Tag: Environment

This Exhibition Will Make You Sweat

Written by AUFTAU on 3 August 2021. Posted in Magazine, Newsroom.

New exhibition on climate crisis gives us tools to save the planet.

Recent news has covered extreme events all over the world: floods in Germany, Belgium and central China, huge wildfires raging in California, consuming thousands of acres of land and extreme temperatures in Canada, Iraq and the United States. Scientists no longer doubt that all this and more is taking place due to global warming, and what is commonly referred to as the “climate crisis”

Seeking to educate the Israeli public on the science behind the concepts that we keep hearing, such as the greenhouse effect, global warming and carbon footprint, the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History has set up the exhibition “Global Warning: The Climate, the Crisis and Us”, which encourages the public to learn more about the subject and become ambassadors who will lead the long-awaited change. We checked, and can share with you that it is impossible to remain indifferent after visiting the exhibition.

How Many Trees Are Working Just for You?

The exhibition, which the museum has been working on for over a year, guides the visitors to the sea, land, glaciers and forests, in the past, present and future. It presents current scientific findings and basic concepts in the field in simple terms and through interactive means, such as videos, thermal cameras that expose thermal gases that surround us, and more.

It uncovers the dire consequences of the climate crisis here in Israel and worldwide, and illustrates the impact of our daily choices as individuals. Everything is not lost; the exhibition illuminates how we can counteract the changes that are causing the crisis and reduce the harm caused to us and the environment.

The various stations of the exhibition show how popular tourist spots may look like in 20 years from now, what the atmospheric composition was thousands of years ago, and what it may be in a few decades from now. The connection between allergies and global warming is explained, as well as what it will be like when sea level reaches our shoulders. You can even check what your personal carbon footprint is, by the help of an online calculator which was developed especially for the exhibition and is the first of its kind in Israel.

What do greenhouse gases look like? Judi Lax explains big concepts in simple language.

Fostering Change Agents

The new exhibition does not, however, intend to scare us into passivity: “We wish to increase the awareness surrounding our daily choices, such as what to eat, how to travel, what to buy and what not to buy. These things have implications and a price beyond the cost of the purchase itself. Oftentimes, people hear about the climate crisis and say, “Ok, but how does this relate to me?” We wish to impart that, although a lot [of damage] has accumulated, it is not all lost. We also have a hand in the matter, and can undo some of the damage,” explains Hadas Zemer Ben-Ari, the exhibition’s curator and designer. “Along with the experience of visiting the exhibition, we strive to make our visitors agents of change, who will spread the message outside the walls of the museum and inspire many others to work for the change that we so desperately need,” says Prof. Tamar Dayan, Museum Chair at the Steinhardt Museum of Nature.

The Museum joins some of the worlds’ largest museums in the common mission to carry out their social role in educating the wider audience on the topic of the climate crisis and the discussion of the biodiversity crisis and its impacts. Museum Director Alon Sapan explains that museums are capable of illustrating and simulating a complex reality and the processes that led to it, along with predictions for the future, while ensuring the visitors’ experience and encouraging their curiosity. “I hope that the exhibition will inspire questions, and also enlighten individuals on how they contribute to positive change by adjusting their personal habits,” concludes Sapan.

An invitation to change a habit (or three!) at the “Global Warning” exhibition.

Featured image: The exhibition “Global Warning: The Climate, the Crisis and Us” (Photo: Dor Kimchi)

He’s Bringing Plastic Back

Written by AUFTAU on 2 August 2021. Posted in Magazine, Newsroom.

TAU alumnus Tal Cohen and his company “Plastic Back” converts plastic waste back to its original form.

We use plastic in almost every aspect of our lives. It is cheap in production, durable and can be reused multiple times. The problem is, though, that 350M tons of plastic waste is produced annually, out of which only 8% is recycled. To counter the environmental hazard, laws and regulations, are implemented towards reducing landfill and increasing recycling. The EU has pledged to reduce landfilling to 10% of its current capacity by 2030. We spoke with Tal Cohen, a TAU alumnus with an MBA from the Coller School of Management and founder of a startup company called “Plastic Back”, who may have found the perfect solution.

