English - Service - Host Country Information

You are in the following part of the website:

Schrift:

November 2008

Country Profile Israel

Israel Flag Israel is already having to cope with difficult climate conditions, including rising temperatures. Water is a precious natural resource and water supply is a key policy issue in the country. Increasing rainfall intensity promotes soil erosion and salinity and accelerates the rate of desertification – especially in the Negev desert, which already covers 60 percent of Israel’s land area.

The Framework Convention on Climate Change treats Israel as a developing nation (a Non-Annex I State), thus making it a potential CDM host country. However, Israel’s fossil-fuel related CO2 emissions are only marginally below those of some Annex I states. For this reason, the Israeli government has established a Climate Change Committee, comprising representatives from various ministries, and has introduced a number of emission reduction measures. The first steps towards a post-2012 policy have already been taken. These include the adoption of sectoral emission reduction targets (in the energy, waste management, transport, industry and agricultural sectors). An action plan is currently being drafted, setting out how these targets are to be achieved by 2025. And in May 2008, a study was published on adapting to climate change.

Israel’s DNA was founded in 2004 and has 12 members: nine government representatives from various ministries (the Chair is held by the Environment Ministry), two from industry and one from a non-governmental organisation. The DNA website lists businesses and organisations who have expressed an interested in CDM projects and are still seeking funding from a foreign investor. Several businesses have specialised in providing CDM-related services. Contact details can be found on the DNA website.

The Israeli DNA’s CDM project approval process takes about 10 weeks. It involves a two-step approach: a voluntary phase (submitting a PIN) and a mandatory phase (submitting the PDD). Projects are assessed for their sustainability: weighting assigns 37.5 percent to environmental impacts, 25 percent to social impacts and 37.5 percent to economic and technological impacts. Israel promotes itself as a CDM host country, making reference to its democratic rule, economic stability, good research infrastructure and technological expertise.

The CDM projects submitted so far are more or less equally divided between agriculture, energy production, industrial processes, waste treatment and fuel switch. Potential for future CDM projects is seen in the energy sector in particular: Israel’s annual six percent rise in electricity consumption is among the highest in the world. The type of projects possible include electricity supply (fuel switch or improvements to existing facilities), use of renewable energy and energy efficiency. There is also potential in the transport sector and in industry (fuel switch and energy efficiency).

Israel is clearly interested in expanding its CDM activities. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in February between Israel’s environment minister and Germany’s Ambassador to Israel.

Further selected information: