In its meeting of May 24, 2009, the Israel Cabinet approved the establishment of a Ministerial Committee on Environmental Protection and Climate Change. The committee will be headed by Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, who has expressed his intent to expedite the preparation of a national plan on climate change mitigation. The aim is to present Israel's greenhouse gas reduction commitments at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. Following is an unofficial translation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments at the Cabinet meeting: "I attribute high importance to the protection of the environment and the preservation of nature and landscape values. These fields along with global warming and climate change have been transformed into central issues in the global discourse in recent years. The world is experiencing the impacts of the change, and we in Israel are exposed to its growing impacts on our lives: reduction in precipitation and shortage of water, more frequent and longer lasting heat waves, the appearance of new agricultural pests, and more. Climate change is caused and is exacerbated by human activity, and especially by the gases emitted during fuel combustion: in transportation, electricity production and industry. We in Israel must prepare for the impacts of climate change in time, and must take part in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Partnership in this effort carries many benefits for the economy, and especially ? reduction in local air pollution, minimization of dependence on external sources of energy and increase in the number of those employed in a field which stands at the forefront of global technology. We must all enlist in this effort and adopt thrifty and sustainable behavior. Every relevant sector in the economy and every relevant government ministry must contribute its part and its knowledge to ensure the success of the process. I have asked Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan to head the Ministerial Committee on Environmental Protection and Climate Change. The committee must prepare, as soon as possible, the plans needed to prepare the State of Israel for climate change, must formulate a national plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and must follow up on its implementation." On his part, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan affirmed: "I intend to urgently promote the preparation of a national plan for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. My target is to present the commitment of the Government of Israel for significant reductions in Israel's emissions until 2025 in the Copenhagen meeting in December."
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