Despite being at war for the last year, Israel continues to play a key role in the fight against climate change. The threats of climate change aren’t waiting for the October 7 war to end, and neither is Israel’s climate change sector.

“We have continued to promote our response to climate change in Israel, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. The fact that there is a war doesn’t mean that we have to decline our duties to continue preparing ourselves in Israel for the eventualities of climate change,” Gideon Behar, Israel’s Ambassador and Special Envoy for Climate Change and Sustainability, told The Press Service of Israel. “So, continuous work is going on internally in Israel in regard to preparation, adaptation, and also mitigation.”

Behar will be part of a 100-strong delegation of Cabinet ministers, scientists, businessmen and activists led by President Isaac Herzog attending the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku.  The gathering, which begins on Monday, aims to coordinate and advance efforts to combat climate change.