TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Israeli lawmakers are backing a measure that would cut emissions.
A report by the Globes newspaper says that if Israel's government and industry do not take action to cut emissions of carbon dioxide to Kyoto Protocol levels, emissions will grow 63 percent from their 2005 levels to 82 million tons by 2025.
However, if Israel cuts emissions by 25 percent from its 2000 levels by 2025, the country will save $280 million if carbon prices are set at $10 per ton.
Cutting pollution and emissions has other advantages, including improved air quality and reducing pollution-caused illness, said the Israel Union for Environmental Defense in a report.
A private members bill by member of Knesset Ophir Pines-Paz was presented based on the data from the IUED. The bill's central proposal calls for a 25 percent cut in Israel's greenhouse gases emissions by 2025 and received support from 70 MKs, the newspaper said.
The bill assumes Israel will soon be recognized as a developed country and will have to curb greenhouse emission like its developed peers in the West.
