Ezra Levant: The Future Of Free Speech Is Censorship With No Due Process

32 Comments / 32 Comments

1. @ Adam Dalgliesh:
   Adam thanks for the effort in making this available…I hope you can watch this 6 part series by naomi Oresges…There was a time when the Govts of US were on board with global warming and naomi gives the definitive answer as to what happened…her strength is in climate history. Sound on part 5 is faulty.

2. @ Felix Quigley: The URL for this copy of the report is https://ijhpr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2045-4015-2-23

3. @ Felix Quigley: I’m sorry that my URL did not enable you to access this report. I am posting what I think was the same report, or a very similar one, from another site.

   Climate change and health in Israel: adaptation policies for extreme weather events
   Manfred S Green,27 June 2013
   Abstract

   Climatic changes have increased the world-wide frequency of extreme weather events such as heat waves, cold spells, floods, storms and droughts. These extreme events potentially affect the health status of millions of people, increasing disease and death. Since mitigation of climate change is a long and complex process, emphasis has recently been placed on the measures required for adaptation. Although the principles underlying these measures are universal, preparedness plans and policies need to be tailored to local conditions. In this paper, we conducted a review of the literature on the possible health consequences of extreme weather events in Israel, where the conditions are characteristic of the Mediterranean region. Strong evidence indicates that the frequency and duration of several types of extreme weather events are increasing in the Mediterranean Basin, including Israel. We examined the public health policy implications for adaptation to climate change in the region, and proposed public health adaptation policy options. Preparedness for the public health impact of increased extreme weather events is still relatively limited and clear public health policies are urgently needed. These include improved early warning and monitoring systems, preparedness of the health system, educational programs and the living environment. Regional collaboration should be a priority.

   Background

   Human-induced emission of greenhouse gases into the lower atmosphere is increasingly contributing to the warming of the earth’s surface. There is now strong evidence for recent climatic changes. There have been significant temperature increase, more extreme weather events, sea level rise and shrinkage of most glaciers and snow cover [1, 2]. According to the UNEP, climate change “is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time, and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis, and has economic, health and safety, food production, security, and other dimensions” [3]. One of the major concerns for climate change is its impact on human health.

   In 2007, the Intergovernmental Program on Climate Change (IPCC) produced the fourth report on the potential health effects of climate change [4]. The findings were summarized as follows: “Projected climate change-related exposures are likely to affect the health status of millions of people, particularly those with low adaptive capacity, through increases in malnutrition and consequent disorders, with implications for child growth and development, increased deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts, an increased burden of diarrheal disease, an increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone related to climate change and an altered spatial distribution of some infectious disease vectors.” Moreover, in a recent report, the IPCC (2012) stressed again that there will be an increase in the severity of adverse public health impacts in climate-related disasters such as storms, floods, heat waves, drought and wildfire [5].

   International efforts are being made to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing the production of greenhouse gases. Despite these efforts, it is clear that climate change is already happening and cannot be prevented. Thus, comprehensive plans are necessary to ensure effective adaptation to different scenarios. The term “adaptation” refers to the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects in human systems, to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities [5].

   Due to the many uncertainties, a so-called “low-regrets” approach has been proposed. Low-regrets measures provide benefits under current climate conditions and a range of future climate change scenarios. They are useful and readily available starting points for addressing projected trends in exposure, vulnerability and climate extremes. They have the potential to offer benefits now and lay the foundation for addressing projected changes [5]. These measures are based on directing resources of preparedness, which will have a positive impact on public health, regardless of the impact of climate change. In addition to recommending specific preparedness measures, The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for “strengthening public health systems, emergency response programs, and research around the globe” [6]. Although general guidelines for adaptation to climate change exist, preparedness plans should be tailored to the specific conditions and needs of the various regions of the world.

   Climate change in the eastern mediterranean basin

   Since the 1960s, the Mediterranean region has become warmer with a significant increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves [7]. In addition, the basin is characterized by a reduction in the potable water availability as a result of decrease in the total amount of precipitation, change in rainfall patterns [5, 8], and water overuse by the growing population. In the Mediterranean basin, mutual enhancement (positive feedback) between the two conditions, droughts and heat waves, has been identified [5].

   All of these trends have been detected in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin in general, and most, if not all, have been detected in Israel. According to the IPCC (2012), an increase in warm days and nights has been observed, in parallel with a reduction in cold days and nights. During the last few decades, the summers in Israel have become significantly warmer [9], with an increase in the frequency and the severity of heat waves [10, 11]. The major contributor to the rise in the mean temperature is the significant increase in the minimum temperature [9].

