Multiple reports related to Earth Day and the climate summit convened by President Biden are collected below. Some notable elements on the Earth Day / climate summit reports: Israeli agencies prepared two somewhat contrasting climate change plans for the summit. The speech that Prime Minister Netanyahu gave diverged from both of them. Despite promoting climate friendly policies, Israel continues plans for large new fossil fuel extraction in the Mediterranean and is restarting the long dormant oil pipeline used to pump Middle Eastern oil from Eilat to the Mediterranean. Saudi Arabia announced major ambitious initiatives; there is skepticism about the possibility of full implementation.
The Renewable Energy Plan That Netanyahu Announced Doesn’t Really Exist, Experts Say – Haaretz
Zafrir Rinat Apr. 25, 2021
Netanyahu spoke at a virtual climate summit convened by Biden, saying the goal is to shut Israel’s coal-based power plants by 2025.
Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Friday that Israel will strive to generate all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050, but environmental activists and experts lambasted the prime minister for failing to present a proposal to address the climate crisis.
They said he has not yet presented a detailed plan or legislation mandating that fossil fuels be phased out. Netanyahu was speaking at a virtual climate summit convened by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The prime minister mentioned the short-term goals set by the cabinet, including shutting Israel’s coal-based power plants by 2025 and supplying more than one-third of the country’s electricity from renewable energy sources by the end of the decade.
He added that the state was investing large sums in companies developing technology to increase capacity for solar energy storage. Climate activists and experts dispute this, saying that no binding legislation has been passed on the matter and that for now these are empty declarations.
Netanyahu said Israel has increased the share of solar energy in its electricity production to 10 percent from 2 percent, but this goal has actually not been reached. The National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Ministry attributes the delay to the coronavirus pandemic and says the target will be achieved this year.
Netanyahu’s goal of meeting all the country’s electricity needs using renewable sources by 2050 is much more optimistic than the ministry’s figure, 85 percent. The ministry said that even the more modest target will be hard to achieve given that Israel has no nuclear power plants and will have to allot adequate space for solar energy production.
The forgoing of fossils fuels by 2050 is the target of most countries in the West.
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Prof. Ofira Ayalon, who with Prof. Adi Wolfson drafted a policy proposal submitted to the prime minister ahead of the summit, said Netanyahu “should have put forth a courageous vision capable of propelling not only the Israeli economy but humanity toward a carbon-free future by exporting innovative technologies in the industry of green and clean tech. The fact that the speech didn’t contain a genuine commitment and the fact that the prime minister didn’t mention climate legislation or a carbon tax indicate that it was an eloquent speech that doesn’t bind Israel to anything.”
Yoni Sapir, the head of the environmental group Homeland Guards (Shomrei Habayit), said in a statement that the move to the full use of renewables must be enshrined in law “together with an ambitious schedule, a work plan and supervisory teams with authority. The prime minister must promote a comprehensive climate bill that includes carbon taxes. Without such moves, his declarations will remain hollow.”
Greenpeace Israel said the reduction in the use of coal aimed to guarantee the development of natural gas. “Even today, most of the government’s efforts are focused on opening dozens of additional areas in the Mediterranean Sea to natural gas and petroleum exploration and the creation of new demand for mineral fuels in Israel and in Europe,” the group said in a statement.
“The government must wake up from its natural-gas dream, listen to the winds of change and suspend immediately all plans for the production, transport and burning of fossil fuels and invest in the development of solar energy and storage technologies.”
At the summit, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presented a plan for the construction of an artificial island that would serve as a wind energy hub, supplying half of Denmark’s electricity needs. She noted that the number of people employed in Denmark’s renewable energy industry is currently greater than the number of people working in the country’s fossil fuel industry.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said that by 2030, the clean energy market will hit $23 trillion and be a driving force for a new economy. Granholm noted that the United States has pledged to reduce the price of solar power by 50 percent by the end of the decade.
The discussions Friday focused on the remaining technological obstacles to reaching the emission-reduction goals. Nearly half of the required reduction in emissions – 45 percent – depends on technologies that do not yet exist and will require significant investment to develop.
Israel is a very minor player in the world emission balance. Still, it’s not clear how it will achieve its goals as long as the ministries dealing with the matter – the energy and environmental protection ministries – have different and sometimes contradictory positions.
