UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT

UNESCO SCIENCE REPORT
Parkinson’s disease. This means that the drug may be used
alone, or in combination with other drugs, to treat Parkinson’s
disease.
Sustainability more visible in STI policy
In recent years, sustainability and environmental
considerations have been increasingly taken into account
in the formulation of general STI policies. Both internal
and external forces are responsible for this trend. Among
key internal drivers are the shortage of available land for
development and the need for problem-solving to cope
with population 9 growth. Among the external drivers are
international and regional environmental agreements signed
by Israel, such as the Kyoto Protocol to reign in climate change
(1997) and the Barcelona Convention for Protection against
Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (1976), which set new
environmental standards and benchmarks (Golovaty, 2006;
UNESCO, forthcoming). It is the Ministry of Environmental
Protection which is responsible for formulating an integrated
nationwide policy to protect the environment.
Sustainability and environmental policies are being promoted
through various legislative tools, including the Green Growth
Act (2009) and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act
(2010), as well as through economic and R&D incentives.
The government is targeting both the public and private
sectors, with a focus on mitigating environmental hazards and
maximizing efficiency by developing novel technologies in
9. Since peaking at 2.5% in 2007 after a wave of immigration, the annual
population growth rate has dropped to a more sustainable rate of 1.1% (2014).
such fields as renewable energy or water treatment. A scheme
has been initiated jointly by the Water Authority and the
Ministry of Economics to match the investment cost of applying
innovative water technologies; the government contributes
70%, the entrepreneur 15% and the local water utility a further
15%. Israel has one of the world’s greatest capacities for
desalination and the highest rate of water recycling. It has also
developed a wide range of water-efficient technologies for
agriculture. Some 85% of Israeli households use solar energy
to heat water, equal to 4% of Israel’s energy capacity. In 2014,
Israel topped the rankings of the Global Cleantech Innovation
Index, with 300 domestic companies active in this sector. In
parallel, Israel is developing a non-renewable source of energy,
natural gas, to ensure greater energy independence (Box 16.3).
Targets for more sustainable development
Since 2008, the government has fixed a number of quantifiable
targets for the country’s sustainable development:
n a 20% reduction in electricity consumption by 2020
(government decision of September 2008);
n 10% of electricity to be generated from renewable sources
by 2020, including a 5% milestone in 2014, which has not
been met (government decision of January 2009);
n a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 over
and above the target to 2020 for the ‘business as usual’
scenario (government decision of November 2010);
n A national plan for green growth is to be established
covering the period 2012–2020 (government decision of
October 2011).
Box 16.3: Natural gas: a chance to develop technologies and markets
Since 1999, large reserves of natural gas
have been discovered off Israel’s coast.
This fossil fuel has become the primary
fuel for electricity generation in Israel
and is gradually replacing oil and coal.
In 2010, 37% of electricity in Israel was
generated from natural gas, leading
to savings of US$ 1.4 billion for the
economy. In 2015, this rate is expected
to surpass 55%.
In addition, the usage of natural gas in
industry – both as a source of energy
and as a raw material – is rapidly
expanding, alongside the requisite
infrastructure. This is giving companies
a competitive advantage by reducing
their energy costs and lowering
national emissions.
Since early 2013, almost the entire natural gas
consumption of Israel has been supplied by
the Tamar field, an Israeli–American private
partnership. The estimated reserves amount
to about 1 000 BCM, securing Israel’s energy
needs for many decades to come and
making Israel a potentially major regional
exporter of natural gas. In 2014, initial export
agreements were signed with the Palestinian
Authority, Jordan and Egypt; there are also
plans to export natural gas to Turkey and the
EU via Greece.
In 2011, the government asked the Academy
of Sciences and Humanities to convene a
panel of experts to consider the full range of
implications of the most recent discoveries
of natural gas. The panel recommended
encouraging research into fossil fuels, training
engineers and focusing research efforts
on the impact of gas production on the
Mediterranean Sea’s ecosystem. The
Mediterranean Sea Research Centre of
Israel was established in 2012 with an
initial budget of NIS 70 million; new study
programmes have since been launched
at the centre to train engineers and other
professionals for the oil and gas industry.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Chief
Scientist, among others, plans to use
Israel’s fledgling natural gas industry as
a stepping stone to building capacity
in advanced technology and opening
up opportunities for Israeli innovation
targeting the global oil and gas markets.
Source: IEC (2014); EIA (2013)
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