Isaac Herzog: Israel at risk of major natural disasters this summer
April 6, 2025
President Isaac Herzog and State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman emphasized that the climate crisis would become worse in Israel during a Climate Forum meeting on Thursday.
At the meeting, the two emphasized that Israel could feel the effects of global warming more than usual this coming summer.
“I’ve been warning repeatedly that the coming summer could be a summer of massive natural disasters, as annual rainfall in most areas has not surpassed 50%. Yesterday, I was in Tiberias, and for the first time in 100 years, the Sea of Galilee declined during the winter — an inconceivable event,” Herzog said.
Herzog went on to say that as the climate crisis worsened, Israelis would face more and more environmental difficulties.
“This is exactly the problem I’m trying to explain to the citizens of Israel: in the end, this affects them. Elected officials must understand that this affects them and their children. The world is undergoing major ecological shifts,” he said.
Executives meet for a Climate Forum meeting at the President’s Residence on April 3, 2025. (credit: Office of the State Comptroller)
Israel and climate change
Englman added that Israelis are already feeling the effects of climate change in their local communities.
“Some effects of climate change are already being felt — manifesting in massive wildfires, extreme heatwaves, torrential rains and storms, flooding, droughts, and more — all causing loss of life and property, such as the extreme weather we’re experiencing in Israel and the recent fire in Los Angeles,” Englman told the Climate Forum.
He added that Israel will face harsher effects of climate change because of the country’s proximity to the eqator.
“As a country located in a hotspot region, the climate changes Israel is expected to face due to global warming will be more intense than the global average and may have serious implications for its economic, social, and security resilience,” the state comptroller said.
“We will conduct an additional follow-up report — the third one — on the climate crisis. For the first time, we will examine how local authorities are handling the issue.”
The two emphasized that while Israel has made some steps towards its climate goals, there is still a long way to go to limit the worst effects of global warming.
“The 2024 follow-up audit report once again revealed a troubling picture: although some bodies addressed shortcomings, most of the deficiencies were not addressed at all or only partially,” he said, adding that the government’s response to the climate crisis “suffers from several fundamental weaknesses.”
The state comptroller then announced that his office would conduct a third report into the government’s handling of the climate crisis.
“This is a crisis, and national preparedness is a key component of the national strategy to strengthen public resilience and system-wide readiness for high-risk crises,” Engelman said.