On the one hand it plans to close the Haifa refineries, and on the other it is authorizing oil exploration at sea and is pushing for increased oil tanker activity in the ports of Eilat and Ashkelon.
Some of the government’s promises seem empty. The Energy Ministry has announced it will seek to ban the importing of cars with internal combustion engines from the end of the decade. But efforts have not been made for creating a market for electric cars at reasonable prices, and with an adequate charging network.
The world will have to find a balance between stoking the global economy after the pandemic and striving to ease the climate crisis.
The leaders of some 40 countries participated in the two-day summit that kicked off Thursday, laying the ground for the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.
Biden announced a new U.S. target to reduce emissions between 50 percent and 52 percent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. Japan and Canada also raised their targets.
In the run-up to Netanyahu’s speech Friday, it was unclear what goals Israel would announce. Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the energy and environmental protection ministries had issued any statements on the topic.
Reuters contributed to this report.
At Biden’s Climate Summit, Netanyahu Says Israel Will Stop Using Fossil Fuels by 2050 – Haaretz
Israel’s position has been unclear before the global summit, and some activists doubt the sincerity of the prime minister’s ambitious pledge to rely solely on renewable energy by 2050 and close coal-based power plants by 2025Zafrir RinatApr. 23, 2021 Send in e-mailSend in e-mail
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel will work to supply all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050, at a virtual summit convened by President Joe Biden to discuss the global climate crisis.
Biden called the meeting with dozens of heads of state to declare the United States back at the climate leadership table after his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the Paris agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The leaders of some 40 countries participated in the two-day summit that kicked off on Thursday, setting the ground for the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November.
The Democratic president announced a new U.S. target on Thursday to reduce its emissions 50-52 percent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. Japan and Canada also raised their targets.
Speaking at the virtual conference, Netanyahu also mentioned the Israeli government’s short-term goals, to close coal-based power plants by 2025 and ensure that by the end of the decade, about 30 percent of power production will come from renewable energy sources, mainly solar.
In the run up to Netanyahu’s speech on Friday, it was unclear what goals Israel would announce. Neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the energy and environmental protection ministries had issued any statements on the topic.
Several activists and environmental groups warned Netanyahu’s pledge was insincere, as Israel has failed to stand by some of its previous commitments on climate or pass binding legislation.
Prof. Ofira Ayalon who, together with Prof. Adi Wolfson, co-authored a policy proposal submitted to the premier ahead of the summit, said of Netanyahu’s speech that it “was not a real commitment,” adding that his failure to mention “climate legislation or carbon taxation indicate that it was an eloquent speech that does not bind Israel to anything.” Ayalon lamented that the speech did not “present a courageous vision capable of propelling not only the Israeli economy but also humanity towards a carbon-free future by exporting innovative technologies in the field of green and clean tech.”
The world has had its fill of climate conferences, but this summit is important because it illustrates the United States’ return to the process of dealing with the climate crisis. It was difficult to demand of states like Russia or Brazil to commit to the project while the United States showed no real interest in it during Trump’s presidency.
The summit is also important because of its potential influence on more ambitious goals to reduce hothouse gas emissions by the end of the decade. Numerous scientists say the next 10 years will be critical to prevent the earth’s warming by more than a degree and a half compared to the pre-industrial era, a fateful limit.
Some scientists doubt world leaders’ ability to bring about significant changes in the short term.
A report published at the beginning of the month at the U.S. Energy Department’s request follows the progress to achieve the goal of zero carbon emissions in energy production. The report says that 15 years ago experts estimated that in 2020, carbon emissions would reach 3 billion tons. But the actual emitted amount was half of that. This was mainly due to increased energy efficiency, shifting from coal to gas, continuing to use nuclear reactors and considerable growth of solar and wind electricity production.
Britain has already announced that by 2035 it will reduce carbon emissions by 78 percent compared to 1990. Both the European Union and United States pledged they would slash emissions by roughly 50 percent by the end of the decade, compared to 2015.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presented a plan for the construction of a new artificial island that will serve as a wind energy hub, supplying half of Denmark’s electricity needs. She also noted that the number of people employed in Denmark’s renewable energy industry is currently greater than the number of people engaged in the Denmark’s fossil fuel industry.
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said that by 2030, the clean energy market will hit $23 trillion and be a driving force for a new economy. Granholm noted that the U.S. has pledged to reduce the price of solar power by fifty percent until the end of the decade.