   Although Israel’s climatological community agrees that the region is experiencing a warming trend [12], less consensus has been reached regarding the change in rainfall patterns. In 2002, Alpert et al. pointed to the paradoxical increase in Mediterranean rainfall intensity despite the decrease in total amounts [8]. However, in 2011, the Israel Meteorological Society did not identify a significant decrease in rainfall amounts in Israel, nor in their seasonal distribution [9]. In a recent paper, Ziv and Saaroni showed an increase in the relative humidity, particularly along the Israeli coastline [13].

   The Israel Climate Change Information Center (ICCIC) report (2011) [12] summarized the main predicted impacts of climatic changes on the country: A decadal increase in average annual temperature, an increase in the duration and intensity of heat waves, a reduction in the average quantity of precipitation, an increase in desertification processes in southern Israel, increased risk of floods, increased probability of forest fires and changes in sea level.

   In this paper, we review the potential health consequences of extreme weather events resulting from climate change in Israel as a case study of the Mediterranean region, and propose adaptation measures that need to be incorporated in public health policy.

   Extreme weather events and their impacts on human health, with particular attention to Israel

   The consequences of extreme weather on human health can be divided into two categories; direct and indirect. Direct impacts are deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves, floods and storms (including the risks from sewage and chemical contamination) and mental stress, poor air quality, increased pollen, reduced food safety due to higher temperatures and greater exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The indirect effects are widening health and social inequality due to rising global food prices, and food insecurity, causing population displacement and migrations. In the Eastern Mediterranean region, the most common extreme weather events are heat waves.

   Heat conditions

   The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2009) defines a heat wave as: “a period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and unusually humid weather…typically, a heat wave lasts two or more days” [14]. In fact, it is difficult to establish a global definition because of the geographically variable nature and impact of heat waves [15], which depend on the local climate of each region together with the level of the population’s acclimatization.

   Heat-related illnesses (e.g., heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, heatstroke or heat rashes) can occur when high ambient temperatures overcome the body’s natural ability to dissipate heat. Older adults, young children and persons with chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible to these illnesses and are at high risk for heat-related mortality [16]. Heat stress can occur when both air temperature and humidity are high [17]. Here again, it depends on the local climate and the public acclimation. See, for example, the U.S. heat stress index, NOAA (2013) [18].

   The health impact of the increasing frequency of heat waves is already being felt in countries such as Germany [19], China [20], Russia [21], the United States [22, 23], Australia [24] and Korea [25]. It has been estimated that the heat wave in Europe in 2003 resulted in more than 70,000 deaths [26–32]. These were mainly older persons living independently in the community, and people with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory disease [33–40]. Several studies carried out in recent years in different countries suggested that the short-term risk of myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases increases during days of extreme hot weather, which are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change [41–43]. Other health effects of heat waves might include exacerbation of psychiatric conditions and respiratory illness [44].

   No studies in Israel have reported an increase in cardiovascular disease during heat waves. However during the summer months, more hospital admissions due to cardiovascular disease were reported during warmer days than colder days [45]. In one study on the effects of heat on the number of emergency room (ER) visits in Israel, the contribution of mean daily temperature to the number of ER visits was small but significant [46]. The authors reported that the number of visits to ERs increased by 1.47% per 1°C increment in ambient temperature. Nevertheless, in the same study, the effect of humidity on the number of ER visits during heat waves in Israel was found to be negligible.

   The lack of reports of increased cardiovascular morbidity during heat waves in Israel may represent the reality or, alternatively, may be a result of the incomplete analyses of the available data. Excess mortality from heat waves may have occurred, but has not been documented. This may be due to the relatively small size of the population, where small-scale effects are difficult to detect, or to inadequate analysis of available data. Furthermore, the lack of reporting on the health impacts of heat waves in Israel may be due to the structure of the monitoring system of deaths and causes of death, which may lack the sensitivity required to detect the direct effects of heat waves on mortality. It is also possible that behavioral adaptation of the Israeli population has mitigated the health impact of heat waves.

