March 3, 2022

Environmental issues are serious and increasingly concerning. These topics are often ignored and continue to worsen. It is necessary for researchers, scientists, advocates, entrepreneurs and companies to acknowledge the problems around the globe and take action to solve them as efficiently and sustainably as possible. Check out these innovative solutions working to respond to environmental issues:

Fighting Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Currently, mosquitos kill around 1 million people a year. This number will only increase as climate change worsens, as rising temperatures expand the area in which mosquitoes can survive. Israeli scientists and entrepreneurs have been developing a series of ingenious remedies and are working to decrease the risks associated with mosquitos. One of the most inventive methods has been put forth by the Papathanos Insect Genetics Lab at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They have used cutting edge technology to genetically modify male malaria mosquitoes’ Y chromosome so that those mosquitos will only have male baby offspring, who will inherit the modified gene. Therefore, in the future, there will be no more female mosquitoes who cause disease-transmitting bites. This type of innovative thinking has the potential to save countless lives.
Learn more about the fight against mosquito-borne diseases here.

Protecting Earth’s Oceans

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

While some organisms need modification, other wildlife needs protection. A nonprofit, EcoOcean, teaches school children about protecting the marine and coastal environment. The organization helps to educate on how to create marine protected areas, thus combatting single-use plastic pollution and maintaining sustainable beaches. Part of their goal is to educate the public and decision makers on climate change. By using data, organizations such as EcoOcean are making a huge impact on effectively combating climate change through education.
Learn more about people working to help the environment here.

Strengthening Global Farming

SeeTree analyzes whole citrus orchards using drones and censors to prevent devastating disease. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

New sustainable solutions for combating environmental issues are constantly being developed. For example, the company SeeTree uses drones, sensors and machine learning to give farmers a better idea of the health of their trees and their fruit yields.This technology also helps farmers protect their trees from diseases such as HLB, or Huanglongbing, which has devastating effects on citrus trees and their fruit. While SeeTree was founded in and operates from Tel Aviv, their innovation has spread to places like California and Brazil.
Learn more about technologies helping the world’s trees here.

You may be surprised to learn that so many of these environmental solutions come from Israel, a tiny country in the Middle East. Like so many countries in the world, Israel understands the reality that our global environment affects all of us. This has inspired Israelis to work on developing plans and creating technology to address environmental issues. They have been successful within their own country and continue to share their methods with other places that have similar problems. Israel leads in solutions to make our world a safer, more sustainable place to live.

Groundbreaking Israel content is developed by ISRAEL21c’s Digital Ambassadors.

Gillian Duffalo, a Digital Ambassador for the Groundbreaking Israel World Aid Team, is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Communications and minoring in Consumer Psychology and Cognitive Science. Her experience includes brand positioning and marketing for nonprofits and private organizations. She is passionate about social impact and expanding target audiences.

Yael Kirschner, a Digital Ambassador for the Groundbreaking Israel World Aid Team, is a senior at The City College of New York, majoring in Psychology. She has passions for Israel, writing and learning new things!

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