The Environment in Israel

Israel is a small country, characterized by rapid population and economic growth. Established in 1948, its population has increased nearly eight-fold to 6.5 million today - mainly as a result of large-scale immigration. From a sparsely populated country in its early years, Israel has been transformed into a densely populated and highly developed country. In the area north of Be'er Sheva, it is now one of the world's most densely populated countries.

These unique circumstances present decision-makers with major challenges. Yet today, more than ever, Israel is ready to meet the challenges, to overcome the difficulties, to embark on a new path toward sustainability.

In the first 25-year period following its independence, Israel accorded high priority to intensive development programs: new towns were built, modern agricultural programs were introduced, water sources were tapped and roads and airports were constructed. The rapid growth rate of population, industry and agriculture led to environmental degradation, which was further aggravated by the concentration of industrial and urban activities along the coastal strip, where two-thirds of the population reside.

Within a year of the Stockholm Conference, the Cabinet established the Environmental Protection Service (EPS) as Israel's first environmental government body. The birth of the EPS in 1973 was an important first step in the creation of a comprehensive and modern environmental administration in Israel. In December 1988, the government established the Ministry of the Environment. The decision reflected a positive change in the national determination to tackle environmental issues. In recent years, Israel has embarked on a new journey, taking its first steps on the path toward sustainable development - development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

In juxtaposition to its small land area, a wide range of physical conditions and a rich variety of flora and fauna characterize Israel. The country's location at the junction of three continents, coupled with the climatic changes throughout the history of this region, has been largely responsible for the great diversity of species. This biological wealth is found in some 2,600 plant species (150 of which are indigenous to Israel) and in 7 amphibian, almost 100 reptile, over 500 bird and some 100 mammal species.

Recognition of the need to protect Israel's precious landscape and natural resources led to the enactment of nature conservation laws and to the establishment of the Nature and Parks Authority, dedicated to the protection of natural habitats, natural assets, wildlife, and sites of scientific and educational interest. While nature reserves are predominantly concerned with the conservation of nature, national parks are primarily concerned with the conservation of heritage and archeology. To date, 142 nature reserves and 44 national parks, spanning some 3,500 square kilometers (out of nearly 6,000 square kilometers of planned protected areas) have been declared throughout the country. Together they represent the entire spectrum of Israel's natural heritage - Mediterranean forests, marine landscapes, sand dunes, freshwater landscapes, desert and crater landscapes, and oases - as well as its unique archeological and historic heritage, including ancient synagogues with mosaic floors, caves inhabited by prehistoric man, and fortresses dating back to the Second Temple Period.

Outside the confines of nature reserves, hundreds of plant and animal species have been declared "protected natural assets." Animals such as the leopard, gazelle, ibex and vulture have been declared protected species, and special rescue operations, including establishment of feeding stations and nesting sites, have been initiated. At two special wildlife reserves - the Hai Bar reserves in Yotvata in the south and on Mount Carmel in the north - experimental projects were implemented to reintroduce animal species, which once roamed the hills and deserts of the Land of Israel, into their former natural habitats. In recent years, Persian fallow deer and roe deer have been returned to the lush Carmel Mountain Range and onagers and Arabian oryx to the sandy Negev and Arava.

Israel's location at the junction of three continents also makes it an international crossroads for migrating birds. Some 500 million birds - including 85% of the global white stork population - cross Israel's skies twice yearly on their way to Africa in the autumn and to Europe and Asia in the spring. At Latrun, midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and at the heart of the western migration route, an International Center for the Study of Bird Migration has been set up. Based on multi-disciplinary research and satellite tracking of migratory birds, a broad-based educational program has been initiated, in which more than 200 schools throughout the world participate. The Israeli-based project, entitled "Migrating Birds Know No Boundaries," allows students to use the Internet to track migrating birds that are carrying transmitters. The theme of the Internet project (www.birds.org.il) is symbolic not only of the flight of birds over continents and states, but of the potential for regional and international cooperation in protecting the environment.

In the thirty-year period between 1960 and 1990, Israel's population more than doubled and its built-up area quadrupled. According to the long-range master plan (Israel 2020), the country's population will reach about 8.5 million in 2020 (nearly double the 1990 population) and its built-up area will more than double, emphasizing the diminishing pool of land resources.

Based on these data, the conservation of open space is a foremost concern. Although some 20% of Israel's land area is allocated for conservation of nature, pollution, construction and development have taken their toll. Under conditions of land scarcity, planners have been forced to grapple with the question of which areas may be transformed into built-up areas and which should remain as open spaces to fulfill a variety of social and ecological functions. Since the loss of open space to development is an irreversible process, future management of open space is of foremost importance.