The Big Savior Becomes the Big Offender

When plastic was originally introduced, 70 years ago, it was commonly believed that it would contribute to save the environment. “When plastic was first introduced, it was actually thought to be the big savior of the future environment, replacing the use of ivory, tortoise shell and corals. While petroleum came to the relief of the whale, plastic has given the elephant, the tortoise and the coral a respite in their native haunts,” says Tal. With time, however, it went from being the big savior to instead becoming recognized as a major environmental hazard,” Tal muses. Over the past 70 years since its invention, 8.3 billion tons of plastic waste has been accumulated worldwide.

And how is plastic produced? “After developing over millions of years underground, crude oil is drilled out and extracted. It is then sent to be refined by the petrochemical industry, after which it can be used for various purposes, such as fuel for cars and… plastic production,” explains Tal. Plastic is, in other words, produced from oil, a non-renewable source of energy.

Tal is well acquainted with plastic. After earning his B.Sc. in Marine Sciences and Environment at the Ruppin Academic Center, Tal Cohen worked as a marine biologist. Three kilometers offshore, surrounded by fish and – you guessed it – plastic, he would research, work in the lab and dive. After a few years, he went on to study for an MBA at Tel Aviv University: “I wanted to learn how to develop technologies and businesses that are focused on ecological solutions. While studying ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Technology Management’ at TAU, I was also working at a venture capital fund, handling portfolios of ten renewable energy companies. It taught me a lot about the needs of startups in the renewables field.”

Plastic Back’s technology offers waste handlers to help treat their waste streams and create profit, as an alternative to landfill

Bring it Back: A Chemical Solution

Tal Cohen and his Israeli based startup company “Plastic Back” offers an interesting solution: “By way of ‘reverse engineering’, we are able to convert plastic waste back to its original, valuable form of oils, waxes and other valuable chemicals. With unique chemicals, ratios and timing, our technology breaks down the carbon-to-carbon bonds of the plastic polymer to liquid fractions that can be (re)used by the petrochemical industry.” Brilliant, isn’t it?

“While transforming plastic back to oil through burning is already done, that requires very high temperatures, between 600-1000 degrees Celsius, which constitutes an environmental and financial burden. The real innovation here, is that we manage to convert the plastic to oil by chemical means only, and at room temperature. So there’s an environmental advantage which is expressed financially, and it is also advantageous energy-wise. The goal is to offer an alternative to the traditional drilling for additional non-renewable oil.”

The idea, Tal got while he was working with one of the aforementioned portfolio companies: “Once I felt like I had learnt enough about the startup world and what setting up a startup entailed, I went on a mission to find technologies. At The Hebrew University, they had a technology in place from 2016-17. It spoke to me, as it was related to plastic, which I was intimately familiar with from my time working underwater as a marine biologist, and I also knew that the renewables field is evolving.”

“The technology was in place, and so I decided to find out if there was any business interest for it. In 2019, I attended Shell’s competition in Holland, which is the largest energy competition in the EU, where more than 250 companies competed during 10 days of business and technological validation. We ended up in 2^nd place. We knew then that there was demand for the crude oil which we were able to convert the plastic back to. Shell was willing to invest and to pay some money up front, so we had some starting capital. I went ahead and founded the company. We have since found an angel investor who invested a certain amount, have received recognition from the European Commission and are taking part in the EU accelerator program.”

Making Waste Vanish and Renewing Non-renewables

Who are the winners with this initiative? “Plastic Back enables a shift from a linear to a circular economy, by closing the loop between the petrochemical industry (including companies such as Shell), which is currently dependent of crude oil drilling and operating under increasingly heavy regulation and pressure, and the waste handlers who receive millions of tons of plastic waste from waste manufacturers, such as agriculture, factories and hospitals and medical devices, most of which goes to landfill. The waste handlers are seeking alternatives, especially as there’s been a fivefold increase in landfill price since 2019. The waste manufacturers, on their side, would gain the ability to treat their waste on site/close by, save expenses on removal and treatment fee and even create profits from their plastic waste.”

Tal is not planning to rest in the coming years, “The research and development phase of our project is completed for the most part. Last year, we successfully proved that there is demand for what we are offering. We have received a grant from the Ministry of Energy to set up our first pilot facility together with an industrial partner in the South of Israel in 2022. A year and a half after that, we would like to set up our first facilities. In five years from now, we should have two or three active facilities, hopefully one of them here in Israel and the rest in Europe.”

Tal Cohen presenting his startup at TAU’s Coller $100,000 Startup Competition in July 2021

Featured image: By way of ‘reverse engineering’, Tal’s team is able to convert plastic waste back to its original form.