   Nevertheless, based on the experience in Europe in 2003, it is possible that Israel will face significant mortality as a result of a prolonged extreme heat wave in the future. Due to the Mediterranean climate, Israel’s existing infrastructures for dealing with heat waves, (e.g., air conditioning) are probably better than those that were available in Europe in 2003. Nonetheless, special attention to the preparedness for protecting vulnerable groups, including low socioeconomic persons, is still essential. Without proper adaptive planning that takes into consideration both the population growth and the possible increase in extreme heat waves in Israel, climate change will result in significant adverse health effects and additional costs for the Israeli public health sector in future decades [47].

   Heat conditions and air pollution

   Exposure to pollutants, such as airborne particulate matter, has been shown to be associated with a rise in hospital admissions because of respiratory diseases [48]. Interaction between air pollution and extreme heat during heat waves might further increase the incidence of these diseases [49, 50]. For example, asthma attacks and other respiratory diseases are expected to increase during heat waves due to interactions with air pollution in general and from a rise in the frequency of wildfires [47, 51]. Indeed, a recent analysis [52] found a strong positive association between the ambient daily temperatures and PM10 concentrations, and the number of patients arriving on the same day to the Rambam Medical Center (Israel), controlled for autoregressive effects, day of the week and season of the year.

   Heat conditions and infectious diseases

   In general, infectious diseases are not related to extreme heat events. However, in recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the linkage between extreme heat conditions and some vector-borne diseases. These include Dengue and West Nile virus [53–55]. In addition there have been outbreaks of food-borne diseases [56] due to inadequate cooling of food served in public places and spoiling of foodstuffs as a result of power failures caused by excessive energy demands. However, the current paper does not focus on possible associations between heat spells and outbreaks of infectious diseases since this is a wide and complex issue that justifies a separate review.

   The impact of heat conditions on vulnerable groups

   a. Elderly and the chronically ill

   The elderly and the chronically ill are vulnerable groups at high risk of heat stress [44, 57]. A number of studies around the world have shown that older persons and people with pre-existing chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases) have higher susceptibility to heat and are at high risk of increased morbidity during heat waves [39, 57–60]. For example, in a study in Seoul [61], it was found that among elderly living in poor housing conditions, body temperature increased by 0.07°C with each 1°C increase in the mean outdoor temperature.

   Excess mortality among the elderly during heat waves has been reported in Australia [62]. It has been predicted that, assuming no change in adaptation measures, the impact of projected high temperatures on annual mortality in the older age group, for capital cities only, may increase by a half to three times, depending on the greenhouse gas emissions scenario [62].

   In Israel, the risk of heat waves is not dissimilar from the risk in Australia, which also has regions with Mediterranean climate type. Thus, without an adaptation plan that will take into account the expected increase in heat waves and the aging of the population, the predictions for Israel might well be similar to the predictions for Australia.

   Among the elderly and the chronically ill in Israel, excess morbidity and mortality from heat stress might have occurred, but has not been documented. The actual monitoring of the condition of those groups is complex on account of the lack of an adequate monitoring system for heat-related morbidity and mortality and the failure to mention heat stress on death certificates. In addition, older and chronically ill people may be treated mainly in the community where the data from monitoring are often less specific. Thus, the lack of data might conceal the true extent of the effects of heat stress on morbidity and mortality among the elderly and the chronically ill. In Israel, these populations are included in the Ministry of Health risk groups to be monitored in cases of extreme weather events [63–65].

   b. Poor and indigent people

   Poor people often lack well-designed, adequately insulated housing and air conditioning. They will be more affected by heat waves if they lack the means to protect themselves [57, 66]. No reports exist on the adverse health effects of extreme heat and heat waves on poor populations in general, and in Israel in particular. It is likely that, to save money, poorer people in Israel make less use of home cooling. Thus, it is possible that they are already suffering from increased morbidity during heat waves, but this goes unnoticed because of the limitations of the monitoring system.

   c. People with mental illness and physical disability

   Informal evidence shows that well-being, morale and mental health are affected by changes in the environment and the perceptions of it [62, 67]. Heat waves were found to increase the risk of mortality also for people with mental illness by 4.9% for each 1°C increase in ambient temperature above the 93rd percentile of the annual temperature distribution [68]. Evidence suggests that patients with schizophrenia are less tolerant of heat [69, 70].

   In Israel, several studies have found a seasonal variation in the admission rates of patients with mental illness suffering from different conditions, as well as a linear correlation between admission rates and the mean maximal monthly temperature [70, 71]. Even with the evidence mentioned above, it is difficult to determine the exact effect of heat waves on acute or long-term mental illness. This determination will require a much closer examination than is performed in Israel today, of the specific timing of mental illness episodes and the environmental conditions at the time.

