Twelfth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

In 2008, the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) approved The Clean Air Law. The law brings Israel’s historically fragmented air quality protection within a single, coherent administered framework. The Clean Air Law is the most important and influential environmental legislation in Israel for monitoring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Under this law, a request has been made for the approval of a class action against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) - The State of Israel, which deals with emissions of greenhouse gases from large forest fires in nature reserves, due to military training activities. As part of its regular activity, IDF has camps and training areas in various locations throughout the country. During the army’s training, there is a built-in risk of creating forest fires. Over the years, a number of major fires have occurred that have destroyed some large nature reserves in Israel, which are the result of IDF training and routine activities. The main claim in said class action is that these fires, caused by IDF’s negligence in preventing fire and refraining from proper steps to extinguish it during its training and routine activities, resulted in emissions of greenhouse gases and damage to the entire population.