We Are Part of the Problem and the Solution

Written by AUFTAU on 11 June 2021. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University last week launched the multidisciplinary Center for Climate Change Action, with the aim of finding solutions to the global crisis. The new Center, the first of its kind in Israel, will operate under the auspices of the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, and will investigate the subject from all angles, drawing on the knowledge and resources of all faculties on campus. The Center will collaborate with partners from industry, academia and government, in Israel and abroad, in an effort to develop technological solutions, raise public awareness, promote environmental legislation and policy, and more. The initiative was launched by researchers from various disciplines, among them Prof. Colin Price and Dr. Orli Ronen from the University’s Department of Environmental Studies, Prof. Marcelo Sternberg from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Prof. Dan Rabinowitz from the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences and others. Scores of students, faculty, researchers, dignitaries and guests attended the festive event marking the Center’s launch, which took place in the award-winning Porter School building overlooking the Tel Aviv skyline. Israel’s outgoing President, Reuven Rivlin, lauded the University’s new initiative as a significant demonstration of institutional action on the global climate crisis. “The need to address the climate crisis isn’t a luxury, it’s an inevitability,” he said in recorded remarks, noting the dire need for immediate change for benefit in this lifetime and for generations to come.

Mobilizing for Change

Ahead of the Center’s launch, TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat stated: “Tel Aviv University is a committed partner in dealing with the dangers of global warming and climate change. Confronting this challenge requires examination from many perspectives: technological, social, moral, economic, sociological, legal, and more.” Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality also endorses the project. Tel Aviv, listed among the world’s greenest cities, launched its climate change preparedness plan about a year ago as it realized long ago that being able to live here in the future requires action today. Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv, Reuven Lediansky, hailed the launch of the Center and spoke about the University’s role in writing the municipal plan for dealing with the crisis. “The [municipal] program positioned us among big cities in the world, such as Berlin, Amsterdam, New York and Paris, that have all been working resolutely for some time in order to influence and prepare to handle the climate crisis. I am proud of the long and thorough professional process led by the Environmental Protection Authority, with the professional assistance of Dr. Orli Ronen to formulate such a comprehensive and professional plan. Parts of the program have already been incorporated in the municipality’s work plan for 2021.” Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and researcher from the School of Zoology at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, called for action: “The third decade of this century is characterized by the understanding that in order for us and our children to lead healthy and equal lives, we need to take nature into consideration, and we need to protect it. Global warming is threatening the life on our planet. The consequences are complex and we are only starting to grasp them. Extensive research is required. We need to develop the ability to predict the broad effects of rising temperatures, ecologically, economically and socially, in order to develop ways and means to deal with them if possible.”

Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Shor used the platform to call for action (photo: Yael Tzur)

Too Little Water for Too Many People

Prof. Hadas Mamane, Head of the Environmental Engineering Program at The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, discussed the predicted imbalance between the amount of rain fall and clean drinking water due to the climate crisis and offered creative ways to address the problem. She emphasized the expected increase in the world’s population, which corresponded well with insights from Prof. Tal Alon from The Department of Public Policy at the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, who pointed to the close link between demographic stability and the successful handling of the climate crisis where greenhouse gas emissions are concerned. Dr. Dov Khenin, Head of the Parliamentary Clinic of The Buchmann Faculty of Law, discussed the ‘Change of Direction’ program, aimed at decision-makers and intended to promote rapid change of direction in the State of Israel’s approach to the climate crisis. Prof. Shoshi Shiloh from The School of Psychological Sciences, discussed how to leverage the worrying environmental situation so that it stimulates us to act. Is instilling fear the way to go when confronting a problem of this magnitude, or are there more efficient approaches? Prof. Avi Kribus from the School of Mechanical Engineering presented renewable energy solutions that are particularly suitable for Israel, allowing us to make use of the resources that we have plenty of, such as solar energy.

The Green Revolution in the Naftali Building

Prof. Itai Sened, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, presented a practical plan for transforming the Naftali Building to become the greenest building on campus. Lior Hazan, Chair of the Student Union of Tel Aviv University also spoke at the event, calling on her fellow students to take an active part in mobilizing as ambassadors for environmental change. Head of the Climate Center and the University’s Department of Environmental Studies Prof. Price concluded the meeting alluding to the Center’s unique position for driving change: “We have expertise and brainpower from nine faculties, and in each of those faculties there are people dealing with the climate issue. We also have non-university organizations, partners who wish to work with us. We need to start by influencing the behavior of the general public. We can demonstrate to the government that it is financially worthwhile to switch to renewable energy. However, we need to do both to succeed.”

