How Do You Advance Environmental Justice?

Israel is facing a serious environmental crisis: some of the highest landfill rates in the Western world, no climate law, and major disparities between cities and towns when it comes to environmental protection and enforcement. These gaps are especially pronounced in disadvantaged neighborhoods and peripheral communities, where infrastructure investment is sorely lacking.

“There is currently no independent body in Israel that consolidates legal-environmental knowledge and supports local authorities and the government in making informed decisions,” says Dr. Uri Sharon, an expert in environmental and climate law. “This absence leads to real-world consequences: laws that aren’t enforced, regulations that don’t match reality, and entire communities that get left behind.”

A New Center for Law, Environment, and Society

Bar-Ilan University has established a new research center focused on the intersection of law, the environment, and society. The center recently received a NIS 6 million grant from Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection—funding that originates from compensation paid to the state following the devastating environmental disaster at Nahal Ashalim, one of the worst in Israel’s recent history.

The center’s mission is to move beyond academic boundaries and influence real policy. Researchers are already collaborating on projects with stakeholders from across the spectrum—from government ministries to grassroots organizations in the Haredi and Arab sectors.

Practical Solutions Already in Action

In partnership with the Ramat Gan municipality, researchers are building a GIS (Geographic Information System) that maps neighborhoods experiencing extreme heat stress. The data helps city officials plan shade structures, tree planting, and renovations to public buildings.

In another initiative, researchers are working with the Western Negev municipal cluster to identify environmental hazards like illegal waste dumping and soil pollution in agricultural areas. Together with local community leaders, they are exploring actionable solutions—such as simplifying regulations and improving collaboration between municipalities.

Global Model, Local Implementation

The new center draws inspiration from similar initiatives abroad, such as the Grantham Institute in London and the Nicholas Institute at Duke University. Dr. Sharon, who previously worked at the Nicholas Institute and now serves as the center’s deputy director at Bar-Ilan, explains:

“These institutes demonstrate how an interdisciplinary academic body can serve as an effective bridge between science, law, and policy—providing decision-makers with concrete solutions to pressing environmental issues.”

Academia Cannot Be an Ivory Tower

Prof. Oren Perez, the center’s director and head of Bar-Ilan’s School of Sustainability and Environment, emphasizes the center’s applied mission:
“Our goal isn’t just to publish papers, but to translate our knowledge into action with immediate impact.”

The center’s work integrates academic expertise across fields—from constitutional and public law to environmental economics, chemistry, behavioral sciences, and psychology. Current Bar-Ilan research already spans a wide range of topics: solar energy, water studies, AI-powered pollution detection, and environmental psychology.

Environmental Justice Is a Matter of Survival

One of the center’s main areas of focus will be environmental justice, particularly how environmental crises affect different population groups.
“Poor neighborhoods, Arab towns, and socially or geographically peripheral communities are usually the first to suffer,” says Prof. Perez. “Pollution—whether from waste, air, or water—does not impact everyone equally. It disproportionately harms vulnerable populations. If we don’t create data-driven protection mechanisms, we’ll only deepen inequality. This isn’t just about ideology—it’s about our shared survival.”