Over the past decade, the country's green bodies have banded together in a campaign to preserve Israel's landscapes in the face of mounting development pressures. As part of the campaign, countrywide studies and surveys were undertaken to assess the importance of open spaces in terms of their characteristics and intrinsic potential. Based on the data, a methodology for assessing open spaces was developed and integrated into building and planning master plans.

The planning approach now being advocated calls for directing development to appropriate areas in ways which will not destroy the ecosystem, the wildlife and the landscape features of each of the small but diverse landscape units of the country. Hopefully, Israel's ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitats (the Ramsar Convention), will further advance biodiversity and natural landscape conservation.

Preservation of the country's scant water sources may be the greatest challenge facing Israel, which entered the 21st century with one of its largest water overdrafts ever. The depletion of the country's main water sources is exacerbated by the deteriorating quality of water resources due to demographic, industrial and agricultural pressures and to overexploitation of the country's water reservoirs beyond the natural replenishment rate.

Both water resource development and consumption have grown rapidly since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Today, all feasible resources are exploited, including springs, groundwater reservoirs, aquifers and the Jordan River system. At the same time, as a result of accelerated population, industrial and agricultural growth, the coastal aquifer has been increasingly threatened by contamination from chemical and microbial pollutants, salination, nitrates, heavy metals, fuels and toxic organic compounds. Over the years, average chloride concentrations in the coastal aquifer have increased to 194 mg/liter, With an average rate of increase of 2.4 mg/liter per year. Nitrate concentrations have increased concomitantly due to intensive use of fertilizers in agriculture and due to the use of treated effluents for irrigation.

The combination of severe water shortage, contamination of water resources, densely populated urban areas and highly intensive irrigated agriculture, has made it essential to increase development of treated wastewater. Consequently, Israel has emerged as a world leader in recycling wastewater, with over 65% of the wastewater treated and reused for agricultural purposes in accordance with stringent permits issued by the Ministry of Health. National policy calls for the gradual replacement of freshwater allocations to agriculture by reclaimed effluents. It is estimated that effluents will constitute 40% of the water supplied to agriculture in 2005 and 50% in 2020.

Major efforts are currently being focused on upgrading effluent quality standards for different purposes. The objective is to treat 100% of the country's wastewater to a level enabling unrestricted irrigation in accordance with soil sensitivity and without risk to soil and water sources.

In recent years, efforts have focused on restoring the country's ailing rivers, which have either dried up or become sewage conduits as a result of industrial discharge, municipal sewage, overpumping or just general abuse. The road toward restoration was opened with the inauguration of a National River Administration in 1993 to oversee the restoration of the country's rivers. Twelve coastal rivers and two rivers in the eastern basin are currently undergoing restoration according to approved master plans, which include cleanups, soil conservation and landscape and park development. The results are evident in rivers throughout the country - whether the Alexander River where egg laying and basking areas were set aside for giant soft-shell turtles, or the Kishon River where dramatic improvements in water quality have occurred as evidenced by monitoring results.

After several consecutive years of drought and growing water scarcity, the government has begun to implement a comprehensive water management plan, based on such components as wastewater treatment and recovery, water conservation, seawater and brackish water desalination and remediation of contaminated wells. Plans for desalinating hundreds of millions of cubic meters of seawater are currently being implemented.

Air Quality

In Israel, as elsewhere in the world, rapid technological development, improvement in standards of living and increased population density have brought in their wake pollutant emissions from both stationary and mobile sources. The rapid emergence of industrial plants in the vicinity of urban centers, coupled with a dramatic increase in the number of cars, has exacerbated air pollution problems throughout the country. National estimates of air pollutant emissions have shown that with the exception of sulfur oxides and lead, emissions of all pollutants have increased substantially.

The sharp rise in carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbon emissions is attributed to the dramatic increase in the number of motor vehicles traveling on Israel's roads, nearly a fourfold increase over the past two decades. To address the problems, several steps have already been taken while others are planned. Thus, for example, catalytic converters have been standard features in all private vehicles beginning with 1993 models, fuel quality has been improved, sulfur content of diesel for public transport has been substantially reduced, steps have been taken to switch at least part of the public transportation system to alternative fuels, particularly liquefied petroleum gas, and roadside inspection and enforcement of emission standards have been increased.

Since the availability of nationwide data on air quality is a prerequisite for the formulation of a comprehensive national air quality management program, Israel has expanded its national air monitoring system; it includes individual stations and a national control center that provides real-time information about air quality throughout the country. This information is facilitating enforcement of air quality standards and informing the general public about air quality levels.

Israel is committed to fulfilling its obligations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. An interministerial committee on climate change, including representatives of relevant government ministries, industries and non-governmental organizations, was established by government decision at the time of ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The committee is charged with formulating national policy on the reduction of greenhouse gases and preparing reports on national greenhouse gas inventories, policies, measures and forecasts. Although Israel was classified as a developing country under the Climate Change Convention, the government has resolved to undertake voluntary activities to restrict or reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

Israel's Mediterranean and Red Sea coastlines are among the country's most valuable natural assets. Protecting them from pollution and from the conflicting demands of urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, recreation and tourism, is a national priority.

The legal framework for marine pollution prevention is well established and implemented in Israel. Highly skilled professional inspectors carry out marine pollution prevention and enforcement on the Mediterranean coast, the Gulf of Eilat/Akaba, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. In addition to serving a deterrent function, these inspectors investigate violations of the law by vessels or coastal facilities and file legal charges, where warranted. Increased awareness, coupled by strict enforcement, has led to a notable decrease in the number of oil spills over the past decade. The administrativeenforcement system, which includes data on permits for dumping and discharge of land-based sources, has been highly successful.

In order to expand surveillance, monitoring and enforcement of land-based sources of marine pollution, a national center for on-line surveillance of effluent outfalls to the sea is being established. The project will see the installation of sensors on pipelines which discharge effluents into the sea. The anticipated result: a computerized environmental surveillance system with comprehensive data on the entire coastline, able to provide real-time oversight of each individual plant which discharges waste into the sea within the framework of a permit.

To prevent and combat marine pollution in the Gulf of Eilat, the world's northernmost tropical sea ecosystem, a pollution control and response station was established north of the coral reserve. Today, with the aid of the modern equipment at its disposal, the station stands at the forefront of the struggle to prevent the pollution of the Gulf of Eilat/Akaba.

Growing pressures for residential and commercial development on the densely populated Mediterranean coastline have minimized visual and physical access to the shore. In recognition of the problem, both governmental and non-governmental organizations have launched new initiatives to bring about integrated management of coastal and marine areas. Recognition of such problems as urban sprawl along the coastal stretch, sand depletion, offshore structures, erosion and instability of the coastal cliff have emerged as critical issues which are currently being addressed as part of an integrated coastal management policy.

Still another grave problem in a country with meager land resources and an ever-increasing population is solid waste disposal. Until recently, hundreds of garbage dumps were spread throughout the country and a large part of the population was left without a comprehensive solution to the problem of solid waste disposal. Today, the outlook is brighter. A landmark decision by the government dictated the closure of all illegal landfills and transfer of the waste to a few authorized landfills. Most of the country's waste is now concentrated in 15 state-of-the art landfills and about 85% of the waste is disposed or treated in an environmentally sound manner - in comparison to a mere 10% just a decade ago.

At the same time, waste recovery is being promoted. Today's policy calls for a shift from landfilling to integrated treatment of solid waste based on reduction at source, reuse, recycling, incineration and landfilling. The goal: to reduce the total quantity of waste that the country generates, and the quantity reaching landfills in particular, and to increase waste recovery and recycling to a 50% recovery rate by 2010.

Most of the regulated landfills in the country have already installed systems for leachate collection and treatment, leakage prevention and collection of gas emissions. Several landfills have also begun to operate facilities for landfill gas extraction and energy recovery. In addition to energy savings, this step has important implications for climate change mitigation. Since the contribution of methane emissions from the decomposition of solid waste to carbon dioxide emissions has been most significant, measures such as landfill gas extraction and energy recovery, are important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from solid waste.

The enactment and implementation of a Deposit Law on Beverage Containers signals an important milestone in the country's recycling efforts. The law aims to improve cleanliness and reduce litter, minimize waste quantities and landfill volume, and encourage recycling and reuse of beverage containers.

In yet another landmark development, the Israel Government resolved, in July 2001, to launch a waste reduction and recycling program in all government offices and affiliated bodies. This "Greening Government" initiative will first focus on the minimization of office waste and use of recycled and environment-friendly products and services.

Safe management of hazardous substances is one of Israel's most pressing environmental concerns. A comprehensive system for the supervision and management of hazardous substances, which requires a permit for any premise dealing with toxic chemicals, has been set up. It is complemented by an efficient system of emergency response in cases of hazardous substances accidents and by an inspection system, encompassing thousands of industrial plants. In addition, an Information and Response Center for Hazardous Substances has been set up to collect quantitative and qualitative information on hazardous substances and to serve as a focal point of response during hazardous substances incidents - providing essential information, support and coordination.

Since 1990, when regulations on the disposal of hazardous waste to the national hazardous waste treatment facility at Ramat Hovav were first promulgated, the quantity of hazardous waste disposed to Ramat Hovav has risen significantly, from less than 24,000 tons in 1990 to nearly 81,000 tons in 2001. The number of plants that send their waste to Ramat Hovav has grown by 400% over the course of one decade alone.