Head of the Climate Center Prof. Colin Price gave the closing remarks at the event (photo: Noam Wind)

Our Planet in the Hands of Academia

Written by AUFTAU on 12 May 2021. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University will soon launch the multidisciplinary Center for Climate Change Action, with the aim of finding practical solutions to the global crisis. The new center, the first of its kind in Israel, will operate in the framework of the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, and will cover the subject from all angles, utilizing the knowledge, resources and capabilities of all faculties on campus (engineering, medicine, the exact sciences, life sciences and earth sciences, law, the social sciences, humanities, and the arts). The center will collaborate with representatives from industry, academia and government, in Israel and around the world, in an effort to develop technological solutions, raise public awareness, promote legislation and regulations, and more. Furthermore, the center will support the development of new and existing projects, award scholarships to students, develop a fellowship program, fund mentorships and advanced training programs, and launch an accelerator in collaboration with industry representatives. In addition, the center will publish annual position papers and organize international conferences.

“The time has come to find solutions”

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University: “Tel Aviv University is a partner in the need for all humankind to deal with the dangers of global warming and climate change. Confronting this challenge requires a view from many perspectives: technological, social, moral, economic, sociological, legal and more. The huge variety of disciplines at Tel Aviv University allows for such a broad view. This new multidisciplinary center that will deal with climate change joins the several multidisciplinary centers we have established in the last two years at the university, including the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, the Center for Combating Pandemics, and the Center for Quantum Science and Technology.” The center will be headed by Prof. Colin Price, Head of the university’s Department of Environmental Studies, who explains that “Basic research is important, but since we already know that there is a problem with global warming, and we know what causes the problem, the time has come to find solutions, from every perspective and every discipline. There are technological solutions that will come from engineering and the exact sciences, but there are also solutions that will come from regulation, public policy, and even psychology. After all, you don’t need modern technology to mobilize public support for action, and without this support, technological solutions will not be implemented. The Center for Climate Change Action will be a cross-campus collaboration, with partners in high-tech, industry, government and civil society.” According to Prof. Price, the main goal of the research center, and of humanity in general, is to first and foremost address the source of the problem, namely the greenhouse gases that humans emit into the atmosphere, and to meet the target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as defined by the UN. “We have a total of 30 years to find solutions and reach a global balance, and there are still a lot of problems to solve,” adds Prof. Price. ”A good example of this is solar energy. It’s cheaper to generate electricity from solar energy today than from a power plant that uses fuel, coal or even natural gas, but the solar energy must be transported to people’s homes, the electricity generated must be stored at night, that is, in batteries, and you need infrastructure to carry the energy to population centers. We need to invest in finding practical solutions today, in order to avoid the gloomy forecasts of tomorrow.” Prof. Colin Price: “We have a total of 30 years to find solutions and reach a global balance, and there are still a lot of problems to solve.”

New Study Presents A Gloomy Climate Future for the Middle East

Written by AUFTAU on 22 January 2021. Posted in Newsroom.

A fresh study conducted by Professor Dan Rabinowitz, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences at the Tel Aviv University, surveys regional climate models for the Middle East, analyzes climate inequalities and examines threats posed by global warming to security and political stability in the region.

In a new book published by Stanford University Press entitled ‘The Power of Deserts: Climate Change, the Middle East and the Promise of a Post-Oil Era’, Professor Rabinowitz argues that the region, already hotter and dryer than most parts, could soon see exacerbated water shortages, decreased agricultural productivity, large scale displacement and conflict as a result of a deteriorating climate.

“The tragic cases of Sudan and Syria”, says Rabinowitz, “demonstrated what could happen when shrinking agricultural outputs force millions to leave rural hinterlands and seek refuge in cities which are ill-equipped and often unwilling to absorb them”. “Global warming”, he warns, “could turn such scenarios to a new normal in the Middle East, fanning further friction between ethnic groups, damaging instability and creating conflict”.

