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the ministry of Environmental Protection submitted today Wednesday (31/12) to the Government the second Follow-up report for the preparation of preparedness plans for climate change in Government ministries, presenting an up-to-date status report as of December 2025. The report was prepared in accordance with Government Resolution 4079 (Hebrew) and Amendment to Resolution 1902 (Hebrew). The report examines the process of formulation and submission of the ministerial preparedness plans, their level of alignment with the Government guide, and the gaps remaining in the national preparedness for climate change.

Idit Silman, Minister of Environmental Protection: “Preparedness for climate change is a fundamental condition for the national resilience of the State of Israel. The follow-up report presents important progress in the work of the government ministries, but also emphasizes that acceleration is required in completing the plans, in deepening collaborations, and in translating the preparedness into policy, budgets, and implementation in the field. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will continue to promote the government effort for systemic, knowledge-based preparedness, for the sake of protecting the environment and future generations”.

It arises from the report that most of the ministries that submitted preparedness plans identified the areas of climate vulnerability relevant to them and began building measures to reduce risks and to cope with the effects of climate change in their areas of responsibility. However, the report points to high variance between the ministries in the level of maturity of the plans, in the detailing of schedules, in the definition of implementation and measurement mechanisms, and in the budgetary planning required for actual implementation.

The report includes professional reviews of the plans already submitted by the various government ministries, including the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Education, Energy and Infrastructure, Construction and Housing, Transport, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and additional government bodies. Alongside this, it is noted that a number of central ministries have not yet completed the formulation and submission of the preparedness plans, a fact that creates gaps in the overall national preparedness.

With the aim of presenting a cross-cutting status report of the preparedness of government ministries for climate change, a comparative analysis was performed in the report of all preparedness plans submitted so far, based on uniform professional criteria. The analysis shows that in most ministries, the responsibility for leading the plan was defined by a senior management factor or a cross-cutting headquarters body, usually in the fields of policy, planning, and strategy, which indicates the institutionalization of the process at the organizational level. It was further found that most of the plans were formulated in partial alignment with the methodology established in the government guide, while only a limited number of plans were written in a different format or without the possibility for evaluation. In the professional aspect, most ministries based themselves on local and global climate forecasts for the purpose of identifying risks and relevant effects, and only in a few plans was a detailed reference to the subject not included.

In the applied aspects, it was found that most ministries included a preliminary budgetary estimate for preparedness measures, although the level of detail and uniformity between the plans varies, and about a third of the plans did not include a budgetary reference. In addition, about two-thirds of the plans defined internal ministerial responsibility factors for promoting the measures, and most of them included collaborations with additional government ministries, to varying extents. On the other hand, only in a few of the plans did a detailing of schedules, performance indicators, and public participation procedures appear – a datum reflecting different stages of progress in the preparedness formulation process.

The report further emphasizes the need for strengthening inter-ministerial collaborations, deepening the budgetary detailing of preparedness measures, and assimilating clear mechanisms for implementation, control, and measurement as a basis for efficient and continuous government preparedness.

Concurrently, it is noted in the report that these days an update is being performed to the government guide for writing preparedness plans, which will include additional tools for supporting government ministries and will be adapted to the draft Climate Law which is in advancement proceedings.

The Second Follow-up Report is a central tool for examining the readiness of the Government of Israel to cope with climate change. The report emphasizes that alongside real progress in identifying risks and in the beginning of preparedness processes, continued focused effort is required to complete the plans, to strengthen inter-ministerial coordination, and to turn climate preparedness into applied, budgeted, and measurable policy. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will continue to lead and accompany the government ministries in the process with the aim of maintaining the readiness of the State of Israel for climate change.

By Pesach Benson • November 4, 2025

Jerusalem, 4 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — While rising temperatures and severe storms strain homeowners’ insurance worldwide, an Israeli study suggests the industry could go beyond reacting to these risks and play a leading role in combating climate change, Tel Aviv University announced on Tuesday.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, examined the expected impact of climate change-driven hurricanes on U.S. homeowners’ insurance profitability. The study was conducted by a joint team from Tel Aviv University, Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, and the University of Haifa, including PhD student Moran Nabriski and Prof. Colin Price of Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Ruslana Palatnik from the University of Haifa.