Alongside improvements in Ramat Hovav, the Ministry of the Environment is intensifying its efforts to promote reduction at source, environment friendly substitutes for hazardous substances, and recycling and recovery in order to reduce hazardous waste quantities. The aim is to reduce the quantity of waste transferred to Ramat Hovav to a minimum - to make this the last rather than the first option for the country's hazardous waste. Approval for alternative treatment outside of Ramat Hovav is conditional on the use of the best available technologies, compliance with existing standards and regulations and other stringent conditions. Permits are granted only after careful examination of the application and, at times, after implementation of pilot demonstrations.

In a country where land, water, energy and other natural resources are limited, environmental research is not a luxury - it is a matter of survival. In order to absorb and feed a rapidly growing population while developing advanced industries, Israel has had to find ways to use every available meter of land, ray of sunshine and drop of water. At the same time, it has had to ensure that its intensive use of resources would not harm the environment. Yet, paradoxically, these very constraints have challenged Israeli scientists to develop a host of new technologies - placing Israel at the forefront of world developments in a number of environmental fields.

For example, as a country plagued by water scarcity, Israel has been forced to develop its water sources in innovative ways. It has become a world leader in the development of drip irrigation, a technique by which relatively small amounts of water are delivered directly to the roots of plants. These techniques have the further advantage of reducing adverse environmental impacts associated with continuous irrigation, such as increased salination. By enabling farmers to deliver precise quantities of fertilizers as well as water directly to the plant, fertilizer contamination of soils and groundwater is also reduced.

Israel's water scarcity problem is exacerbated by the fact that over half of the country's land area is an arid desert. Strategies implemented since the establishment of the State in 1948 have succeeded in combating desertification. As a world leader in arid zone management, including afforestation, water harvesting, water and soil conservation and use of saline water, Israel is taking an active part in regional and international efforts to combat desertification.

Because the country has almost no natural fuel sources, it has become a world pioneer in the use of solar energy. Today, all new buildings are equipped with solar water heaters. On the research front, the Solar Tower at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot boasts a 3000-kilowatt facility, which enables technologies to be tested on a large scale. Major features include a field of 64 computer-controlled mirrors which track the movement of the sun. In Israel's arid south, the National Solar Energy Center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva is testing and demonstrating a variety of solar-powered thermal and photovoltaic technologies. The center makes it possible to take a new idea from the initial laboratory stage right through to final, large-scale testing in the sun-soaked Negev desert.

Israel is well known for its landmark agricultural achievements, aided by extensive scientific research. Today, as the dangers of chemical control are becoming more evident, Israeli scientists are pursuing less harmful agricultural control methods, replacing chemicals with biological measures and other, safer options. One promising direction is biological control, largely pioneered by Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in the Beit She'an Valley and implemented in several agricultural areas throughout the country. Among other projects, the Kibbutz is utilizing barn owls and kestrels, two of the most abundant raptors in Israel, as an environmentally friendly and economically "profitable solution for eliminating rodents from agricultural fields and plantations.

While most of Israel's environmental research is designed to help solve local problems, several studies are geared toward solving global problems as well. Thus, for example, major efforts are invesed in reducing the use of methyl bromide, a chemical fumigant which has traditionally been used worldwide to destroy insect and nematode pests in the topsoil. Recommendations have been made on the use of agrotechniques such as solarization, steam sterilization, resistant varieties. crop rotation and detached growing media.

Toward a Sustainable Future

Israel recognizes that, for assuring sustainable development, methods must be developed to conserve biodiversity, protect vital water sources, control air pollution in densely populated areas, upgrade wastewater treatment and expand effluent recovery, provide for pesticide-free agricultural produce and assure safe disposal, treatment and recycling of solid and hazardous waste. Consequently, both Israel's environmental industries and its academic institutions have invested in broadening their research and development activities. At the same time, stringent new standards, accompanied by tough enforcement, along with educational initiatives and public campaigns are increasing the environmental consciousness and responsibility of government and civil society alike.

Israel believes that sustainable development can be achieved, that environmental degradation can be arrested, that damaged areas can be restored. It is convinced that its renewed commitment to the environment will ensure that ecological values and environmental resources will be protected - not just for present generations, but for the generations yet to come. This concept is not new. It was expressed by ancient Judaic sources almost a thousand years ago. Yet, the message rings as true today as it did then:

"When the Holy One Blessed Be He created the first man, He took him and warned him about all the trees of the Garden of Eden, saying: 'See My works, see how beautiful and perfect they are, and all I created - I created for you. Beware lest you spoil and destroy My world, for if you will spoil it, there is no one to repair it after you.'" (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13)