In a chapter dedicated to climate inequality, the book demonstrates that wealthier and more technologically advanced countries in the region, which are responsible for higher per-capita emissions of greenhouse gases, have the means to adapt to the Post Normal Climate Condition and protect themselves from its perils. This while poorer neighbors, whose contributions to the climate crisis has been significantly smaller, stand to suffer most.

‘The Power of Deserts’ however offers more than somber warnings. Its latter part in fact raises the surprising, counterintuitive notion that the Middle East could eventually become part of the solution to the climate crisis. Using his deep knowledge of the region and an ability to present scientific data with clarity and poise that has made him a leading Israeli voice on climate change, Rabinowitz makes a sober yet surprisingly optimistic exploration of an opportunity arising from a looming crisis.

The past 70 years, he says, in which oil reigned supreme, helped the oil-rich countries of the Persian Gulf accumulate legendary wealth. But with renewable sources of energy now eclipsing fossil fuels in transport and in electricity production everywhere, the age of oil is coming to an end. Add a disconcerting climate prognosis, and the oil rich countries in the Middle East now look at a precarious future. The need to calculate a different pathway going forward has become imperative.

Their best bet, Rabinowitz argues, could be exploiting solar energy. With more than 300 sunny days a year, abundant unproductive land, good capital reserves available for investment and a good track record of integrating new technologies in civil infrastructure, the Gulf states could drastically expand their use of solar energy for their domestic electricity production; invest heavily in renewable technologies and capacities around the world; then, at the right moment, turn their backs on oil and natural gas completely and, using their market power in the energy market ante, carve themselves a leading role in the energy universe of the future.

“Rather than resisting the energy transition, which was underway even before Covid-19 and was accelerated since,” says Rabinowitz, “the Gulf States could switch to the ‘right’ side of history, join the struggle to curb climate change and gain respect in the eyes of many who once looked at them with suspicion and contempt. Significantly, this transformation on their part does not hinge on an ideological rebirth and the adoption of a ‘green’ outlook. It could transpire as a rare historical junction where self-preservation on the part of some works to the benefit of many others”.

Dan Rabinowitz, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel-Aviv University, is Chairman of the Association for Environmental Justice in Israel. He was Head of TAU’s Porter School of Environmental Studies and Chairman of Greenpeace Mediterranean. He received the Pratt Prize for Environmental Journalism (2012) and the Green Globe award for environmental leadership (2016).

Prince of Monaco to TAU: Together, We Can Fix Environment

Written by AUFTAU on 2 October 2020. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University held an online meeting on September 24 with the Prince of Monaco, Albert II, together with entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Aaron G. Frenkel, Prof. Colin Price, Head of the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and Head of the Frenkel Initiative for Combating Pollution, and Mr. Nico Rosberg, a sustainability entrepreneur and Formula One World Champion. The meeting, which addressed environmental issues and sustainability development, was also attended by TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat and Prof. Francois Heilbronn, President of the French Friends of Tel Aviv University, who acted as moderator.

Years of collaboration

The Prince has actively promoted environmental causes for many years, leading quite a number of environmental initiatives, both local and international. In 2006, he established the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation which advances environmental protection and sustainable development, supporting studies and research on environmental issues, technological innovation and social awareness practices. TAU and Monaco have been collaborating for several years. In December 2017, a delegation from TAU participated in a gala event focusing on the environment, smart cities and ecology, in collaboration with the Foundation. In June 2018, Prince Albert II received an Honorary Doctorate from TAU, in recognition of his deep commitment to preserving the environment for future generations, while promoting collaborations for finding solutions to problems of climate, water and ecosystem diversity. Last September in Monaco TAU launched the Frenkel Initiative for Combating Pollution, supported by Aaron Frenkel. This initiative is a continuation of the joint agreement for combating pollution signed during Albert II’s visit to TAU in June 2018. “Many organizations in Monaco are now connected with scientists from Tel Aviv university, working on different projects for combating pollution,” Frenkel says. “I hope others will join me, and we could create a momentum of projects bettering our places and the world as such.” The joint initiative will support applied research at the Department of Environmental Studies and the Department of Geography and Human Environment at TAU’s Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. Research will focus on solutions for problems of air pollution, while also supporting Monaco’s activities in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy. “In the Porter School of Environment, we are trying for the last six years to promote innovative startup companies in the field of smart abilities. We just recruited a new round of startups last week thanks to the generous support of Mr. Frenkel and the collaborations with Monaco,” says Prof. Price. Featured image: Top left clockwise: Prince of Monaco, Albert II, Aaron G. Frenkel, Prof. Colin Price and Mr. Nico Rosberg

Turning vapor into electricity?