   In addition to the possible effects of heat waves on acute psychiatric episodes, extensive and frequent heat waves may also affect the health of people with special needs. For example, extreme heat could severely limit outdoor activities for people with serious physical disabilities due to the extra effort this requires.

   d. Ethnic and cultural minorities

   As far as we know, little research has been performed concerning the health effects of heat waves on the different minorities living in Israel. Different ethnic and cultural minority groups in Israel have traditional customs that may cause difficulties in coping with heat waves. For example, many Bedouin in the Negev desert live in tents and are poorly protected against heat waves. There is evidence of some behavioral adaptation which could limit the adverse effects of heat [72]. Heat waves might have already affected morbidity and mortality rates among minorities in Israel, but this has not been documented because they are not evaluated separately from the total population. As the frequency of heat waves increases, disease and death among minority groups in Israel may be proportionately greater than in the total population.

   Extreme cold spells

   Although global temperatures are rising, extreme cold weather events are increasing in frequency [6]. Different studies conducted around the world have reported an increase in mortality during cold spells [73–75]. Most of the cardiovascular diseases show a seasonal pattern with elevated morbidity during the cold season, leading to hospitalizations on colder days [76–78]. Infections of the respiratory tract are more common during the winter months. Although Israel has not experienced a significant increase in the frequency of severe cold waves, it still important to prepare for this possibility as there is a non-negligible risk of such change in the future.

   Overall mortality increases in winter in Israel (Figure 1), and cases of preventable cold-related illnesses occur resulting in hospitalization and death. For example, the total mortality rate from myocardial infarction in Israel is seasonal, with higher rates during the winter months and during colder years [79]. However the specific health impact of cold spells or more unusually extreme winter events have not been reported.

   Figure 1
   figure1
   Monthly Percentage of Annual Mortality, Israel: 1970–2010. (Source: State of Israel, CBS, 2012. Data available at: http://www.cbs.gov.il/ts/databank/series_func_v1.html?level_1=2&level_2=2&level_3=1 Retrieved: 3.1.2012).
   Full size image
   It is, of course, possible that generally warmer weather may reduce the extent of winter peaks in mortality in Israel. Since the climate is generally warm, the general population is often unaware of the potential dangers related to exposure to extremely cold weather, especially to newborns, premature babies and the elderly.

   The impacts of cold spells on vulnerable groups

   a. Elderly and the chronically ill

   The elderly and the chronically ill are especially susceptible to the adverse effects of extreme cold, because of their lower resistance to illness as well as the chronic use of medications. A study in Moscow, which examined the health effects of two cold spells that occurred during 2006, found that their cumulative effects on mortality were significant only in the 75+ age group, in which 370 extra deaths occurred [75]. A study in the Netherlands found a V-shaped relationship between mortality and temperature. The researchers found that the optimum low temperature value was 16.5°C for people aged 65 years or above. Mortality increased by 1.37% for each degree decrease below the optimum. The average excess mortality during the cold spells was 12.8%, and was mostly attributable to the increase in cardiovascular mortality and mortality among older persons [80]. Although Israel has a warmer climate than the countries in the aforementioned studies, according to the Israel Ministry of Health, in the last few years, an increasing number of elderly people have suffered serious injuries as a result of cold exposure. Some injuries required hospitalization and were even the cause of death [81].

   b. Children

   Children represent a particularly vulnerable group that is likely to suffer disproportionately from both direct and indirect adverse health effects of extreme cold [82]. An increase in extreme cold spells will increase the risk of morbidity and mortality in the sensitive population of young infants [75, 83]. It is possible that the rate of cold-related injuries in babies in Israel is greater than currently reported, and that the under-reporting is a result of the limited capabilities of the existing monitoring system of morbidity and mortality. Cold injuries to babies may increase, especially since the Israeli population may be less prepared to handle extreme cold.

   c. The poor, indigent and people with special needs

   Poor and indigent people are more susceptible to the effects of extreme cold, as they are less equipped to deal with them than people in higher socioeconomic strata. It might be expected that during extremely cold days and nights, poor and homeless people would seek shelter in public places such as hospitals. According to a study in the United Kingdom, attendance of homeless people in emergency rooms was more frequent during evenings and nights when the temperature dropped, and a relatively high proportion (17.4%) of them left without being seen by a doctor. The same research found a small positive correlation between daily attendances of homeless people in emergency rooms and minimum daily temperature [84]. Those with mental illness may be at increased risk of the adverse effects of extreme cold since some studies have found that the rates of suicide and depression tend to escalate during cold, rainy days [85].

