The National Institute for Climate Policy Research Established
Former Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg to become director
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will create The National Institute for Climate Policy Research to promote science-based policy. By translating scientific knowledge into best practices, the Institute aims to pioneer evidence-based policy solutions, ensuring sustainability and prosperity across all levels of governance and industry. The Institute will empower national and local decision makers as well as the private sector to foster impactful climate policies that benefit humanity and society.
The new Institute will be headed by former Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg.
The confluence of climate change and the need to build the western Negev back better demands a climate policy institute at the country's premier environmental research university. The new Institute will bridge academia, local and national government, and industry. It will develop policy papers based on over 50 years of environmental research conducted at the University and will also work with government and industry to help them elucidate and solve their climate mitigation needs.
The Institute will be part of the new Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change in conjunction with the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management.
"I am happy to join Ben-Gurion University and lead an institution based on a vision that will revolutionize environmental and climate policy in Israel," Zandberg said. "At a time of threats and challenges, the climate crisis is a challenge that is not being marginalized and is not going anywhere. Climate research and science in Israel and around the world are advancing rapidly, and we must design science derived policies that will affect reality in the most effective and shortest way possible. The climate crisis is worse than we thought, and we have already reached the middle of the 'decisive decade' in which humanity must change direction. This means that we must act now but do it in the most appropriate way. In the near future, the Institute will emphasize the climate contexts of the renewed development of Israel and the region."
"We congratulate Tamar, a graduate of Ben-Gurion University, who brings passion, commitment and proven work to the field of climate policy design. The institute, led by Tamar, will leverage groundbreaking research at the university to design policies that will build a better world," said Prof. Miki Malul, Dean of the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
"We saw a real need to translate scientific findings, the result of years of research, into specific policy measures, hence the decision to establish the institute. I am confident that we can maximize the environmental impact while ensuring scientific innovation tailored to the needs of society. Now, the goal is to inform decision makers about best practices," said Prof. Yaron Ziv, Head of the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
As environmental protection minister, the focus of her term was climate change mitigation and adaptation, leading Israel to unprecedented achievements. In 2021, Israel adopted a net zero GHG emissions target by 2050, and in 2022, the government adopted a climate law for the first time in Israel’s history. Zandberg promoted the investment of billions of shekels by the Israeli government in climate adaptation, nature-based solutions and climate technology and innovation, elements that were not part of the national budget and policy before her term. Under her leadership, the government introduced a thorough reform in formal and informal environmental education, and significantly advanced private-public partnership as a vital key to achieving climate goals, including promotion of climate innovation, implicatory research and development and a voluntary framework for reducing carbon emissions in the business sector.
