כסף גדל על העצים – השפעת עצי רחוב על שווי דירות באזור מפרץ חיפה: [מתוך המדור: חזית המחקר]

Twenty years have passed since the enactment of the Coastal Environment Protection Law of 2004 (CEPL), enacted to protect the natural values ​​of the sensitive and unique coastal environment and to maintain its public profile. This study examined whether the Coastal Environment Protection Committee and the CEPL Appeals Committee, which were established following the law, are indeed fulfilling the CEPL’s goals in weighing environmental considerations. Following on from an earlier study that found that the Coastal Environment Protection Committee's position tends to favor development interests, this study sought to present a more up-to-date picture by presenting quantitative data on the nature of decisions. In order to understand the considerations that underpinned the committees' decisions, a "framing" research method was implemented; this method is as a common tool for understanding environmental conflicts. The study's findings indicate that the percentage of environmental considerations in the decisions of this committee and the CEPL Appeals Committee is no more than 10%. We also found that the committees did consider environmental aspects they did so superficially, such as examining the expected environmental damage resulting from the development. More complex discussion is actually found outside the decisions, such as the minority opinion of the CEPL Appeals Cmmittee determining that development on the Habonim Beach should be avoided due to a moral obligation that a person has, not only towards himself but also towards nature. In light of the study's findings, we offer a number of practical recommendations that may make the committee's decisions more environmental. For example, we conclude that a legislative amendment stipulating that a representative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection with planning training serve as chair of the CEPL.