To keep these commitments, far-reaching changes will have to be made in methods of energy, food and industrial production. The countries will also have to forge an economic policy in pricing carbon and revoking subsidies for the oil and coal industries.
Achievable?
Israel is a very minor player in the world emission-balance. Still, it’s not clear how it will do so as long as the ministries dealing with the matter – the energy and environmental protection ministries – have different and sometimes contradictory positions.
Perhaps the differences between the ministries are the reason for the complete lack of transparency in the government’s activity regarding the climate crisis. The government hasn’t informed the public of the approach it will take in the leaders’ conference.
Netanyahu’s decision to close down the coal stations is an important achievement. But in all other areas, Israel is lagging far behind. It hasn’t achieved its goal of producing 10 percent of electricity with renewable energies in 2020, and it’s not clear it will be able to do so by the end of the decade, or how.
Netanyahu also said that Israel is investing large sums of money in companies that are developing technologies to improve solar energy storage capacity.
Netanyahu claimed that Israel has succeeded in increasing solar energy electricity production from two percent to ten percent, but this is not accurate. Israel has not yet reached the 10 percent mark – the Energy Ministry claims that this is due to delays resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and has promised that the goal will be achieved this year.
Netanyahu’s pledge that Israel would work to produce all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050 is much more optimistic than the 85 percent figure touted by the Energy Ministry.
The ministry clarified that even the 85 percent benchmark will be extremely difficult to achieve on account of Israel’s inability to utilize additional energy sources such as nuclear reactors, as well as the challenge of allocating adequate space for solar energy production. In December, Netanyahu had said that Israel would stop using fossil fuels by 2050, the target accepted by most countries in the West. However, he has not yet presented a plan of action or proposed legislation mandating that fossil fuels be phased out.
COVID and the climate
The contradictions in the government’s policy are a major problem. On one hand it plans to close the Haifa refineries, and on the other it authorizes marine oil exploration and pushes for increased oil tanker activity in the ports of Eilat and Ashkelon.
It appears that some of the government’s promises are empty. The Energy Ministry announces it will act to ban importing cars with an internal combustion motor from the end of the decade, but at the moment there is no economic or logistical preparation for creating a market for electric cars at an reasonable price, and with an adequate charging network.
An especially large threat looms over each country’s announced goal – the coronavirus crisis and how to get out of it. Many countries are already showing interest in economic revival packages that enable the polluting-energy industry to resume operations at full steam, as other industries renew activities that emit hothouse gases.
The world will have to find a balance between the desire to recover from the economic burden caused by the coronavirus and the necessity to avert the burden created by the climate crisis.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Saudi Arabia to join new ‘Net Zero Producers Forum’ on climate change – Al Arabiya
A campaign to afforest the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve in Saudi Arabia was launched, planting 100,000 trees in its first phase, in line with the Kingdom’s Green Initiative. (Supplied)
Reuters
Published: 24 April ,2021
Saudi Arabia will join the United States, Canada, Norway, and Qatar in forming a new platform for oil and gas producers to discuss how they can support the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, the state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, will be part of the new “Net Zero Producers Forum,” which will discuss ways to achieve net zero carbon emission targets to limit global warming.
A Ministry of Energy source said Saudi Arabia is committed to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said in the past the kingdom aims to reduce its carbon emissions by generating 50 percent of the country’s energy from renewables by 2030.
US President Joe Biden unveiled plans to cut emissions by 50 percent-52 percent from 2005 levels at the start of a two-day climate summit kicked off on Earth Day and attended virtually by leaders of 40 countries including big emitters China, India and Russia.
Saudi energy prowess here to stay as Kingdom turns attention to solar – Al Arabya
Sultan Althari Published: 22 April ,2021
Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest and most efficient exporter of oil – the fuel that has powered economies across the world into the modern era. Now, with oil gradually handing its share of the global energy mix to green energy, the Kingdom stands on the precipice of leading the next energy revolution.
The Kingdom remains one of the most important energy hubs in the world today, a role that Riyadh is poised to retain as Saudi leaders reinvent and transmute the country’s role at the helm of global energy in one era well into the next.
The transition of Saudi Arabia into a leader the realm of clean energy has been met with surprise by skeptics. What can an oil superpower possibly seek in advancing a rival technology?
