In Glasgow, Israel’s Bennett pledges net zero emissions by 2050

Addressing the COP26 summit in Glasgow today, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett  detailed a series of dramatic steps his government will take to battle climate change. “Israel is at the beginning of a revolution on climate change. We recently started implementing our 100-step plan, which means that we’re currently doing more to promote clean energy and reduce greenhouse gases than at any other time in our country’s history. For the first time, Israel is committing to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, and will phase out the use of coal by 2025.”

Bennett addressed Israeli entrepreneurs, calling on them to focus their efforts on the climate battle. “We’re less than a third of the size of Scotland. Our carbon footprint may be small, but our impact on climate change can be mighty. If we’re going to move the needle, we need to contribute Israel’s most valuable source of energy — the energy and brainpower of our people. You see, this is what fuels our innovation and ingenuity. This is where Israel can make a real difference. … As the country with the most startups per capita in the world, we must channel our efforts into saving our world. … You can be the game-changers. You can help save our planet. You see, instead of building yet another hyped-up internet app, why don’t you launch startups that will help solve this global threat?”

The Israeli premier added he is setting up a task force called the “Green Sandbox,” which will provide funds to help out Israeli entrepreneurs and clear their path to advance climate solutions of red tape. Paraphrasing Israel’s nickname, the Startup Nation, Bennett said that “Israel can become the climate innovation nation, and we are ready to pave the way.”

Bennett arrived to Glasgow Oct. 31, leading a delegation of over 120 people representing government ministries, the Knesset, Israeli civil society, academia, local authorities and the private business sector. Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg and Karin Elharar, Israel's energy minister, are the delegation's two most senior Israeli officials after Bennett. The ministers participated last month in the annual ministerial meeting of OECD member states in Paris, a conference dedicated to clean energies, in preparation for the COP26 summit.