   Natural disasters: fires, floods and droughts

   Growing evidence shows that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of climate-related natural disasters [57, 86]. The effects of global warming on rainfall, floods, drought, storms, fires and other natural phenomena have far-reaching public health effects not only on environmentally associated disease outbreaks but also on global food and water supplies and safety, population movements and maybe even death rates [47, 51, 58, 87–90]. As a result, an adaptation plan must be established, including a combination of economic, environmental, legal, regulatory and primary public health measures [86]. Water-borne, food-borne and vector-borne diseases might increase during floods, or be enhanced by prolonged droughts [89, 90]. The acute stress from natural disasters might increase the incidence of diseases such as myocardial infarction.

   Droughts are likely to increase as a consequence of climate change [91]. According to the IPCC (2012), there is medium certainty that droughts will intensify in the 21st century in the Mediterranean Basin, due to reduced precipitation and/or increased evapotranspiration [5]. Drought might increase the probability of wildfires. Indeed, during the past several decades, a sharp increase in fire events in the Mediterranean forests has been observed [92], such as the severe wildfire in December 2010 in the Carmel Forest, Israel [93]. This was the largest forest fire in the history of Israel, which exposed between 4,000 and 7,500 hectare to the worst fire ever recorded [94]. The weather conditions prior to and during its occurrence were exceptional. Summer 2010 was the warmest on record and the following fall was the warmest and driest in the previous 40 years with a precipitation amount of approximately 10% of the perennial average rate of the season. As a result, the vegetation was unusually dry for the time of year. During the days of the wildfire, the air temperature was very high and the relative humidity was extremely low, below 10%. These conditions, together with strong, dry easterly winds, resulted in the rapid spread of the fire [11, 93].

   Recurrent floods occur in Israel, mostly in the arid southern regions. During January 2013, severe floods occurred in many areas of the country as a result of extreme storm conditions. In fact many hydrological systems reported the highest ever recorded water flows [95]. This type of flooding causes damage to property and drowning. Thus, it is quite possible that the occasional floods and/or the ongoing drought may have had adverse impacts on health that have not been documented (in particular due to the increasing frequency of droughts in Israel). This phenomenon, if prolonged, may cause salination and contamination of ground water, affecting agriculture and damaging public health.

   The impacts of natural disasters on vulnerable groups

   The acute stress caused by natural disasters might adversely affect the elderly and chronically ill populations, who have fewer coping mechanisms and are highly sensitive to the health effects of stress. Children are at highest risk of malnutrition, with long-term implications for their overall development [57, 58]. Extreme weather events may increase the risk of long-term mental health issues such as posttraumatic stress disorders [96], anxiety and depression [47, 51]

   Health policy recommendations for adaptation to extreme events due to climate change

   The health dimension of vulnerability to extreme events includes differential physical, physiological and mental health effects in different regions and on different social groups. It also includes the possible impact of extreme weather events on the provision of health services (e.g., infrastructure and facilities). Vulnerability can also be understood in terms of functionality related to communication, medical care, maintaining independence, supervision and transportation [5]. The public health policies for adaptation to extreme climate events essentially require sound and effective preparedness for response to heat waves, cold spells, floods and droughts.

   In particular, health policies that address the special needs of vulnerable groups must be identified, and where necessary, given special attention. In general, policy recommendations should address at least five areas: early detection of extreme weather events, preparedness of the health systems, monitoring of morbidity and mortality, public education and the living environment. These recommendations are grounded in the review of the literature presented in previous sections of this paper, along with our own insights into Israeli society and its policy development processes. In light of the space constraints of a journal article, these recommendations are perforce presented in general terms and could easily be elaborated in appropriate forums.

   Early detection of extreme weather events

   The meteorological services are responsible for the updated alerts on the possibility of extreme weather events. Thus, a prerequisite for any monitoring system for the early detection of extreme weather events is productive collaboration between the meteorological service and the health authorities. An action plan should be developed, containing definitions of “changes in the level of alertness and action” for the preparedness for heat waves and cold spells. Exercises on an annual basis should be carried out to evaluate the functioning and quality of the alert system.

