their emissions from both point sources and non-point sources (fugitive emissions);

› Environmental survey: survey to assess air quality in the vicinity of the emission source, including more distant areas which may be impacted by pollutant emissions. The survey will relate to existing pollutant emissions and future emissions once BATs are implemented, in comparison to ambient, reference and target values.

› Gap analysis: analysis of gaps in the emission source in comparison to BATs as presented in the BREFS, in relation to environmental management policy, energy efficiency, treat ment and reduction technologies, procedures and main-tenance, handling of failures and emergencies, sampling

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and monitoring, and reporting.

› Selection of BAT: infor-mation on BATs proposed in the BREFS which will bring about maximum emissions reduction.

› Implementation plan: plan for the implemen-tation of the BAT chosen.

› Measures during high air pollution events: information on measures to be taken during a public alert about high air pollution levels.

Deposit Law on Beverage Containers (Amendment 4), 2010

The newest amendment to Israel’s Deposit Law for Beverage Containers went into effect on February 9, 2010. The amended law is based on the principle of extended producer responsibility and sets targets for the collection and recycling of beverage containers. The amendment relates to changes in the deposit/refund system for small beverage containers and to new requirements for the collection and disposal of large beverage containers, which will come into effect in 2014.

Following are the main provisions with regard to small beverage containers:

› Increasing the sum of the deposit on small beverage containers from 25 agorot to 30 agorot.

› Widening the obligation to receive empty containers at sales points: supermarkets and shops are obligated to receive up to 50 containers per person every day, with compensation of up to 1800 shekels for anyone denied the ability to return a bottle.

› Setting a recycling target of 90% of all empty beverage containers collected each year by importers and producers.

Following are the main provisions of the amended law with regard to large beverage containers:

› Collection requirement for large beverage containers will commence in 2014.

› Collection target for large beverage containers will be 50% of all large beverage containers.

› No deposit requirement for large beverage containers, unless collection in practice falls below 50%.

› Recycling target for large beverage containers will be 90% of all containers collected.

Until the imposition of the large beverage container collection requirement in 2014, the law sets graduated collection targets and calls for a voluntary collection system based on

expanding the existing system of voluntary collection of large bottles in collection bins (cages). Collection bins are to be increased by 12,000, so that they reach 20,000 as opposed to only 8,000 bins today. In parallel, some 4 million shekels a year are to be allocated for information and education.

In addition the law provides for significant fines, including administrative financial sanc-tions on producers and importers for non-compliance with collection and recycling targets and with different provisions of the law, provides for empowering Environ-mental Protection Ministry employees as inspectors under the law, and requires producers and importers to keep records and to present reports, both quarterly and annually.

In practical terms, it is expected that implementation of the law will apply to the collection of at least 50% of the large bottles (some 370 million large bottles per year) and to the collection of 490 small containers each year, compared to 420 million today.

Public Health Regulations (Effluent Quality Standards and Rules for Sewage Treatment), 2010

The stated aim of the effluent quality regulations, which were promulgated by the Minister of Environmental Protection and the Minister of Health in March 2010 , is “to protect public health, to prevent pollution of water sources from sewage and effluents,

to facilitate the recovery of effluents as a water source, to protect the environment, including ecological systems and biological diversity, soil and agricultural crops, inter alia, through the imposition of obligations and setting of instructions in accordance with the provisions of these regulations.”

The regulations, which replace the 1992 regulations on wastewater treatment, set much higher treatment levels in existing and future wastewater treatment plants. They include maximum levels for dissolved and suspended elements and compounds and for 36 different parameters in effluents for unrestricted irrigation and discharge to rivers. Operators of wastewater treatment plants are required to treat the sewage according to best available techniques so as to ensure that effluent quality does not exceed the values stipulated in the annexes to the regulations. The annexes set the required standards for:

› Effluents designated for unrestricted agricultural irrigation in general and effluents designated for irrigation in specific

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geographical areas of the country.

› Effluents in a small waste-water treatment plants which are designated for restricted agricultural irrigation.

› Effluents designated for discharge to rivers in a large wastewater treatment plant and in a small wastewater treatment plant.

In all cases, when it comes to salinity levels, the wastewater treatment plant operator must assure that:

› the chloride level of the effluents does not exceed 80 milligrams per liter above its concentration in the supply water;

› the boron level of the effluents does not exceed 0.3 milligrams per liter above its concentration in the supply water;

› the sodium level of the effluents does not exceed 60 mg/l above its concentration in the supply water.

Additional provisions in the regulations relate to the preparation of monitoring and control plans on the quality and quantity of sewage discharged to the wastewater treatment plant and to sampling and testing, at defined frequencies, at the exit of the wastewater treatment plant. Monitoring plans and results as well as sampling and test results are to be published on the websites of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ministry of Health and Water Authority.

Maximum Monthly Averages for Elements and Compounds and for Different Parameters in Effluents for Unrestricted Irrigation and Discharge to Rivers

Parameter Unit Unrestricted

Irrigation* Rivers

BOD5 mg/l 10 10

TSS mg/l 10 10

COD mg/l 100 70

Ammonia mg/l 10 1.5

Total nitrogen mg/l 25 10

Total phosphorus mg/l 5 1

Dissolved oxygen mg/l <0.5 <3

pH 6.5-8.5 7.0-8.5

Faecal coliforms MPN/ 100 ml 10 200

Residual chlorine mg/l 0.8-1.5 0.05

Electrical Conductivity dS/m 1.4

Chloride mg/l 250 400

Fluoride mg/l 2

Sodium mg/l 150 200

SAR (mmol/L)0.5 5

Boron mg/l 0.4

Anionic surfactants mg/l 2 0.5

Hydrocarbons 1.0

Arsenic mg/l 0.1 0.1

Mercury mg/l 0.002 0.0005

Chromium mg/l 0.1 0.05

Nickel mg/l 0.2 0.05

Selenium mg/l 0.02

Lead mg/l 0.1 0.008

Cadmium mg/l 0.01 0.005

Zinc mg/l 2 0.2

Iron mg/l 2

Copper mg/l 0.2 0.02

Manganese mg/l 0.2

Aluminum mg/l 5

Molybdenum mg/l 0.01

Vanadium mg/l 0.1

Beryllium mg/l 0.1

Cobalt mg/l 0.05

Lithium mg/l 2.5

Cyanide mg/l 0.1 0.005

* From soil, flora, hydrological and public health considerations


Everything you wanted to know about the environment in Israel

MULTILINGUAL WEBSITES NOW ONLINE

For information in english:www.environment.gov.il/english

www.environment.gov.ilלמידע בעברית:

:للتفاصيل اإلضافية باللغة العربيةhttp://arabic.sviva.gov.il

Children's website:www.sababa.sviva.gov.il

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Israel Environment Bulletin vol 36/ sept - GOV.IL · Volume 36 of Israel Environment Bulletin...

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