This year, 2022, is the year when it became clear to us all that we are in the midst of a powerful climate crisis that is only getting worse. Widespread floods in Pakistan displaced tens of millions from their homes and overflowed about a third of the country. Devastating hurricanes hit the East Coast of the US and the Caribbean, wreaking havoc on a massive scale. Severe droughts dried up great rivers in Europe and China. This is only a partial list of the major disasters which UN experts have told us time and time again, are only likely to increase as we continue to emit greenhouse gases.
World leaders, government officials, experts, representatives of the private sector and civil society, academics, opinion shapers, and policy formulators will meet next week for the COP 27 annual climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to discuss ways to prevent the climate crisis. The success of the conference is of the utmost importance. So is the advancement of issues such as the continuation of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adoption of a global goal for adaptation and adjustment to the climate crisis, increasing climate financing and progress on the topic of ”loss and damage”, as well as advancing cooperation in the exchange of knowledge and experience.
Israel, located in an arid region and is facing chronic water shortages, high temperatures, and a difficult environment for agricultural development, has had to invent creative solutions. Through decades of acquiring knowledge and experience, Israel has found practical solutions to climate challenges. Israel wishes to share this knowledge and collaborate on in order to bring about their implementation around the world. These solutions are essential to handling the climate crisis, on topics that are highly relevant to Uzbekistan, such as efficiency of water resources and creation of new water sources, drought-resistant agriculture and precision agriculture, invention of animal protein substitutes and sustainable crops, energy efficiency and energy storage, restoration and preservation of forests in arid areas, circular economy, and the production of new materials that are climate and environment-friendly. Many ideas also come from an active and aware civil society, which contributes to the climate-environmental discourse and activities, ideas that often are then integrated into government action.
Evidence of Israel’s desire to share information is the establishment, for the first time, of an Israeli pavilion at a COP conference. The pavilion will focus on climate innovation and solutions, and dozens of events aimed at creating international and regional cooperation in the Middle East will take place. We believe that regional and international cooperation is critical to dealing with the climate crisis; therefore, our goal is that every event at the Israeli pavilion will create a long-term partnership and process. A large and high-ranking Israeli delegation will participate, including representatives from all relevant sectors: government, civil society, the private sector, local government, academia, and more, all dedicated to dealing with the climate crisis/
In order to overcome the climate crisis, humanity needs practical, applicable solutions to build climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that can be implemented on a local as well as a global scale. These solutions should help meet global mitigation goals and reinforce resilience among countries and communities that are already affected, as well as assist in the implementation of the UN’s sustainable development goals – the SDGS.
International cooperation in the field of climate innovation also provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen the economy for the benefit of all, create new jobs, and advance human prosperity, while preserving nature, climate and ecological diversity.
We all have an important part to play in preventing the climate crisis. Israel hopes that the Sharm el-Sheikh conference will be a great success and mark a positive turning point in the future of humanity.
Zehavit Ben Hillel, Ambassador of Israel