Insurance is a major economic force with a dual role. It manages risk, but it also acts as a long-term institutional investor with significant capital. The study argues that, because the sector fundamentally pools risk across the Economy, insurers could take a more active role in climate mitigation.

“Insurance is commonly viewed as a tool for transferring risk over time and across geographies, yet natural disasters occur in the same places at the same time,” said Nabriski. “As natural disasters intensify, the insurance industry should represent the Economy not only as a responder to a changing climate, but also as a leader in confronting it. Because insurance connects all sectors of the Economy, it can leverage that position into a coordinated effort with a meaningful impact on climate risk.”

Using a market-equilibrium model combined with projections of hurricane damage, the researchers estimated that U.S. homeowners’ insurers could see profitability decline by roughly 11%–100%, depending on the scenario. Such losses would also likely translate into higher premiums and reduced coverage, creating ripple effects across the housing market.

Rather than absorbing these losses passively, the study proposes channeling the expected erosion into emissions-reduction investments. The researchers suggest that this strategy would allow the insurance industry to pool resources across the Economy and amplify its impact, potentially exceeding the sector’s direct economic footprint.

The research provides a quantitative framework for evaluating future costs and demonstrates how insurers’ long-term capital could function as a climate-finance engine alongside traditional pricing and risk management.

“By linking projected losses to proactive mitigation, insurers can shift from being mere responders to natural disasters toward being active participants in shaping a more resilient economic future,” Price said.

Jerusalem, 18 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Health has worked in recent years to formulate a systematic plan for climate change preparedness. The plan was developed in collaboration with representatives of the health system, academia, government ministries, and public representatives.

The plan has seven axes of action, including: building organizational infrastructure in each organization, transitioning to a green health system with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, preparing for climate emergencies, nutritional adjustments, identifying and treating at-risk populations, monitoring and research, and outreach to the general public.

This week, the program gets underway: All organizations are required to appoint a climate manager who will be part of a network that will lead the change with the ministry. Representatives of the organizations will undergo dedicated leadership training that is being built with the Heschel Center for Sustainability and Ben-Gurion University and will provide tools for climate managers to promote the required change.

The Ministry of Health emphasizes that extreme climate change poses a very significant threat to public health. This threat is already being realized in the present – in extreme weather events, fires, droughts, and floods – and is expected to worsen and even cause increasing harm to human life, if actions are not taken to prevent it.

By Pesach Benson • July 8, 2025

Jerusalem, 8 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Extreme heat caused by climate change is cutting milk production…

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By Pesach Benson • May 26, 2025

Jerusalem, 26 May, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Climate change could dramatically decrease wind energy potential across the Middle East, Israeli and German scientists warned on Monday.

While surface winds are expected to increase in some coastal areas, wind speeds at the height where turbines operate are projected to decrease, creating new challenges for wind power development.

In 2024, wind supplied over 2,494 TWh of electricity, which was 8.1% of world electricity, according to Ember, a British-based research institute.

The research, led by Melissa Latt from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Dr. Assaf Hochman from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, used advanced climate models to predict summer wind patterns up to the year 2070. The study revealed important new details about how wind conditions will change at different heights — information that was not well understood before.

The study was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Climatic Change.

“We found that although surface winds may grow stronger by up to 0.7 meters per second near coasts, the wind speeds at 150 meters above the ground — the height of most wind turbines — are expected to fall by as much as one meter per second in many inland and Mediterranean areas,” said Hochmany. “This difference matters because turbines rely on winds at that height to generate electricity. Ignoring this vertical change could lead to wrong estimates of how much energy can be produced.”

Most modern wind turbines have a hub height — measured from the ground to the center of the rotor — of about 80 to 120 meters on land, and up to 150 meters offshore, where wind conditions are typically stronger and more consistent. Wind farms themselves can be located at various elevations above sea level, from coastal areas at sea level to inland plateaus and mountain ridges that reach over 1,500 meters.

However, what matters most for energy generation, is not just the location’s elevation but the wind speed at the turbine’s hub height. Because wind speeds generally increase with height, accurate forecasting at this level is critical for understanding a site’s true energy potential and planning effective wind infrastructure.

The researchers identified changes in the Persian Trough, a major summer weather system in the Middle East, as the main reason for these upper-level wind declines. This shift could reduce regional wind energy output by up to 7 gigajoules over six hours — a significant loss for energy planners who want to expand wind power.

