Thousands of global delegates are participating in the 26th annual climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Hosted by the United Nations, the Conference of Parties, or COP26, aims “to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.” Given the state of the world, the high-stakes agenda is a central global conversation on how to minimize the harmful impacts. Israel sent 120 delegates from the Parliament, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, and Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg. However, Elharrrar, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, was unable to attend the first day of the conference due to its inaccessibility.
Compared to the other OECD countries, Israel falls on the bottom of the list when it comes to fossil fuel emissions and taking action for climate change. While Bennett announced a 0% reduction rate by 2050, there are still no laws in place which will move the meter to do so. Zandberg has attempted to create a plan, which was opposed by the Energy and Finance Ministries, likely as a threat to their profits.
Just before COP26 began, thousands of people in Israel marched to advocate for climate action. One group specifically has taken to advocating for climate change, and it’s the young people of Israel who are concerned for their future due to the inaction of adults. A recent study surveyed 14,000 15 to 20-year-olds around the world. Of the 13 countries surveyed, Israel had the most respondents, numbering 1,255. About 59% are “very anxious about global sustainability threats” and 56% believe that “sustainability is the single most important global issue today.” Air pollution is the highest concern at 36%.
Nineteen-year-old Israeli Shai says, “We don’t have much time left, and sometimes it feels like it’s too late already. I am extremely worried about global warming. And here in Israel, the sea [in some places] is so polluted by companies and their littering that you cannot even go for a swim.”
