Israel is experiencing rapid population growth of around 2% per year1 and the government plans to build 1.5 million new homes by 2040.10 Ensuring the highest possible energy efficiency of these new dwellings will be crucial to bringing the buildings sector in line with 1.5°C pathways.
According to our analysis, the building sector CO₂ emissions should fall to around 1 MtCO₂e (a third from current direct CO₂ emissions) by 2030. The Israeli building sector already has a high level of electrification around 84% in 2019. To be 1.5 compatible, the share of electrification in the buildings sector need to increase to 88–96% by 2030 and 96–99% by 2050. Emissions reductions from the sector will therefore be achieved through the decarbonisation of the country’s electricity generation (see the power section).
The Israeli government has introduced a Green Buildings Standard which mandates new buildings to adhere to certain environmental standards.11 Stronger emissions limits and financial incentives for energy efficiency renovations would complement the standard and further the building sector decarbonisation.8
1 Government Of Israel. National Action Plan on Climate Change. 2021.
2 Gütschow, J. et al. The PRIMAP-hist national historical emissions time series. Earth System Science Data vol. 8 2016.
7 Ministry of Environmental Protection. The Finance Committee discussed the framework of a pricing mechanism on carbon, following a government decision on the issue. 2021.
8 Ministry of Environmental Protection. Ministry unveils new waste strategy that is both environmental and economic. 2021.
9 Ministry of Energy. The Israeli government set to approve an unprecedented decision mandating that by the year 2050 Israel will move to a low carbon emissions economy, while dealing with the climate crisis that threatens all of humanity. 2021.
10Accelerating Climate Action in Israel. OECD, 2020. doi:10.1787/fb32aabd-en.