Written by AUFTAU on 9 June 2020. Posted in Newsroom.

The search for renewal energy sources, which include wind, solar, hydroelectric dams, geothermal, and biomass, has preoccupied scientists and policymakers alike, due to their enormous potential in the fight against climate change. A new Tel Aviv University study finds that water vapor in the atmosphere may serve as a potential renewable energy source in the future. The research, led by Prof. Colin Price in collaboration with Prof. Hadas Saaroni and doctoral student Judi Lax, all of TAU’s Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, is based on the discovery that electricity materializes in the interaction between water molecules and metal surfaces. “We sought to capitalize on a naturally occurring phenomenon: electricity from water,” explains Prof. Price. “Electricity in thunderstorms is generated only by water in its different phases – water vapor, water droplets, and ice. Twenty minutes of cloud development is how we get from water droplets to huge electric discharges – lightning – some half a mile in length.” The researchers set out to try to produce a tiny low-voltage battery that only works on humidity in the air, building on the findings of earlier discoveries. In the nineteenth century, for example, English physicist Michael Faraday discovered that water droplets could charge metal surfaces due to friction between the two. A much more recent study showed that certain metals spontaneously build up an electrical charge when exposed to humidity,

Voltage in the air

The scientists conducted a laboratory experiment to determine the voltage between two different metals exposed to high relative humidity, while one is grounded. “We found that there was no voltage between them when the air was dry,” Prof. Price explains. “But once the relative humidity rose above 60%, a voltage began to develop between the two isolated metal surfaces. When we lowered the humidity level to below 60%, the voltage disappeared. When we carried out the experiment outside in natural conditions, we saw the same results.” “Water is a very special molecule that during molecular collisions can transfer an electrical charge from one to the other. Through friction, it can build up a kind of static electricity,” says Prof. Price. “We tried to reproduce electricity in the lab and found that different isolated metal surfaces will build up different amounts of charge from water vapor in the atmosphere, but only if the air relative humidity is above 60%. This occurs nearly every day in the summer in Israel and every day in most tropical countries.” According to Prof. Price, this study challenges established ideas about humidity and its potential as an energy source. “While people know that dry air results in static electricity and you sometimes get ‘shocks’ you when you touch a metal door handle, water is normally thought of as a good conductor of electricity, not something that can build up charge on a surface, however, it seems that things are different once the relative humidity exceeds a certain threshold” he says. The researchers, however, showed that humid air may be a source of charging surfaces to voltages of around 1 Volt. “If a AA battery is 1.5V, there may be a practical application in the future: to develop batteries that can be charged from water vapor in the air,” adds Prof. Price. “The results may be particularly important as a renewable source of energy in developing countries, where many communities still do not have access to electricity, but the humidity is constantly about 60%,” concludes Prof. Price.

Food for thought

Written by AUFTAU on 6 November 2019. Posted in Newsroom.

By 2023, 8 billion people are expected to be living on Earth, and we’ll all be facing a serious challenge: how to feed everyone. We spoke with some of the experts at Tel Aviv University about how our choice of what to put on our plates can affect the rainforests on the other end of the globe.

Humanity in crisis

The idea of food security is that every person has the right to receive and obtain enough food to sustain them in good health over time. But even today, our planet is already struggling to keep up with demand, and we keep hearing reports of damage and depletion of basic resources like fresh water, usable territory, and energy. So how will we feed 9 billion people, a decade from now? “The food security crisis is considered a global problem,” explains Prof. Nir Ohad, head of the Manna Center for Food Safety and Security at Tel Aviv University. “In many parts of the world, the three basic conditions for food security do not exist: availability, production and accessibility. We’ve also had periods of austerity in Israel, where store shelves were empty and products were rationed. Today, thankfully, the situation is different, but take a country like Venezuela, which is rich in resources, but today is facing an economic collapse and suffering from severe problems related to food.”

