{"id":3507,"date":"2020-11-02T08:18:20","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T08:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=3507"},"modified":"2020-11-03T13:18:02","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T13:18:02","slug":"israels-cities-are-not-ready-for-the-climate-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/weather-climate\/israels-cities-are-not-ready-for-the-climate-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel&#8217;s cities are not ready for the climate crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Israeli cities and climate change\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2J6JakMMewc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The agonizing heatwave that caused September 2020 to become the <a href=\"https:\/\/ims.gov.il\/en\/node\/1665\">hottest\nSeptember on record<\/a> once again made it\nblatantly clear that extreme climate events already have a palpable impact on\npublic life. Unfortunately, events like heatwaves, fires, droughts, and floods\nare expected to become more frequent and severe in the coming years due to the\nintensifying climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if that failed to bring home the message, a new study presented at\nthe <a href=\"https:\/\/conference.isees.org.il\/\">Annual Conference for Science and the Environment 2020<\/a>, on October 13-12, might do the job. The study found\nthat the city of Haifa in northern Israel is insufficiently prepared to deal\nwith the climate crisis and that awareness of the issue among decision-makers\nand residents is disconcertingly low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In Israel, there is a visible increase in fires and floods caused by higher temperatures and extreme rainfall events &#8211; which can claim lives, as we saw last year,&#8221; says Dr. Maya Negev of the Haifa University School of Public Health, a member of the research team of the new study. &#8220;We expect temperatures to keep rising, which will entail longer, more powerful, and more frequent heatwaves. Such heatwaves are very dangerous to public health and can cause heat-induced strokes,&#8221; Negev stresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Negev, there is a connection between heatwaves and a rise\nin morbidity and mortality. &#8220;In a previous&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0013935120305715\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a>, we found that heatwaves increased the risk of\nsuffering a stroke by 10 percent and were also linked to heart diseases,&#8221;\nshe says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;However, the willingness to take immediate action to combat the climate crisis in Israel is very small, both at the local and the national level,&#8221; says Negev. &#8220;It seems that this is not yet perceived as a significant problem that needs to be addressed.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/aviv-ben-or-I51MVFwOQPA-unsplash-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/aviv-ben-or-I51MVFwOQPA-unsplash-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/aviv-ben-or-I51MVFwOQPA-unsplash-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/aviv-ben-or-I51MVFwOQPA-unsplash-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/aviv-ben-or-I51MVFwOQPA-unsplash-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/aviv-ben-or-I51MVFwOQPA-unsplash-2048x1150.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>September 2020 was the hottest September on record in Israel. Photo by&nbsp;Aviv Ben Or&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Residents are vulnerable in sensitive areas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from Negev, the research team included Prof. Shlomit Paz, Dr. Motti Zohar, Dr. Hani Nouman, and Tamar Zohar from the University of Haifa, as well as Prof. Hagai Levine from the Hadassah Medical Center of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. &#8220;We chose to focus on the municipal level because cities have many potential measures they can implement in order to prepare for the climate crisis,&#8221; says Negev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The city of Haifa was selected for the study due to its climatic,\ngeographic, and social susceptibility. Haifa stretches across different\nelevation levels, from the low-lying Mediterranean shoreline into mountainous\nwooded terrain, which increases its vulnerability to extreme weather events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers mapped the areas and the concentrations of at-risk\npopulations that are more susceptible to extreme weather. According to the\nstudy, the Carmel area, located adjacent to a wooded area at a higher level, is\nmore vulnerable to fires than the rest of the city. In the low-lying areas of\nHaifa \u2013 for instance, in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood &#8211; there is a higher risk\nof heatwaves as well as floods during intense rain events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the study, most of the sensitive population lives in those low-lying areas. The city is home to various vulnerable groups, including the elderly and residents of the lower socioeconomic strata (who may have difficulty financing air conditioning during heatwaves, for example).