The end of fossil fuels does not mean the end of nations that have thrived off them. In fact, the Kingdom is uniquely positioned to leverage its potential to reinvent its role as a global energy hub in the post-oil-era. The question instead is how and why the Kingdom is making this shift.
The answer lies in the country’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan. The plan aims to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil and prepare for post-hydrocarbon age while promoting a vibrant and ambitious society in the process. Vision 2030 explicitly emphasizes the centrality of clean energy to sustainable national development: An estimated 9.5 gigawatts of power is set to be generated wholly from renewable energy, as well as eight percent of installed capacity, and two percent of total 2030 energy demand. It is therefore clear that the Kingdom is looking far beyond merely managing the global energy transition, but instead plans to play a central role.
But how fast is that transition? And how soon will oil-exporting nations have to grapple with a low-carbon future? The answer depends on the nation in question. While acutely aware of its heightened responsibility in advancing the global fight against climate change, Riyadh has a ton to gain from the transition itself.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a report outlining the impact of global warming hitting 1.5 degrees Celsius. The report also projected that global demand for crude will plummet to a range of 11 million to 57 million barrels per day in 2050. Today, the Kingdom produces over 10 million daily barrels at the world’s lowest production cost of just $2.80 a barrel. In addition, the Kingdom also produces the world’s greenest barrel, with less methane leakage and lower life cycle emissions than any other oil-producing state. This means that Saudi Arabia will effectively outlast any other oil producer, with more efficient, cheaper, and environmentally-friendly crude.
That longevity will come with welcome byproducts: Increased geopolitical leverage and recognition of the pivotal role the Kingdom is set to play in the global energy transition. Saudi Arabia’s centrality to a successful fight against climate change is most clearly seen in the role the country plays in maintaining a stable price of oil, with prices set not too low that competition with alternative energy sources becomes unfeasible. The Kingdom has continually embraced this responsibility and will continue to do so deep into a low-carbon future.
The Kingdom has already launched a serial succession of clean energy projects to showcase its deep-seated commitment to fighting climate change, while effectively leveraging Saudi experience as a leading global oil producer to navigate the world’s transition to a low-carbon future.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman personally unveiled a number of those initiatives, signaling their importance and centrality to local and regional development. NEOM’s “THE LINE” – a 170-kilometer hyper connected smart-city powered by 100 percent renewable energy – as well as The Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives, are clear cases in hand. These two green initiatives alone aim to reduce regional carbon emissions by 60 percent and plant over 50 billion trees – the world’s largest afforestation project, eliminating more than 130 million tons of carbon emissions in the process.
Importantly, the Crown Prince also announced the opening of the Sakaka solar power plant, alongside seven new solar projects which together are projected to produce more than 3600 megawatts, simultaneously powering 600,000 homes while removing seven million tons of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The efficacy of these projects goes beyond local diversification efforts, and reflect a serious commitment to multilateralism and sustainable development.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest direct normal irradiation (DNI) resources in the world. Put simply, this means that very few places across the globe receive the intensity and consistency of sunlight that falls on the Kingdom. The Saudi Green Initiative sets the goal of deriving 50 percent of the country’s grid power from renewables by 2030 – an ambitious goal made possible by the Kingdom’s boundless solar potential. The recent bundle of solar projects are clear indications that the Kingdom is looking to harness and amplify the unmet potential of solar power, paving the Saudi path to renewable energy leadership while diversifying economically. So far, these projects are producing record-breaking results including the lowest cost of purchasing electricity from solar energy in the world.
Saudi energy prowess doesn’t end with oil, and while fossil fuels gradually hand their share of the global energy mix to cleaner energy, the Kingdom’s leadership in energy is set to persist and navigate that transition. At the intersection of economic diversification and ecological sustainability, the potential for Saudi Arabia to maintain its role as one of the world’s most important energy hubs in a low-carbon future is very real, and solidifies the modern, innovative mindset with which the Kingdom will face the future. With Riyadh’s trajectory today, it’s just a matter of time.
Israeli Ministries Compose Plan to Fight Climate Change Days Before U.S. Summit – Haaretz
Amid disagreements and lack of cooperation both ministries formulate a draft to radically reduce global warming only days before the Leaders Summit on Climate begins
Zafrir Rinat Apr. 19, 2021
The Environmental Protection Ministry and the National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Ministry put forward plans to drastically reduce greenhouse gases in Israel just days prior to a U.S. climate change summit.
