United States climate envoy John Kerry has said that Israel could play a key role in regional efforts to combat climate change.
Kerry made this known on Wednesday, while also praising the country’s “remarkable capacity for innovation.”
According to him, “Israel could be extraordinarily helpful in assisting other countries in the region” with developing “environmentally sustainable agricultural practices”.
The former Obama administration secretary of state also cited Israel’s standing as a “technology powerhouse,” noting a recent deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates and the United States in which Jordan and Israel agreed to exchange desalinated water and renewable solar energy.
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“So I think Israel could play a key role here and what we need to do here is raise the ambition of every country in the region to reduce their emissions,” he said.
He declared that the world only has a decade to head off the worst effects of climate change but that the crisis can be solved with sufficient political will.
He noted that while “powerful interests” such as the gas, oil and coal industries have stood in the way of change, it is human nature to prefer the status quo, “hunker down, ignore reality and not allow facts to affect decision-making.
Story was adapted from Haaretz.
