Environment

Yashar! for the Environment

• •The Yashar! party believes the environment is part of Israel's infrastructure of existence, and that protecting it is not only a value in itself but also part of our national security. Protecting the environment is an integral part of our commitment to the land, to quality of life and to the future generations who are entitled to enjoy it and its landscapes.
• •The Yashar! party looks ahead and sees a state prepared for the climate crisis and the challenges it will bring - while meeting the energy, water and food needs of Israel's citizens and keeping the environment clean.

The environment as a national existential infrastructure and a Zionist value

• •The water sources, the sea, habitats and ecosystems are all critical components for the proper functioning of the state and for the supply of water and food. Protecting the environment is an expression of our commitment to the Land of Israel and to love of the homeland

Environmental protection is good governance

• •Environmental enforcement and implementation of government decisions and environmental policies that were set and approved are part of realizing good governance. We will not accept environmental crime, which harms the health of Israel's citizens and endangers natural resources, open spaces and animals

Renewable energy

• •We will ensure energy independence, based among other things on advancing renewable energy. The existing renewable energy targets are too low and require an update that will encourage diversity in the energy source mix. We will set new and more advanced targets as part of an infrastructure master plan, which will include removing barriers, incentives, promoting energy efficiency and developing microgrids - regional, independent and smart electricity networks. In this way we will ensure a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, functional continuity of the electricity sector even in an emergency, and overall streamlining of the electricity sector.

Protecting the marine environment

• •We will strengthen the protection of the marine environment, recognizing the importance of the sea as a national resource. We will advance the National Contingency Plan law (Tal'at) and ensure readiness for pollution events at sea, strengthen enforcement against polluters at sea and on beaches, and work to reduce pollution risks in the Gulf of Eilat.

Water resilience

• •We will advance a plan for the resilience of the Israeli water sector, with the aim of ensuring a continuous supply of clean water in routine and in emergencies. As part of the plan we will integrate environmental considerations into the management of the water sector, advance the rehabilitation of the inland water sources (aquifer and wells) that today suffer from pollution and are losing their ability to support water needs, advance the use of runoff water and remove regulatory barriers that prevent the use of greywater.

An end to the waste failure

• •We will end the ongoing failure in waste treatment, which was neglected, became a source of air and soil pollution and contributed to crime. We will advance a framework law to regulate the waste sector, under which we will examine establishing an independent and professional Waste Authority, which will operate in accordance with the principles accepted in other infrastructure authorities, on professional considerations, and will ensure that waste is no longer a source of pollution but an energy resource, while maintaining environmental principles and economic viability. Alongside this, we will expand enforcement against the burning of pirate waste in Judea and Samaria and throughout the country.
• •We will work to restore the tax on single-use plastic products, as part of a broader move to reduce direct taxes and raise taxes on products with clearly negative effects.

Rehabilitating contaminated land

• •We will advance comprehensive and up-to-date legislation for rehabilitating contaminated land. Soil contamination is not only a threat to the environment and public health but also a barrier to rezoning land for residential construction, commerce and employment and for economic development, and today there is no proper legal infrastructure for dealing with this issue. As part of this, we will create mechanisms for rehabilitating contaminated land based on the "polluter pays" principle, set binding standards for mapping and cleanup, and establish a fast financial mechanism for rehabilitating historic land.

Protecting biodiversity

• •We will work to protect biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems from the various risk factors, recognizing their environmental importance and their necessity for agriculture. As part of this, we will advance legislative amendments that will recognize the need to protect biodiversity alongside the existing protection of agriculture and will create the legal tools needed to deal with invasive species, which in an era of climate crisis pose a danger of spreading disease and harming people. We will define the Ministry of Environmental Protection as the body coordinating the handling of invasive species and make it a clear address for leading policy, inter-ministerial coordination and ongoing monitoring on the issue, and we will set periodic reporting mechanisms to the Knesset Interior and Environment Committee, which will require all relevant parties to update on their activity on the issue. In addition, we will work to regulate the issue of poisonings with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Nature and Parks Authority, in order to reduce harm to wildlife and vultures.

Protecting animals

• •We will strengthen the protection of animals, out of an understanding that the welfare and health of animals is a human interest. As part of this, we will carry out staff work and advance legislation to improve animal welfare, which will advance preventing disease among wild and community animals (with emphasis on the rabies epidemic that is spreading at this time), reducing the stray dog population, spaying and neutering of community cats, increased supervision and enforcement against animal abuse, and improving the condition of farm animals. We will advance a reduction in live shipments out of an aspiration to reduce animal suffering, strengthen local breeding and work to remove barriers to importing chilled kosher meat from abroad. Alongside these steps, we will advance an envelope of adaptation, funding and protection for the agriculture sector and those who work in it.

Preserving the Dead Sea as a national asset

• •We will lead a tender for a new concession, which will address the environmental needs and the effects of industry on the Dead Sea as an ecosystem, as well as the employment and tourism related to it. As part of this, we will advance the concessionaire's responsibility for the necessary rehabilitation actions (in accordance with the "polluter pays" principle), and examine establishing a dedicated fund that will use state revenue from royalties to prepare for the "day after" and to develop tourism and employment around the Dead Sea in the long term.

A proper and advanced climate law

• •We will lead legislation of a climate law, which is a national and environmental necessity as part of the fight against the climate crisis. As part of advancing the law, we will complete the staff work of government ministries on preparing adaptation plans, and accordingly set ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, which will be achievable and higher than the existing targets.

Evacuating Haifa Bay

• •We will insist on implementing the government decisions that were made on rehabilitating areas and the environment, and in particular the binding government plan to evacuate the petrochemical industry from Haifa Bay. We will work to meet the set timetables and will strengthen the directorate operating on the issue in the Prime Minister's Office for this purpose. Evacuating the area will be done subject to rehabilitating and developing the land, which will contribute to economic momentum in the region, while taking into account security considerations, the state's needs and environmental and employment issues. Alongside this, we will ensure functional continuity, redundancy and emergency readiness.