   Preparedness of the health system

   Policy recommendations should address the emergency services’ delivery, governance and regulations, the health workforce, medical products, financing and assisting other countries in addressing the health effects of climate change. Special attention should be given to people with limited ability and who are unable to leave their homes independently. During heat waves and cold spells, all individuals in the high risk groups should be contacted personally by employees of the Ministry of Welfare, either by telephone or a home visit. In case of need, those individuals should be evacuated to hospitals or to air-conditioned public places. This should be done in addition to, and not instead of, the current recommendation that family members should visit individuals in risk groups, such as older persons, on hot days.

   Moreover, the Israel Ministry of Health defined heat wave as sequentially three days or more with at least 32.2°C. According to their report, extreme heat wave occurs when the temperature is 30°C and the relative humidity is at least 70%, or when the relative humidity is lower but the temperatures are higher [64]. Since these conditions exist in many parts of the country along the whole summer, we call for a more relevant new definition.

   Monitoring

   There is a need for a monitoring system for the health effects of climate change, including indices of total and cause-specific morbidity and mortality. As soon as a heat/cold wave begins, causes of morbidity and mortality should be reported to a central department in the Ministry of Health within 48 hours (Figure 2). The data should be analyzed and reviewed on a daily basis. This applies to both hospitals and community health clinics. Registers of the demographic details and geographic location of vulnerable groups and individuals should be maintained and updated regularly; (elderly, children, chronically ill, people with special needs, outdoor workers) (Figure 3). At the same time, it should be kept in mind that the experience in other countries suggests that the development of such registries can be challenging, but that these challenges can be overcome with adequate resources and ingenuity.

   Figure 2
   figure2
   Recommended data needs for preparedness for extreme weather events.
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   Figure 3
   figure3
   Recommended registries of the demographic details and geographic location of vulnerable groups and individuals that should be maintained and updated regularly (older persons, children, chronically ill, people with special needs, outdoor workers).
   Full size image
   Education

   There is a need for improved educational programs for the public and for health professionals on how to adapt to the changes in the climate. Guidelines for behavior in case of heat waves and cold spells for the general public, as well as guidelines for the proper treatment of heat and cold injuries in hospitals, have been published by the Israel Ministry of Health [63, 64, 97]. These materials should be updated regularly and made more accessible to the public. They should be displayed clearly in emergency rooms and primary care clinics. In addition, these guidelines should be included in the teaching curriculum for medical students and other health professionals. No guidelines for public workers have been published regarding the identification of the onset of heat-related illness and the guidelines for prevention. Such guidelines should be developed and displayed.

   The living environment

   The potential impact of climate change requires a conceptual adjustment in the way buildings and cities can be adapted (shade, wind exposure, thermal comfort, adjustment to extreme events such as floods and sea level rise, etc.). Currently, health aspects are not given sufficient consideration in existing compulsory building regulations. It is important that the building codes will require new buildings to be designed to comply with green standards [98] considering design strategies, such as improved insulation, window shading, thermal mass and natural ventilation. This is not only for mitigation and energy saving, but also to achieve indoor air quality and thermal comfort throughout the year and to ensure that they remain relatively cool in case of a heat wave. In addition, there is a need to reduce dependence on air conditioning (through shading and natural ventilation) which makes high and increasingly unsustainable demands on energy.

   Special consideration should be given to existing buildings, offering incentives to perform green retrofit and to adapt them to updated green standards, improving the building envelope to reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort. The use of energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to achieve thermal comfort during extreme events should be encouraged.

   Open areas, parks and streets can provide a vital space for public urban life throughout the entire year. The public’s successful use and enjoyment of this space depends heavily on microclimatic conditions that affect thermal comfort. Appropriate comprehensive planning should consider ways of bringing together the different urban components to make use of renewable energy sources for passive heating and cooling of buildings, to reduce the heat island effect (the built-up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas) and to create open spaces that can provide enjoyment and sustain a healthy urban lifestyle.

   The Israeli government has started taking steps toward the achievement of this goal, but has reduced its investment in the plan due to budgetary considerations [99]. This plan should be updated and reactivated as it is likely to enhance both mitigation and adaptation efforts for climate change and to reduce the severity of its predicted health effects. Shelters should be continually maintained and improved so that they can be used for homeless people in case of a heat wave. Individuals from risk groups should be housed in buildings that are well-designed, properly insulated and equipped with air conditioning. All public spaces should be designed in accordance with green standards, including those proposed by the Israel Green Building Council, and should ensure the thermal comfort of users. Shading and ventilation should be provided in open spaces, particularly during the hot season [100].