What causes a crisis of this magnitude? According to Dr. Hagit Ulanovsky, from the Porter School of Environmental Studies, an expert on environmental and health risk management and one of the founders of the Israeli Forum for Sustainable Nutrition, there are many reasons: “Efficient agriculture requires environmental resources: soil, water, sunlight, fertilizer and more. But it doesn’t end there. The food production process doesn’t stop there, there’s also transporting the food and marketing it, which requires many additional resources. All of this adversely affects the environment: destroying the rainforests, soil erosion, pollution of the environment with excess fertilizers and pesticides, using up a lot of water, and greenhouse gas emissions in significant quantities, just like the industrial, transport or energy sectors.”

Recently, the headlines were dominated by huge fires in the Amazon rainforests, considered the “green lung of the Earth,” caused largely by the world’s growing demand for meat. Extensive forest areas were destroyed to make room for cattle. “The environmental cost of raising animals for food is huge,” explains Dr. Ulanovsky. What’s even more sad is that it’s not worthwhile. The high environmental cost is due to low ‘conversion efficiency’. For example: for every 100 calories the chicken eats, we will get about 15 calories in the egg it lays. For every 100 calories a cow eats, we only get about 3 calories! Where did the rest of the energy go? To sustain the life processes of a cow: breathing, digestion, movement, etc. Conversely, if we grow on the same soil and with the same amount of water food that is suitable for humans instead of animal feed – then we can eat 100 calories of that food and… actually get 100 calories.”

Stop now, before it runs out. The process of burning rainforest for the benefit of raising cattle.

^{Stop now, before it runs out. The process of burning rainforest for the benefit of raising cattle.}

Dr. Ulanovsky continues: “In light of increasing climate change, and in response to the worsening environmental pollution worldwide and especially in Israel, concerns about food insecurity are rising not only at the individual level, but also at the national level: extreme weather events will damage agricultural produce, soil and water. Pollution will seep into the vegetables we eat, new plant diseases will attack the fields and orchards. Disaster on the other side of the world will greatly affect our food security here, because most of the food we eat is imported from overseas, and therefore a reduction in production in Argentina or Ukraine will not only raise prices but may prevent food exports to Israel,” she concludes.

This is how the vicious cycle works: meat consumption in Israel is driving demand, which is accelerating the process of growing and production in distant countries like Argentina and Australia, and the environmental cost of the meat industry is rising. So how do we get out of the loop? One of the solutions offered by Prof. Ohad and Dr. Ulanovsky in their courses at Tel Aviv University is a shift to a sustainable diet.

There's not enough for everyone. Empty food bowls in areas in a country in crisis.

^{There’s not enough for everyone. Empty food bowls in areas in a country in crisis.}

The solution: less meat

The first thing people can do is make smart dietary choices. “Each of us has the ability to make a positive impact on the Israeli and even the global food system,” explains Dr. Ulanovsky. “We need to do all we can to preserve environmental resources, to enable continued healthy food production. This is especially important in the dense and small state of Israel, where the birth rate is particularly high. Israel is recognized worldwide as the startup nation, but not everyone knows that it is also the world leader in the most up-to-date nutrition guidelines, both health-wise and environmentally.”

Dr. Ulanovsky’s recommendation is to start with a simple step – to choose what to put in the kitchen and the dish you’re making. “This choice has a lot of power and the ability to make a difference. The new nutrition guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health in Israel include health considerations, and also present the environmental aspects of our dietary choices,” she says.

It turns out that health and environmental protection are overlapping concerns when it comes to culinary choices. “There are different approaches to determining a healthy diet, and the most well-tailored for our region is the Mediterranean diet, recommended by the Ministry of Health, where you eat lots of fruits and vegetables and add dairy and meat products in a balanced way,” Prof. Ohad says. “Vegetarian and vegan diets, which maintain the same nutritional balance of meat, dairy and egg substitutes, also help maintain a healthy lifestyle, sustainable agriculture and the environment. These diets are taking up ever-increasing space, which is a good thing.”

A healthy diet that also helps the environment - a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and legumes

^{A healthy diet that also helps the environment – a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and legumes}

“Veganism is the best diet for the environment, and it is suitable and healthy for most people, although it is recommended to get professional nutritional advice in the process of transitioning to it,” Dr. Ulanovsky explains, adding, “However, many people find it difficult to give up animal products, and not everyone can make the change. But if each of us starts small and makes a gradual change, together we can make a difference to our planet.”

Tag: Environment

This Exhibition Will Make You Sweat

New exhibition on climate crisis gives us tools to save the planet.

He’s Bringing Plastic Back