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rade-saptovic-aOTWuZN9eoc-unsplash-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rade-saptovic-aOTWuZN9eoc-unsplash-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rade-saptovic-aOTWuZN9eoc-unsplash-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rade-saptovic-aOTWuZN9eoc-unsplash-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rade-saptovic-aOTWuZN9eoc-unsplash-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/rade-saptovic-aOTWuZN9eoc-unsplash-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Haifa stretches across different elevation levels, from the low-lying Mediterranean shoreline into mountainous wooded terrain, which increases its vulnerability to extreme weather events. Photo by&nbsp;Alex Ringer&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>&#8220;It will not happen in my generation&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from their mapping efforts, the researchers also conducted 30 in-depth\ninterviews with senior health and welfare officials in the city (including\nhospital administrators)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>in order to evaluate their level of awareness and preparedness\nconcerning the risks presented by climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study has found that Haifa may be well-prepared for war and fires,\nbut when it comes to extreme weather events, the situation looks rather grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We have seen very clearly that there is no significant awareness\nof the climate crisis as a threat that needs to be addressed, neither in the\nhealth care system nor in the welfare system,&#8221; says Negev. &#8220;Hospital\nadministrators and city officials told us they had heard of heatwaves in\nEurope, but they do not think it is something that can happen nowadays in\nHaifa, so they are not preparing for it. For example, a senior in the welfare\ndepartment told us: &#8220;I doubt this will happen in my generation.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This mindset is not surprising, though. In most local governments\nof the country and even in the central government, there is a substantial lack\nof appreciation of the urgency of the risk, and that it has to be dealt with\nhere and now,&#8221; stresses Negev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;One of the directors of the hospitals in Haifa said in an\ninterview with us that this is the first time someone raised the issue of\npreparing for the climate crisis. Apparently, neither the Ministry of Health\nnor the federal government instructed the municipalities to prepare for the\nclimate crisis and also do not allocate any budget for it,&#8221; she adds. In\naddition, the researchers conducted a survey of 550 city residents. Respondents\nwere asked to rate various threats according to the extent they believe they\nwill affect them personally. Apart from fires, which were ranked in the fourth\nplace, the other four climate-related risks that the participants were asked\nabout (extreme heatwaves, floods, the climate crisis in general, and droughts)\nranked far lower than that. The majority of the people were more concerned with\nthe economic situation, political corruption, earthquakes, violence and crime rate,\nsocial inequality, and disputes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonetheless, several cities in Israel have begun to prepare for the\nclimate crisis, most notably Tel Aviv, which recently presented a climate\nadaptation plan. However, most local authorities have little or no involvement\nin the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In many countries around the world, local governments have taken\nthe lead in the preparations for the climate crisis, but local governments in\nIsrael are trailing far behind,&#8221; says Negev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are various steps that municipalities can take in order to prepare\nfor the climate crisis and reduce its effects. &#8220;One very important\n(heat-reducing) measure in cities is planting trees, and this must be done\ntoday so that in 10 years, there will be sufficient shade,&#8221; emphasizes\nNegev. Other measures include investing in sustainable buildings that utilize\nthe sun and wind for temperature regulation, implementing artificial shading in\npublic spaces, and retrofitting public buildings and transportation systems to\nwithstand warmer temperatures and extreme weather events. &#8220;There are many\nthings that can be done to adapt our cities to the climate that will prevail in\nIsrael in 2030 and 2040. But the time to prepare is now,&#8221; she concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Haifa Municipality has chosen not to comment on the report or the article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/opinion\/are-israels-cities-ready-for-the-climate-crisis-647592\">The Jerusalem Post<\/a>&nbsp;on 11\/01\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The agonizing heatwave that caused September 2020 to become the hottest September on record once again made it blatantly clear &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9,8],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1604409482:11"],"_thumbnail_id":["3526"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["A new Israeli study conducted in Haifa found that the city is not sufficiently prepared to deal with the effects of the climate crisis. Additionally, the lack of awareness among local decision-makers and city residents was found to be alarming"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_oembed_e35aa3b0f754f71508a1b61856fbc090":["<iframe title=\"Israeli cities and climate change\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2J6JakMMewc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_e35aa3b0f754f71508a1b61856fbc090":["1604305100"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3507"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3550,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3507\/revisions\/3550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}