   Conclusions

   Based on predictive modeling, the average temperature might increase globally by between 2-5°C during the 21st century [101]. Indeed, the impact of climate change is likely to worsen markedly in the coming decades in many parts of the world including Israel. Several climate change adaptation policies should be developed and tailored to the needs of Israel and other countries in the Mediterranean Basin. They should be directed particularly at reducing the adverse health effects resulting from the increase in extreme weather events due to climate change. These include the development of climate alert systems, improved preparedness of the health systems, enhanced monitoring of morbidity and mortality, education programs for both professionals and the public and management of the urban environment. In light of the possible interactive effect between air pollution and extreme weather events, efforts should be made to reduce air pollution to the minimum. The adaptation plans must take into account the special needs and cultures of minority groups, vulnerable groups, the elderly and the chronically ill. Efforts should be made to increase regional collaboration on these issues, by pooling knowledge, coordinating monitoring and alert systems and developing common adaptation policies relevant to the Mediterranean basin.

   Authors’ information

   Manfred Green MD,PhD is an epidemiologist and professor and head of the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa. Until 2008, he was director of the Israel Center for Disease Control and a professor in the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. He is board certified in public health, health administration and occupational medicine.

   Noemie Groag Pri-or is a research assistant at the School of Public Health, University of Haifa. She has a MPH degree in health promotion. Her main interest lies in understanding the effects of environmental and policy factors on the health of the population as a whole and the health of women and children in particular. Guedi Capeluto DSc is an architect and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. His research is focused on sustainable design, green architecture, intelligent buildings, daylighting, daylight access and solar rights in urban design. Yoram Epstein PhD, FACSM specializes in environmental physiology and ergonomics, with special interest in thermoregulation. Presently, an associate professor of environmental physiology in the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University and a senior investigator and consultant at the Heller Institute of Medical Research in the Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. Shlomit Paz PhD is a senior lecturer at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa. She is a climatologist, who investigates the impacts of climate change on the public health, with a main focus on the effects of the global warming on vector-borne diseases.

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   Acknowledgements

   This study was carried out under the auspices of the Israel Climate Change Information Center (ICCIC), which was established through funding by the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the members of the ICCIC, Prof. Mordechai Shechter (ICCIC Head) and the section heads, Prof. Haim Kutiel, Prof. Marcelo Sternberg, Prof. Ofira Ayalon, Prof. Guedi Capeluto, Prof. Manfred Green, Prof. Nurit Kliot, Prof. Arnon Soffer and from the Ministry of Environmental Protectio`n, Dr. Sinaia Netanyahu (Chief Scientist) and Dr. Orna Metzner.

   Author information

   Affiliations

   School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

   Manfred S Green
   & Noemie Groag Pri-or
   Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Technion, Israel

   Guedi Capeluto
   Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

   Yoram Epstein
   Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

   Shlomit Paz
   Corresponding author

   Correspondence to Manfred S Green.

   Additional information

   Competing interests

   The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

   Authors’ contribution

   MG conceptualized the idea of the manuscript and was involved in all steps of the writing of the paper. SP was involved in all aspects of the writing of the paper including its conceptualization. NGP was involved in data collection and analysis and assisted with writing the article. GC assisted with writing the section of the article concerning the living environment. YE assisted with writing the section of the article concerning heat conditions. All authors helped in reviewing drafts of the article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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4. Felix Quigley Said:

   In turn, this release amplifies the warming trend, leading to yet more CO2 being released. In other words, increasing CO2 levels become both the cause and effect of further warming.

   I fail to read that the co2 that is released into the atmosphere causes the temperature to rise. But let’s say it does. Are you saying athoratively that the man made increase in co2 in the atmosphere is significant given the amount of co2 released from the oceans. As I understand it, it is an infiantessimal percentage of the whole increase.

   So the cycle starts with a rise in temperature not caused by man and then a further rise due to the release of co2 from the oceans. According to this theory, temperature would continue to rise causing even more co2 to be released. But it doesn’t increase forever. Nature reverses the process and we have an ice age.

   Man played no part in this cycle. Yet you want me to believe that man’s infitessimal increase in the Co2 levels must be addressed at humongous cost. That’s where you lose me.

5. @ Felix Quigley:
   I just noticed this article about the rise in temperature in Israel. I notice that the article simply records the fact of climate change. As you know I fully accept the fact of climate change.

   but the article says nothing about what caused it.

