Israel Earth Guardians
WHY, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN?
The photos say it all. Submitted by our supporters for a photography competition, they share moments of beauty & darkness, empowerment & challenge, laughter, loss, love. It’s why we’re here. And what we’re fighting for.
And the time — as pollution costs to Israel’s environment & public health are already ₪31 billion annually — is now.
"Every shekel or minute of attention paid to advancing the gas industry will come at the expense of renewable energy projects that we so desperately need... Projects set up now could stay with us for decades and delay Israel's transition to a carbon-neutral economy."
Our story
FROM COASTLINE TO NATIONWIDE STRUGGLE
Israel Earth Guardians formed in 2017 as a grassroots struggle against the Leviathan gas rig planned for only six miles off Israel’s northern coast. We were galvanized by a 2016 report that the offshore Tamar rig, located 14 miles from the southern city of Ashdod, had emitted more than 30 times the pollutants predicted. In fact, the rig had released more carcinogens than all of Israel’s power plants and factories combined.
Unfortunately, the nearshore Leviathan rig began operations in 2020. However, we refused to relinquish Israel’s citizens’ rights to a safe environment for today and future generations. Instead, we expanded our vision nationwide — to transition Israel to renewable energies, remove petrochemical facilities from population centers, and optimize pollution enforcement.
Today, IEG enjoys broad support and is funded by the public alone. We became a non-profit association in August 2018.
Photo by Frank McKenna on Unsplash
Our Goals & VALUES
- Safeguard Israel’s public health and environment through the rapid transition to renewable energies, emphasizing solar
- Launch Israel’s first citizen-funded air pollution monitor
- Remove petrochemical facilities from Israel’s population centers
- Help fight climate change through national policies ensuring that Israel meets the UN’s IPCC greenhouse gas emission targets
As a civilian organization leading a critical struggle for all of Israel’s residents, we embrace three basic values:
Respectful dialogue
Our strength lies in the justness of our cause and the ability to maintain respectful and appropriate dialogue.
Impartiality
Our organization is home to activists
from all parties, ethnicities, and religious affiliations.
Non violent
We relentlessly pursue our cause, but our activities are non-violent and in complete accordance with Israeli law.
Read More
- Learn more about rabbinic efforts to combat climate change
- Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, 2015
- Pope Francis issues climate change warning ahead of Cop 26, October 2021
- ‘Listen to the cry of the Earth’: Pope, Top Christians urge world leaders to act on climate change, NBC News, September 2021
- How Green Can Judaism Get, Zavit, November 2021
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