Pollution in a Promised Land: An Environmental History of IsraelVirtually undeveloped one hundred years ago, Israel, the promised "land of milk and honey," is in ecological disarray. In this gripping book, Alon Tal provides--for the first time ever--a history of environmentalism in Israel, interviewing hundreds of experts and activists who have made it their mission to keep the country's remarkable development sustainable amid a century of political and cultural turmoil. The modern Zionist vision began as a quest to redeem a land that bore the cumulative effects of two thousand years of foreign domination and neglect. Since then, Israel has suffered from its success. A tenfold increase in population and standard of living has polluted the air. The deserts have bloomed but groundwater has become contaminated. Urban sprawl threatens to pave over much of the country's breathtaking landscape. Yet there is hope. Tal's account considers the ecological and tactical lessons that emerge from dozens of cases of environmental mishaps, from habitat loss to river reclamation. Pollution in a Promised Land argues that the priorities and strategies of Israeli environmental advocates must address issues beyond traditional green agendas. |
Contents
1 | |
Reclaiming a Homeland Zionisms Mixed Ecological Message | 19 |
Palestines Environment 19001949 Prelude to Disaster or Benign HalfCentury? | 35 |
The Forests Many Shades of Green | 69 |
The Emergence of an Israeli Environmental Movement | 113 |
A General Launches a War for Wildlife | 155 |
The Quantity and Quality of Israels Water Resources | 199 |
Israels Urban Environment 19481988 The Politics of Neglect | 243 |
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Common terms and phrases
Adam Teva V'din afforestation agricultural air pollution air quality Amotz Zahavi Arava Aviv Azariah Alon became Bedouin Beer Sheva began Beit Biosphera Blass campaign committee country's Dead Sea December Director dunams ecological Eilat Environment Environmental Quality environmentalists Eretz forestry Fund Galilee garbage Green Ha-Aretz Haifa Heinrich Mendelssohn Hillel Shuval Ibid Image appears courtesy immigrants industrial initiative Interior Interview Israel's environmental Israeli Arabs issue January Jewish Jewish National Fund Jordan Kibbutz kilometers Kinneret Knesset land of Israel leopards levels Master Plan Meir Mendelssohn meters million Miloh Minister Ministry of Health National Nature Reserves Authority Negev organization Palestine Palestinian percent personal communication plant political population problem Ramat Ramat Hovav region September settlement sewage SPNI SPNI's thousand tion trees Uri Marinov Uzi Paz waste Water Commissioner water quality Weitz Yarkon River Yishuv Yoav Sagi Yoffe Yosef Yossi Sarid Zahavi Zionist