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Humankind has long used the environment for personal needs. However in the race for progress, people have harmed the environment and left it badly scarred, resulting in far-reaching changes and the destruction of animals and plants. The increase in the world population and the continual rise in consumption has caused the annihilation of our essential natural resources. We have reached a situation whereby people are destroying their own life source and decreasing their chances of survival on this earth.
In Israel of the nineties the environment is still in a critical state: the air is polluted, as is the water, and the land is absorbing more and more poisonous substances. But today, within the framework of the Ministry of the Environment and the environmental units in the local municipalities, innovative action ~ being taken to treat nuisances and pollution and to restore the environment to that which was taken away in the past due to the development, building and industrial fervour.
The government and local authorities are focusing on the following areas:
- Prevention of air pollution from power stations, industrial factories and traffic in the country.
- Prevention of marine pollution and the cleaning of beaches.
- Localization of solid waste disposal sites and the closure of the majority of the landfills in Israel which endanger the quality of underground water.
- Promotion of recycling in order to decrease the vast volume of rubbish and as a general economic saving.
- Supervision of the usage of hazardous substances and response preparation in emergency situations and accidents by the dispersion of hazardous substances.
- Supervision of the methods of disposing and storing industrial waste, which causes the pollution of rivers, underground water, land and the sea.
- Prevention of the pollution of water sources and underground water, the fosterng of revitalisation programmes of rivers and the establishment of more sewage treatment plants.
- Prevention of noise environmental pollution which adversely affects a person's space.
- The need to consider the environment when preparing development programmes submitted for authorisation by the Planning and Building Institutions.
- Initiation and preparation of activities in the area of environmental education in order to raise public awareness.
At the initiative of the Ministry of the A Environment, the Israel Government decided that the year beginning in September 1993 would be the Year of the Environment in Israel. During the Year of the Environment, the Ministry of the Environment, together with the Government
Information Centre, government ministries, local municipalities and various public organisations, will be active in gaining significant improvements in all areas of the environment and in particular, in raising public awareness.
Special efforts will be dedicated to the following areas: The cleaning of beaches and walkways; the closure of 400 uncontrolled landfills and their proper treatment; the establishment of 5 central sites for the collection of solid waste; the rehabilitation of 5 rivers; source separation of waste from government offices and local municipalities for recycling; first stage in decreasing the vast volumes of rubbish; collection of used batteries and their disposal at the central site for poisonous waste in the Negev; the encouragement of consumption of environment friendly products and increasing enforcement actions. The appointment of "Cleanliness Wardens" - all volunteers - will reach 250,000 by the end of the Year of the Environment.
In the area of raising public awareness, a number of special information campaigns will be instituted - exhibitions, marches, information days and educational activities.
The issue of an environmental stamp by the Israel Philatelic Service is a significant step forward in raising public awareness about the environment.
