Israel approves plan to slash carbon emissions by 2050
Israel's government has unanimously approved a plan to drastically reduce carbon emissions by 2050. (Photo: AFP/Jack Guez)
JERUSALEM: Israel's government on Sunday (Jul 25) unanimously approved a plan to drastically reduce carbon emissions by 2050, a move hailed as "a historic moment" as Israel ramps up efforts to tackle climate change.
The measures, initially released on Friday, call for reducing carbon emissions by at least 85 per cent by 2050 compared with 2015 levels, with an intermediary target of 27 per cent by 2030.
It includes targets for a 96 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in transportation, 85 per cent in the electricity sector and 92 per cent in municipal waste.
After Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's cabinet approved the measures at a meeting on Sunday, Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg hailed "a historic moment for health, the environment and future generations".
Bennett called it "a precedent-setting decision that will gradually shift the State of Israel to a low-carbon economy".
Israel signed the 2015 Paris climate accord, pledging to keep its carbon emissions stable until 2030.
