Israel
Introduction
Israel joined the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) in 2018 and serves on the Biogas and Oil & Gas Subcommittees.
Israel has a national climate framework to support its efforts to achieve ambitious emissions climate action goals, including measures to address methane emissions. These measures are focused on the waste sector, the highest contributor to Israel’s methane emissions, and include efforts to expand monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) activities, improve methane capture at waste processing sites, and utilization of biogas as an energy source. Beyond a strong national climate strategy to mitigate methane emissions, Israel is an active participant in multiple international collaborations to achieve global climate targets.
Israel is currently active on the Biogas Subcommittee and the Oil & Gas Subcommittee.
- Introduction
- Methane Emissions Summary
- Methane Commitments and Plans
- Methane Actions
- Ministries and Agencies Supporting Methane Actions
- GMI Delegates
Last Updated: October 2024
Methane Emissions Summary
In 2020, methane emissions accounted for 10% of Israel’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The total methane emissions in 2020 represent a 90% increase in methane emissions compared to 2000. The largest increase in methane emissions is in the solid waste disposal on land sector, which continues to be the main source of Israel’s methane emissions. Solid waste disposal on land accounted for 77% of all methane emissions in 2020.
Methane Emissions Trend by Source, 1996-2022
Source: Source: State of Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, Israel’s Second Biennial Update Report, February 2023: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/2nd%20Biennial%20Update%20Report%202021%20final.pdf
Methane Commitments and Plans
Methane mitigation efforts in Israel are guided by national and international commitments and plans. Israel also engages in partnerships dedicated to addressing methane.
National
- Israel's Second Biennial Update Report, submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2023, documents trends in methane emissions and summarizes methane emissions mitigation efforts. The report commits to improve landfill gas collection and utilization so that by 2030, methane collection at landfills will capture no less than 50% of the total methane produced at the landfill sites.
- Israel’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs), submitted in July 2021, supports the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 27% by 2030 and by 85% by 2050 and cites the sealing of active landfills and installation of methane collection systems to reduce methane production at landfills.
- The National Action Plan on Climate Change, 2022-2026 features 100 cross-sector measures to support mitigation and adaptation actions in Israel, including a targeted 12% reduction in source emissions from municipal waste by 2030.
International
- Israel joined the European Union to launch the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) in 2021 at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP26), committing to reducing global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
- In 2012, Israel became a partner of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), supporting activities to reduce methane and other short-lived climate pollutants.
Methane Actions
The following highlights a sampling of actions taken by Israel to address methane, organized by GMI sector.
Biogas Sector
- The Israel Ministry of Defense launched a pilot program on military bases to convert organic waste into biogas. (2023)
Coal Sector
- Government Decision No 465 formalized Israel’s commitment to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2026, and established goals for increasing the renewable energy share. (October 2020)
Cross Sector
- The National Waste Strategy, published in February 2021, addresses abatement measures in the treatment of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), including installation of methane collection and utilization systems at landfills. (2021)
Ministries and Agencies Supporting Methane Actions
Explore the following websites to learn more about the government ministries addressing greenhouse gas emissions, including methane-specific programs, in Israel.
GMI Delegates
| Committee/Subcommittee | Delegate Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Biogas Subcommittee | Jenia Gutman | Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection |
| Oil & Gas Subcommittee | Ilan Nissim | Israel Ministry of Energy |