Author
Rakefet Shafran-Natan
Senior Researcher
War, aside from its immediate and direct adverse impact on the population, holds potential harm through changes in environmental regulation and enforcement, damage to essential infrastructure and food production, as well as harm to the natural environment. A study by the Taub Center examines the consequences of war in a variety of areas and finds that Israel’s residents may be exposed to environmental dangers like oil spills, damage to fuel storage units and electricity and water infrastructures, as well as the emission of toxic materials into the air. The authors, Maya Sadeh and Dr. Rakefet Shafran-Nathan, note that in order to limit these dangers and their potential public health impacts and in the interests of the community resilience of the population in the Gaza border area, it is important to strengthen the agencies that protect the environment, to advance legislative activities, and to reinforce regulation and enforcement. This study was conducted under the auspices of the Research and Policy Initiative on Environment and Health which is generously supported by Yad Hanadiv.
Supply of clean water
As the reliance on desalinated water grows, water supplies from wells and the pumping of groundwater has been neglected. Currently, there are about 500 wells which are not in use due to pollution and they have not been rehabilitated. In an emergency, when water desalination may not be possible, the pumping of groundwater becomes critically important, and, therefore, polluted wells should be rehabilitated. It is important to note that the desalination process is highly energy-intensive. With the outbreak of the War on October 7, there was concern about a shortage of chlorine to purify drinking water.
Storage of fuel and hazardous materials
In Israel, there are thousands of storage units for fuel and hazardous materials, many of them close to densely populated areas. About 3.2 million residents currently live in areas where there is a clear health danger should there be a hazardous material event. In wartime, the dangers of such an event multiply, and so this is the time for increased regulation and enforcement. Firefighting services need to also be reinforced, with an emphasis on containing dangerous materials, and the completion of the establishment of a national hazardous material system as recommended by the State Comptroller to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
The unloading of oil tankers at the EAPC terminal in Eilat
The consequences of war are also been seen in the areas of legislation and regulation as well as a weakening of enforcement. The research found that in the course of the current war, permits were given to allow industries that are likely to pollute the environment to continue their activities, including permits for poisonous materials, emissions, as well as the wide-ranging dangerous disposal of waste. Enforcement of recycling has all but stopped and the bottle return policy was suspended for a 3-week period bringing bottle collection and recycling to a halt. Due to manpower shortages, some local authorities instructed residents to stop waste segregation and all waste was simply buried in landfill.
The Owl Unit, which is responsible for monitoring the illegal disposal and burning of garbage, was also affected by the manpower shortage. Since the beginning of the war, there was a substantial decline in the unit’s activities and a significant increase in reports of the burning of garbage. The researchers emphasize that burning of garbage is illegal, and due to its health hazards, it is important to work to eliminate this activity.
Finally, due to the war, Israel did not participate in the important international committees that met to discuss the environment, including the meeting in Kenya in November 2023 which drafted a treaty to prevent pollution from plastics. This is very unfortunate considering the particular importance of this for Israel which is characterized by especially high rates of plastic use.
Food security
The evacuation of thousands of residents from the North and the South has dealt a critical blow to agriculture in Israel. Beyond the damage to the livelihood of farmers and their workers, the war has caused disruptions to the supply of fresh food in Israel. The damage to farming is likely to be felt for several seasons — through planting and sowing — and is likely to result in higher prices for fruits and vegetables as well as a rise in the cost of living.
Aside from the impact on fruit and vegetable production, there are additional agricultural areas that have been impacted like chicken farming in the North (70% of chicken coops in Israel), dairy farming in the Gaza border area (15% of dairy barns in Israel), and cotton farming in the Gaza border area (nearly 6% of the growing area for cotton in Israel), as well as damage to a great deal of physical infrastructure.