Flurry of activity in Israel as Glasgow climate summit approaches

Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced the establishment of the Israeli Climate Forum on Oct. 19. The new forum, which will operate under Herzog’s office, will shape Israel's role in fighting the global climate crisis and include representatives from the government, Israeli academia, local authorities, civil society and the business sector.

The forum is expected to convene every three months, bringing together top government officials, senior researchers, civil society activists and leaders within Israel’s business and industrial sectors to advance national action and plans to fight the climate crisis. Subcommittees will then advance ideas and solutions in the relevant government ministries.

“The global climate crisis has become an international emergency. It is having an impact on our lives in every respect, from the economy to national security. The establishment of the Israeli Climate Forum underscores the importance of dialogue between all parts of Israeli society. I hope that we will be able to place our concern for the future of our children and the fate of Planet Earth above arguments between us,” read the president’s announcement. It also called on Israel and Israelis to “wake up, change habits and stop the climate crisis from getting worse.”

The president then tweeted that the climate crisis was “also creating opportunities that we mustn't miss. Israel’s advantage is its ability to contribute to solving this problem through social and technological innovation and revolutionary changes to global ways of thinking.”