Between Ruin and Restoration: An Environmental History of Israel

Chapter Thirteen: "Going Beyond Israel”: Epistemic Communities, Global Interests, and International Environmental Agreements

262 The international community, recognizing the need for multistate cooperation to stop global environmental devastation, has adopted multilateral agreements as frameworks for action. israel is among those joining these agreements, but to what end? Given the degree to which the arab-israeli conflict has historically shaped its identity, can israel rebrand itself through a global environmental role? Can its strategic participation in several environmental agreements overcome political obstacles? Will its environmental diplomacy , in short, create a new identity for israel? israel’s small territorial dimensions—22,072 square kilometers—allegedly attest to the limits of its physical impact on the global environment (statistical abstract of israel 2010). in light of its diminutive size, relatively small population —7,552,00 at the end of 2009—and lack of natural resources of global significance, israel is apparently not made of the stuff of which major players in the international environmental arena are made. yet israel’s substantially large-sized ecological footprint1 —a result of a burgeoning population, strong economy, and high standard of living—makes the case for israel going beyond its own domestic environmental problems (bromberg and twite 2001, 134–35). This chapter offers two frameworks for thinking about israel’s role in international environmental agreements. one is exemplified by the barcelona Convention for the Protection of the marine environment and the Coastal region of the mediterranean (barcelona Convention 1995), a regional agreeCHAPTER THIRTEEN “gOINg BEYOND ISRAEL” Epistemic Communities, global Interests, and International Environmental Agreements Rachelle Adam “gOINg bEyOND ISRAEL” 263 ment addressing marine pollution and promoting sustainability. because the issue is of critical concern to israel—a consequence of its approximately 190 kilometers of coastline (marine and Coastal environment: mediterranean Coast 2003)—it has been an active participant in the convention since its beginnings . The second framework is represented by an international multilateral agreement with almost universal state membership. The issues addressed in it do not pose a direct and immediate threat to israel’s environment, either because of their nature (e.g., protecting world heritage) or because israel has developed scientific expertise in these areas and is considered a global expert (e.g., desertification). one example is the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and natural Heritage, hereinafter referred to as World Heritage Convention (World Heritage Convention 1972) operating under the aegis of UnesCo for the protection of cultural and natural heritage of “outstanding universal value.” another example is the United nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UnCCD) (1994) geared to assist least developed countries against the ravaging effects of desertification.2 in addition to explicating israel’s historical role in international environmental affairs, this chapter has practical ramifications: israelis are most familiar with the United nations in the context of the arab-israeli conflict, an organization which many of them perceive as a symbol of discriminatory and unjust anti-israeli sentiment (israel Un relations, israel ministry of foreign affairs, n.d.). However most are probably unaware that in the realm of the environment , the Un has assumed global leadership and mobilized the international community in addressing threats such as climate change, ozone depletion , dangerous chemicals, depletion of fisheries, and marine pollution. israel, like other countries, certainly has an interest in the success of the Un in these areas. but does it have a role to play in this surge of international hyperactivity to stop and reverse these threats? or, is israel’s identity so overwhelmingly shaped by the arab-israeli conflict as to confine this role to an elusive vision? ISRAEL AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTALISM The Stockholm Conference a milestone in the history of today’s international environmental activism was the 1972 Un Conference on the Human environment (stockholm Conference), the first in a series of environmental megaconferences.3 The stockholm Conference marked the official launch of modern international environmental cooperation, with the Un serving as global environmental coordinator .4 together with another 112 countries, israel participated in the conference with a delegation of twelve members, the head of which was israel’s foreign minister abba eban. if the overriding goal of the Un in organizing the stockholm Conference was to raise awareness of countries to the human 264 RACHELLE ADAM onslaught on the environment, as far as israel is concerned, it can be judged a success (interview with U. marinov, august 11, 2009). following the conference ’s request that all countries submit national reports on the state of their environment, israel for the first time...