Despite this overall decline at turbine height, the study highlights some regional exceptions. The Red Sea coast is expected to see increases in wind speeds, making it a promising area for future wind farms. However, other key areas such as the Syrian Desert, the Mediterranean coastline, and the Judean Mountains may experience notable drops in wind energy potential.

“The complex interaction of the region’s mountains, land-sea temperature differences, and atmospheric circulation patterns creates a unique wind system,” explained Latt, the study’s lead author. “Our research shows it’s critical for policymakers to include these detailed forecasts in their planning to avoid overestimating resources and to find the best locations for wind investments.”

Hochman added, “Wind power is a vital part of the Middle East’s move toward sustainable energy. Understanding how climate change will affect winds at turbine height is essential for making smart, long-term decisions about infrastructure and energy strategies.”

The study calls for more research using multiple climate models to better capture local wind changes, especially in areas with complicated geography. It also urges governments to focus on regions like the Red Sea coast, where wind energy potential is expected to remain strong despite climate shifts.

Understanding shifts in wind speeds at turbine height may also encourage innovation in turbine design to maintain efficiency under changing wind conditions.

Jerusalem, 18 May, 2025 (TPS-IL) — A new study revealed that the rate of watershed migration is not constant and depends on climate change. Israeli scientists found that the rate of watershed migration over the past 230,000 years was not constant, and that the rate was higher during periods when the climate was wetter than the extreme desert climate that currently characterizes the southern Negev.

The research was conducted by Dr. Elchanan Harel, under the supervision of Prof. Liran Goren from Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Eitan Shelf from the University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. On Karubi from the Geological Survey.

Elhanan traced the paleo locations of a drainage divide in the southern Negev Desert based on fieldwork of reg soils that developed on alluvial terraces. The work included relative dating of soil chronosequence and absolute dating using Luminescence techniques.
Elhanan found that the migration rate was not constant over the past ~230 thousand years. The rate was found to be higher during periods that were characterized by a wetter climate than the current hyper-arid climate of the southern Negev.
Additional researchers include Dr. Naomi Porat from the Geological Survey of Israel, Tianyue Qu from the University of Pittsburgh and Dr. Hanan Ginat from the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center.

The study was published in PNAS

And was covered in Ynet

Jerusalem, 18 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, Sunday, in his office in Jerusalem with the Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, paul atkins.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the meeting discussed the possibility of promoting a mechanism of mutual recognition in securities registration, similar to the Multi-Jurisdictional Disclosure System (MJDS) model used in the US, which allows for regulatory mutual reliance between securities authorities. This move is expected to make it easier for Israeli companies listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange to register for trading in the US as well, while reducing regulatory duplication, streamlining reporting procedures and increasing companies’ accessibility to international capital markets.

“This is significant news for the investing public, who will be able to trade securities traded on the US stock exchange easily and affordably, while gaining exposure to high-quality and valuable companies,” said the PMO. “The parties agreed that joint professional teams of securities authorities will meet to examine the feasibility of promoting the model and the regulatory adjustments required for its implementation between Israel and the US.”

“I’m excited to continue strengthening the partnership between Israel and the United States in supporting free and fair global financial markets,” Atkins recently stated about his visit to Israel.

Jerusalem, 8 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The following are the end of day exchange rates as set by the Bank of Israel Thursday, January 8, 2025:
(Units are given in the foreign currency and the rate is given in its value in Shekels)

Currency | Unit | Rate (NIS) | Daily Change (against the Shekel)
US Dollar | 1 | 3.1740 | ‎-0.031%
GB Pound | 1 | 4.2662 | ‎-0.402%
Japanese Yen | 100 | 2.0250 | ‎-0.163%
Euro | 1 | 3.7051 | -0.143%
AUS Dollar | 1 | 2.1261 | ‎-0.529%
Can Dollar | 1 | 2.2892 | ‎-0.422%
DAN Krone | 1 | 0.4958 | ‎-0.141%
NOR Krone | 1 | 0.3142 | ‎-0.475%
SA Rand | 1 | 0.1923 | ‎-0.414%
SWD Krona | 1 | 0.3443 | ‎-0.405%
SWS Franc | 1 | 3.9787 | ‎-0.236%