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Ministry published a bill that would set an Israeli target of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. The bill, which was drafted in cooperation the Israel Union for Environmental Defense, would require the government to prepare an action plan to achieve this goal. However, the plan lacks important economic provisions due to disagreements with the Finance Ministry.
On Sunday amid lack of cooperation over the past several months, the National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Ministry presented its own plan. The plan calls for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from energy production by 2050.
Both drafts come only days before the Leaders Summit on Climate kicks off. The U.S. climate conference, which is due to start on April 22 and will last two days, aims “ to encourage the world’s major economies, and especially the original members of the Major Economies Forum on Climate and Energy, which together represent 80 percent of global emissions and 80 percent of global GDP, to enhance ambition to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.”
One of the speakers in the summit, which will be held over the internet and streamed live, will be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, who has received two conflicting drafts, will ultimately have to decide which to present.
The Environment Ministry’s draft is divided into stages. On the first stage, Israel should see a 27 percent reduction between 2015 and the end of the current decade. On the second stage, a national plan to reduce 85 percent of greenhouse gases by 2050 will be laid down. The plan should include new energy-saving standards as well as incentivize an efficient use of raw materials.
At this stage, however, the plan will not use carbon pricing – a widely agreed upon method to reduce global warming emissions – mainly because the Finance Ministry has yet to approve it. The ministry fears that such a move could potentially harm Israel’s economic growth and its tax revenues.
The bill relays on an extensive collaboration between different government offices, which could very well have opposing interests. For example, setting energy-efficiency standards for residential properties can raise construction prices and impede Israel’s efforts to solve the housing crisis.
This bill also defines six greenhouse gases, and if passed these would be the first legal definitions greenhouse gases. Among the definitions are carbon dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide.
If passed, the bill would extend the Environmental Protection Minister’s authority. For example, the minister could ask for the examination of infrastructure, transportation and construction plans’ effects on greenhouse gas emissions. The minister can then assess the impact such projects would have on climate change. In addition, it would be in the Environmental Protection Minister’s power to require public sector’s entities to draft a plan for climate change.
While the future of law is still not clear, Amit Bracha, the executive director of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense describes it as an important step. “Circulating the draft … starts the process,” he says. “This is the first time the government has formulated formal legislative policy of dealing with the climate crisis.”
Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel has called “on all the relevant government ministers to look bravely at reality and understand that we are in a time of emergency and support the climate law.” Gamliel was referring mostly to the Energy Ministry.
Over the past few months, the energy and environmental protection ministries have not been able to reach an agreement over the long-term goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Disagreements are expected to arise again with the current bills. From the use of natural gas to produce electricity to renewable energy sources, differences are to be found across the bill.
However, the Energy Ministry announced Sunday that, for the first time, it agrees in principle to purchase renewable energy from Jordan. Jordan has large stretches of land areas which can be used to build solar power plants.
U.S., UAE Pledge Joint Effort to Finance Decarbonization – Haaretz
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, who is leading efforts to get countries to step up commitments to cutting emissions, is also due to visit India, the world’s third biggest carbon emitter
Reuters Apr. 5, 2021
The United States and the United Arab Emirates will work together on coordinating finance to decarbonize the economy, focusing on areas including hydrogen, renewable energy and low carbon urban design, a joint statement said on Monday.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, who is leading efforts to get countries to step up commitments to cutting emissions, during a visit to UAE took part in a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) climate dialogue in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
“We will particularly focus our joint efforts on renewable energy, hydrogen, industrial decarbonization, carbon capture and storage, nature-based solutions, and low-carbon urban design,” a joint statement from the United States and the UAE carried on state news agency WAM said.
On Sunday, the climate dialogue concluded with another statement that was signed by Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan, the UAE and the United States pledging to accelerate climate action, mobilize investment in a new energy economy and help the world’s most vulnerable cope with climate change.
Kerry is also due to visit India, the world’s third biggest carbon emitter, to try to narrow differences on climate goals.
His efforts are ahead of a summit of 40 leaders on April 22-23 called by President Joe Biden and, later this year, world leaders gather for the United Nations climate summit to build on a 2015 Paris accord to limit global warming.
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/u-s-uae-pledge-joint-effort-to-finance-decarbonization-1.9683961