It's something that is obvious when you think about it - Israel's relative strength in the region, and leverage with the west, is inversely proportional to global oil demand - but it's not something that normally comes to mind when thinking about Israel. It's nice to know that there is at least one country who's immediate security concern is, or at least should be, ending the world's addiction to oil. And this isn't just any country, it's a tiny place that happens to be a world leader in cutting edge technology.
The story points out how Israel has been slow to start investing in alternative energy, but there is really only one thing that can get a country to invest big and move quickly: national security.
Interesting,
ReplyDeleteIsrael certainly has an incentive to develop reliable energy independence. They have been on the solar heating train for quite a while now:
(http://cleantechnica.com/2008/07/07/90-of-israeli-homes-solar-hot-water-equipped/)
It is starting to look like this is the future of clean-tech. Pioneered not by environmentalists, but by realist geopolitics and a desire for energy self sufficiency.
...As well as the developing world, where much of the countryside was never addicted to oil.