Groundwater could flood hundreds of high-rises in coastal cities

Dr. Gil Proaktor, a former senior official at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, warns in an interview that the climate crisis is worsening and Israel is unprepared. He notes that in Europe, about ten thousand people died in a single heatwave, and climate change will cause groundwater to rise, flooding the foundations of hundreds of high-rises in coastal cities. Proaktor calls for a national emergency plan and climate legislation.

Dr. Gil Proaktor, a former senior official at the Ministry of Environmental Protection who led the climate field in the ministry, warns in an extensive interview that Israel is unprepared for the worsening climate crisis. According to him, in Europe, about ten thousand people died in a few weeks during historic heat records, and extreme records are also being broken in the US, East Asia, and Australia. Proaktor explains that an extreme El Niño, combined with human-made climate change, is leading to severe consequences. He warns that Israel is warming on average 20% faster than the global average, and extreme temperatures will become the norm in a few years. The main danger he raises is the rise of groundwater: as the sea rises, saltwater penetrates inland into the coastal plain, the fresh groundwater floats above it, and its level rises. This could flood the foundations of hundreds of high-rises in coastal cities, foundations that are dozens of meters deep in the ground and were never designed to be flooded. Proaktor notes that critical infrastructure such as electricity, transportation, and health is already being damaged by extreme weather conditions, and railway tracks may soften and cause deformations. He calls for a national emergency plan for renewable energies, binding climate legislation, and investment in infrastructure adaptation. According to him, Israel is missing targets, the dependence on gas is large and worrying, and a gas shortage could occur as early as the end of the 2030s. He emphasizes that there are opportunities in Israeli innovation, but political leadership at the level of the Prime Minister is required.