State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman issued a stark warning on Tuesday to Israel’s leaders over the nation’s handling of its climate crisis.
Despite previous warnings issued in 2021, Englman’s investigation reveals that the government has largely failed to address key climate issues, such as the rising air pollution in Judea and Samaria. With over 50,000 complaints from residents unaddressed and uncommunicated to the Ministry of Health, the estimated cost of environmental health damage is projected to exceed 9 billion shekels by 2030.
“The government is treading water,” Englman said.
Englman used Haifa as an example of the discrepancy between the rhetoric surrounding climate policy change and the lack of concrete action.
“The Ministry of Environmental Protection has not reported to the government for three years on how the plans to reduce air pollution are being implemented and did not publish data on 60% of the serious deviations in pollutant emissions from factories in Haifa Bay,” he said.
The State Comptroller emphasized the urgent need for Prime Minister Benjamin to prioritize environmental challenges alongside national security concerns.
