{"id":38722,"date":"2022-04-22T01:40:52","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T08:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=38722"},"modified":"2022-04-21T11:15:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T18:15:15","slug":"bgu-tackles-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2022\/04\/22\/bgu-tackles-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"BGU tackles climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev\u2019s School of Sustainability and Climate Change have been experimenting with alternative ways of irrigating trees, in this case, by floodwater. (photo by Dani Machlis\/BGU)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigour of Israel shall be tested,\u201d David Ben-Gurion, Israel\u2019s first prime minister, predicted in 1955.<\/p>\n

The country was not even a decade old. Ben-Gurion was trying to inspire a growing population of immigrants, including Holocaust survivors, to realize their collective potential \u2013 to not just embrace a new home, but to build a new, resilient future. That legacy, he maintained, would be found in the most unlikely of places: in the harsh expanse of the country\u2019s southern water-poor and undeveloped desert. But their hard work, he insisted, could one day transform Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Today, his vision for the Negev lives on at the university that was founded in his name. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev sits, not coincidentally, at the northern tip of the desert. Some 13,000 square kilometres of semi-arid, rocky terrain make up the Negev, punctuated by dry riverbeds and desolate vistas. It\u2019s on the cusp of this wilderness that Israel\u2019s first School of Sustainability and Climate Change (SSCC) was established last October.<\/p>\n

This June, Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will be holding a gala dinner in Vancouver to raise funds for the SSCC\u2019s ongoing research. Co-chaired by Melita and Lorne Segal, the event will honour Royal Bank of Canada\u2019s B.C. regional president, Martin Thibodeau, for his community-building efforts.<\/p>\n

Existential research<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to BGU president Daniel Chamovitz, environmental research has always been a part of BGU\u2019s mission. Water reclamation, sustainable food production and creating plant species that can survive in adverse environmental conditions have been continuing themes of study since the university\u2019s inception in 1969. Establishing a school that could serve as an umbrella for diverse areas of climate and sustainability research was a natural progression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the engine, by necessity, of development and change in the Negev,\u201d Chamovitz said. That existential motivation has not only led to new ways to desalinate sea water for industrial purposes and engineer new foods, but new collaborative opportunities with countries experiencing climate impacts. The university is home to three campuses that house climate- and sustainability-related studies, as well as a business park with more than 70 multinational companies. It\u2019s also become fertile ground for Israel\u2019s start-up industry and research collaboration.<\/p>\n

Chamovitz said countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Morocco are looking to partner to solve common environmental challenges. Desertification, the erosion of arable lands driven by a changing climate and urbanization, now affects more than one-sixth of the world\u2019s population. There are also real-time challenges in the Middle East, where dry lands predominate but research experience may be limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Abraham Accords here have been essential for the growth of the school,\u201d said Chamovitz. It\u2019s not only opened doors for political alliances, it\u2019s fostered new research partnerships for institutions like BGU, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 50 years, we have been learning to live in our desert,\u201d he added, noting that what was once seen in Israel as a hyper-local challenge \u2013 how to live in a desert \u2013 has become a concern for an increasing number of countries.<\/p>\n

This month, a delegation from Morocco\u2019s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) arrived in Israel to discuss a new research partnership with the university. The collaboration, which will focus broadly on addressing food insecurity, demands for smart agriculture and alternative energy options, will also lead to educational partnerships with UM6P. \u201cThey are very excited,\u201d Chamovitz said. \u201cWe already have our first students [from Morocco].\u201d<\/p>\n

But international collaboration isn\u2019t the only byproduct of the SSCC. There\u2019s growing interest within Israel, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The] school has become the magic dust which influences everything,\u201d Chamovitz said, noting that departments and researchers without any seeming connection to climate change and sustainability are identifying ways to explore environmental subjects.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most surprising and fulfilling outcomes,\u201d he said, \u201cis that our department of Hebrew literature.\u2026 That\u2019s when we knew we had succeeded \u2013 when Hebrew literature became part of the school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prof. Noam Weisbrod, who directs SSCC\u2019s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, estimates that about 70% of BGU desert research, in one way or another, touches on topics related to climate change and sustainability. The list of departments is diverse, ranging from biology and medical sciences, to environmental geography and earth sciences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is to team up and create a force which is focusing on climate change and sustainability and their impacts in different angles and different directions, and to enable multidisciplinary research\u201d that attracts students who can lead the next generation of research into sustainable ways to combat climate change, Weisbrod said.<\/p>\n

Mitigation imperative<\/strong><\/p>\n

In February of this year, the International Panel on Climate Change released its sixth report: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cApproximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change,\u201d the IPCC stated, noting that \u201ccurrent unsustainable development patterns are increasing exposure of ecosystems and people to climate hazards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiminishing resources is a real challenge,\u201d said Weisbrod, adding that the solutions may lie in how we manage those precious resources. \u201cThere is a lot of research on how to get more crop for drop of water. I like that sentence, \u2018more crop for drop,\u2019 because this is what we\u2019re trying to do \u2013 to get the maximum crop for minimum resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The latest IPCC report suggests humanity is on the right path. Countries like the United Arab Emirates are taking action to protect water resources and reduce climate change impacts like desertification, steps that are part of BGU\u2019s cooperative strategies with UAE.<\/p>\n

According to Chamovitz, many of these advances wouldn\u2019t be possible without investors that are willing to support sustainability initiatives. He noted that RBC was one of the SSCC\u2019s first donors and has been important to the school\u2019s success \u2013 in 2020, RBC, British Columbia, sponsored the first two research fellowships at SSCC.<\/p>\n

Chamovitz will be a special guest at the Ben-Gurion University Gala Dinner for Sustainability and Climate Change on June 9 at Fairmont Pacific Rim. Tickets for the event are available from bengurion.ca\/vancouver-gala-2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jan Lee<\/strong> is an award-winning editorial writer whose articles and op-eds have been published in <\/em>B\u2019nai B\u2019rith Magazine, V<\/em>oices of Conservative and Masorti Judaism and <\/em>Baltimore Jewish Times, as well as a number of business, environmental and travel publications. Her blog can be found at multiculturaljew.polestarpassages.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev\u2019s School of Sustainability and Climate Change have been experimenting with alternative ways of irrigating trees, in this case, by floodwater. (photo by Dani Machlis\/BGU) \u201cIt is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigour of Israel shall be tested,\u201d David Ben-Gurion, Israel\u2019s first prime minister, predicted in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1908,8162,3203,21462,3128,20440,20245,1798,21461,21460,20681,2225,19704,1742],"class_list":["post-38722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-ben-gurion-university","tag-cabgu","tag-climate-change","tag-daniel-chamovitz","tag-fundraising","tag-gala","tag-martin-thibodeau","tag-middle-east","tag-noam-weisbrod","tag-rbc","tag-research","tag-science","tag-uae","tag-vancouver"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}