CHAPTER FIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
And ye shall keep my statutes, and
my ordinances, which if a man do, he
shall live in them: I am the Lord.
Leviticus xviii:5
The goal of the Ministry of the Environment is to formulate a
comprehensive national environmental policy, and to develop the
tools necessary for implementing this policy. The ministry seeks
to incorporate environmental considerations into decision-making
processes; to implement programs for pollution control, monitoring
and research; to develop and update legislation and standards; to
ensure effective enforcement; to promote environmental awareness;
and to advance international cooperation for the sake of the
environment.
Given the rapid rate of development, the focus of
environmental policy is on preventive measures. The land-use
planning process constitutes an important administrative framework
for implementing environmental policy. Required environmental
measures are most frequently determined on the basis of ambient,
emission and design standards derived from the results of national
and international research. Standards for pollutants are revised
and updated based on evolving research in economics, technology,
health and agricultural effects. In addition, monitoring and
inspection systems provide an up-to-date picture of the state of
the environment, allow authorities to predict environmental trends,
enable alert and response actions in cases of pollution episodes,
and contribute to the development of pollution-abatement programs.
Although environmental policy rests on the principle of
prevention, it is essential to control pre-existing sources of
pollution as well. Several means of intervention for the abatement
of pollution exist in Israel; some involve pollution fees, in
accordance to the "polluter pays" principle, to help pay
environmental expenses and to encourage polluting industries to
look for new technologies that will economize on resources and
reduce pollution. Finally, the mainstay of environmental policy
rests in the education of the general public.