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Neaman in the media
The meaning of the word resilience
Interview with Col. (Res.) Dr. Reuven Gal, former Chief Psychologist of the IDF and expert on national resilience, Senior Research Fellow at “Samuel Neaman”, Technion: The meaning of the word resilience. The second intifada, with buses exploding, killed over a thousand people, mostly among civilians, and had to continue functioning. You have to believe in the army and the police.
The moment I felt like I couldn’t work anymore
Ofira Ayalon, Orly Nathan, Naama Shapira
When we talk about climate change, we focus mainly on the macroeconomic damage but tend to ignore the damage on the individual. Climate and environmental researchers warn that as the world continues to warm, labor productivity and quality of life will suffer.
Urban dwellers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to a phenomenon called the “urban heat island”
Recently, a new study was conducted at the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research, which examined the impact of climate change on Tel Aviv and the economic cost of not preparing for these changes. The study was conducted at the request of the municipality and funded by researchers, Naama Shapira, Orly Nathan, Dana Gabay and Prof. Ofira Ayalon.
Did you destroy it by yourselves? The recycling failure is drowning Israel in mountains of plastics.
According to Prof. Ayalon, “The orange bins (to collect packaging waste) in local authorities are currently not the solution since the collection rate is very low. The Ministry of Environmental Protection failed. The targets set for waste management over the years have not been achieved. The landfill levy and separation of waste at source do not contribute to reducing landfilling. It is essential to reflect to the public that waste treatment, whether by recycling, energy production or landfilling, involves very high economic and environmental costs.
We will never be as good at research as we were in the early years of our lives
Why are children such remarkably proficient researchers? What in the most important role of schools? Which subjects should one study to gain admittance into prestigious higher education institutions? And how does the military contribute to academic achievement?
These questions are explored, with insights from Prof. Irad Yavneh
Jerusalem is filling up with towers, but will this really contribute to the city?
Prof. Rachelle Alterman has been warning for years about the negative consequences of flooding Israel’s major cities with towers.
The cost of not adapting to climate change in Tel Aviv-Yafo / Prof. Ofira Ayalon Interview on CAN Environment
Prof. Ofira Ayalon described the research, commissioned by the Tel Aviv municipality, the first city in Israel to prepare a climate change adaptation plan. The study analyzed the cost for the city if climate adaptation actions are not implemented in the year 2050. Cumulative damage of 2-4 Billion NIS resulting from damage to public health and mortality, increase in energy demand, and damage to local employment.
Link to the full interview with Prof. Ayalon on CAN. Starts at 03:00.
Prof. Ofira Ayalon Interview on the 360-radio show / GALAZ
Prof. Ofira Ayalon talks about the energy market in Israel
Failure to prepare to deal with the increasing heat will cost Tel Aviv 4 billion NIS a year by the middle of the century
Ofira Ayalon, Orly Nathan, Naama Shapira
A new study reveals that that insufficient preparedness for anticipated heat waves in Israel’s major economic center (Tel Aviv- Yafo) will lead to high economic costs and higher mortality rates. The study serves as an alert to numerous Israeli cities that disregard this matter. Professor Ofira Ayalon, one of the study’s authors, points out that the proposed property tax fund “could potentially divert funds meant for addressing the climate crisis, will not be available”
Link to the full article on Calcalist
Standardization is important but not enough: what to do to promote green building.
Gershon Grossman, Naama Shapira
The green building standard establishes a baseline for quality standards, serving as an indicator and driver for enhanced and more progressive construction practices. However, according to the new Energy Forum’s report, in practical terms, the standard primarily focuses on scoring sections that are straightforward to implement and economically feasible.
Moreover, the current standard has a relatively narrow scope. Globally, a more comprehensive approach is adopted, encompassing circular planning, considerations of neighborhood scale, as well as factors related to well-being and health. It is crucial to continue pushing the building sector towards improvement, as a significant portion of construction practices in Israel remain outdated.
Government climate law: smaller, weaker – and far from the Western world
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environmental Protection are currently in disagreement over the climate law. Minister Idit Silman has proposed a solution to the issue by implementing the salami method in a softened version and transferring a portion of it.
In the past, Israel recognized the importance of operational plans, but the plan was put on hold and not pursued.
Prof. Ofira Ayalon has highlighted that it has been 13 years since expectations were set for progress on climate issues, and unfortunately, there has been significant disappointment due to lack of progress. The current climate law falls short of addressing this issue. If the previously budgeted plan had been implemented, Israel’s current situation would be vastly different.
