GLASGOW – Israel’s industry is ready and able to lead the country to net zero carbon emissions, but bureaucracy, high taxes and lack of infrastructure are being held back by the head of the Association of Manufacturers of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Industries Is. Israel (MAI) told The Times of Israel on the sidelines of the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
Nir Kantor led a 15-strong delegation to Confab which included Israel Chemicals Ltd., Bazhan Group Oil Refining and Petrochemicals Group, Adama (which produces agrochemicals), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Brenmiller Energy (which provides energy storage) representatives are included. UBQ (which converts waste into thermoplastic), and Circular Economy IL.
ICL and Bazan Group are both owned by Israel Corporation, the country’s largest holding company, whose activities include chemicals, fertilizers and shipping – the three main sources of pollution and emissions.
Speaking as a representative of MAI, which has set a target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Kantor said it was part of the DNA of the business to look ahead and identify trends.
Big construction companies understand the climate crisis, and even feel it in their factories — extreme heat or cold interfere with all kinds of processes, he said.
Nir Kantor, head of the Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Industries Association of the Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI). (courtesy)
“The industry is continuously working to reduce its emissions and carbon footprint,” Kantor continued.
But, he said, the companies hit a brick wall when they tried to move forward.
One example was the lengthy negotiations that companies had to have with the Israel Land Authority to proceed with the construction of solar fields.
with him lack of space on the electricity gridBusinesses should be fast-tracked for connections, “like VIP service being offered on a plane,” he insisted. “If a company wants to build a solar field, the government should help.”
Another example was transportation, Kantor said. It is more expensive for companies to buy electric cars because there is no tax benefit on their purchases, a situation he described as “absurd” and a deterrent for smaller companies.
Sharon Madel-Artzi, founder and managing director of Circular Economy IL, said that she had told Energy Minister Karine Elhrer at a conference event that, while everyone else needed to provide more money to help the government prepare for climate change, Speaks about, the first step would be to stop taking in so much money in taxation.
Kantor complained about the burden of Israel’s regulations. “Companies are willing to spend a lot of money to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but in many cases, they can’t move forward because of bureaucracy,” he said.
The government has, in fact, included a program to reduce excessive regulation in the Economic Order Bill that accompanies the budget passed by the Knesset.
MAI did not oppose carbon taxation, which the government is planning to introduce, Kantor insisted. But he said it was important not to undermine Israeli firms by taxing them, as well as continue to allow imports of cheap goods from polluting countries abroad – where there is no such taxation. Citing China and Turkey as examples, he said, today the government is their number one customer in Israel, buying everything from health to infrastructure products.
Kantor urged the government to channel the proceeds of carbon taxes into incentives to reduce global warming gases and to invest in climate technology research and development.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett delivers a speech on stage during a meeting at the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 1, 2021. (Him Zach / GPO)
“Many businesses decided to go net-zero by 2050 before Bennett arrived,” Kantor said, referring to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Announcement That’s the path Israel will take just before climate confab. “The industry moves forward, it doesn’t wait, and it doesn’t get dragged forward,” he said. “It is from business that climate solutions will come.”
He said it is important for the government to improve coordination among all bodies, including businesses, to ensure a coordinated approach to climate change.
