Israel seems an exemplary place to learn lessons about environmental issues and policies — at least as Daniel E. Orenstein describes it.
Orenstein is senior lecturer at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, a faculty member at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, an activist with the Green Zionist Alliance, and co-editor of the book “Between Ruin and Restoration: Essays in Israeli Environmental History.”
He spoke March 27 at Congregation Sinai to an audience of about 50 on “Sustainability Challenges: Lessons from Israel.”
Israel is a tiny country many of whose borders are still under dispute. Therefore, a “feeling of impermanence” exists that is “very important when we talk about how making environmental policy takes place,” he said.
In addition, Israel within its small area is “rich in biodiversity,” Orenstein said. It has a “steep rainfall gradient” in which some parts of the country receive 800 millimeters of rain per year, while others receive 25 or less.
That means it has a “fast transition from green to desert” that gives rise to many different kinds of animals and plants, he said.
Moreover, Israel is located “at the junction of Africa, Asia, and Europe,” making it one of the best flyways for migrating birds. Orenstein said that some two billion birds fly over the area every spring and autumn.
Finally, “we’ve had people on the land for more than 10,000 years,” doing intensive herding and farming, Orenstein said. Therefore, “the animal and plant communities have had time to adapt and evolve in the presence of human activity,” he said.
For the rest of this article, see the May issue.
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