Israel has dramatically reduced emissions of major air pollutants over the past quarter-century while continuing to lag behind most developed countries in recycling and renewable energy use, according to figures released Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of World Environment Day on Friday.
Between 2000 and 2024, Israel cut sulfur dioxide emissions by 94%, suspended particulate matter by 88%, lead emissions by 87%, nitrogen oxides by 71%, carbon monoxide by 66% and hydrocarbons by 49%.
The improvements were driven primarily by cleaner electricity generation and reduced pollution from road transportation. The shift away from coal toward natural gas for power production played a particularly significant role.
Total greenhouse-gas emissions stood at 78.1 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, a figure that has remained relatively stable over the past decade. On a per-capita basis, Israel emitted 8.03 tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, compared with the OECD average of 10.44 tons.
Environmentalist and solar-energy pioneer Yosef Abramowitz cautioned that natural gas is not a long-term solution.
“While switching from coal to gas for electricity reduces some pollutants, methane is 83 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2, and more Israelis die every year from air pollution than from wars and terror combined,” Abramowitz told JNS.
“The obvious, cheapest and healthiest energy for Israel is solar, but we only produce 15.2% of our needs this way, which also places us at the bottom of the OECD on renewables,” he added.
The CBS report noted that emissions of fluorinated gases, used primarily in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, have risen by 150.9% since 2008. Greenhouse-gas emissions from waste disposal increased by 33.7% during the same period.
Despite progress on air quality, Israel continues to struggle with waste management.
In 2023, the country recycled just 25.3% of municipal waste, ranking 20th out of 22 OECD countries reporting data, far below the organization’s average of 57%.
Local authorities collected 6.38 million tons of waste in 2024, equivalent to 645 kilograms per person annually. Of that amount, 24.4%—about 1.6 million tons—was sent for recycling.
Among cities with more than 100,000 residents, the highest recycling rates in 2024 were recorded in Bat Yam (39.8%), Holon (38.7%), Ramat Gan (37.8%), Jerusalem (37.4%) and Tel Aviv–Yafo (36.5%).
Public satisfaction with environmental conditions also remains mixed. In 2025, 28.4% of Israelis aged 20 and older reported being bothered by air pollution in their area of residence, while 33% said outdoor noise was a persistent problem.
Reflecting the scale of the challenge, public-sector spending on environmental protection reached 20.8 billion shekels ($5.6 billion) in 2023, with waste management accounting for nearly 40% of the total.
The figures underscore both Israel’s success in reducing harmful air pollutants and the challenges that remain as policymakers seek to boost recycling rates and expand renewable energy production.