6. As I try to suppress my anger at Israpundit editor Ted Belman not reporting on global warming in Israel, and instead pursuing an ideological war rather than report facts, i read more things. Israel has a key scientist on the world stage, jim salinger, who lives in the Mount Carmel region of Israel, and writes accurately. A personal note…I myself live int he Murcia region of Spain, for how long more is a question, and i have had direct experience of high temperature, and is also connected to my personal struggle with a local Spanish peasant who keeps his dog, with no name, tied up in a metal barrel, under such heat. My thermometer went up to 50 Celsius and the heat has broken it. The heat exceeded 50 Celcius!

   “Thirty-five degrees Celsius is the threshold value of wet bulb temperature beyond which any exposure for more than six hours would probably be intolerable even for the fittest of humans, resulting in hyperthermia (overheating) and death.

   The body can cope through perspiration and evaporation provided that the wet bulb temperature – a measure of humidity or degree of mugginess – remains below 35C.

   A graphic example of this was illustrated in Death Valley in 1932 when the highest temperature on earth ever was reached at 56.7C.

   Flocks of birds entered the area then plummeted to their death from heat exhaustion.

   A recent study in the scientific journal Nature concludes that projections in the MENA are likely to approach and exceed this critical threshold (35C) wet bulb temperature under the business-as-usual scenario, making areas not survivable.”
   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12037543

7. The average temperature in the country has risen by 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.52 degrees Fahrenheit) from 1950 to 2017
   https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-israel-to-get-hotter-drier-barring-major-reduction-in-greenhouse-gases/

   And rising. This is the average temperature and 1.4 degrees Celsius is enormous and i think also “What about the wildlife? What is this increase in heat doing to the wildlife who can only react and not speak”

   Yet Ted Belman keeps this information OUT OF Israpundit.

8. @ Ted Belman:
   Ted Belman has said “So what? That changes nothing.” but this was in response to my charge which I vouched really as a suspicion that Belman and Zorn knew nothing about basic physics of global warming, really the relationship in very basic terms between sun and earth.

   If Ted knows nothing about this then that places him in the position of a slavish follower, in this case of certain sites which are calling themselves the “right”, and simply slavishly publishing heir articles.

   But thank goodness new information about science in Israel has introduced a totally new way of looking at things because this brings global warming into the heart of Israel. This is no longer an academic debate.

   And still waiting on a response from Belman and Zorn to this information about science in Israel on the issue of global warming.

   Make no mistake about it we are at last getting to the heart of the politics of the issue of global warming on Israpundit. It goes to fundamentals.

9. @ Felix Quigley:
   Adam it is the delay that is the real killer. This series on youtube is very helpful to understand the roots of these doubters and the meaning of the doubting…a la Thomas.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVPIA6l2OTg

10. @ Adam Dalgliesh:
    Adam that news really does sadden me

    Please check the url as it does not work for me and gives “Page not available”

11. @ Ted Belman:

    That is far from the present. That is actually aeons ago in the main.

    We are talking here about the effct of man on the earth. That is the essence, and not just capitalist man either,

    But there is an understanding of what you write

    This statement does not tell the whole story. The initial changes in temperature during this period are explained by changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun, which affects the amount of seasonal sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface. In the case of warming, the lag between temperature and CO2 is explained as follows: as ocean temperatures rise, oceans release CO2 into the atmosphere. In turn, this release amplifies the warming trend, leading to yet more CO2 being released. In other words, increasing CO2 levels become both the cause and effect of further warming. This positive feedback is necessary to trigger the shifts between glacials and interglacials as the effect of orbital changes is too weak to cause such variation. Additional positive feedbacks which play an important role in this process include other greenhouse gases, and changes in ice sheet cover and vegetation patterns.

    A 2012 study by Shakun et al. looked at temperature changes 20,000 years ago (the last glacial-interglacial transition) from around the world and added more detail to our understanding of the CO2-temperature change relationship. They found that:

    The Earth’s orbital cycles triggered warming in the Arctic approximately 19,000 years ago, causing large amounts of ice to melt, flooding the oceans with fresh water.
    This influx of fresh water then disrupted ocean current circulation, in turn causing a seesawing of heat between the hemispheres.
    The Southern Hemisphere and its oceans warmed first, starting about 18,000 years ago. As the Southern Ocean warms, the solubility of CO2 in water falls. This causes the oceans to give up more CO2, releasing it into the atmosphere.

    https://skepticalscience.com/co2-lags-temperature.htm

12. @ Felix Quigley: Felix, somewhere or other you asked “what are climate scientists in Israel saying and doing about climate change? ” This article should give you the answer: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3707789/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3707789/ The Israel meteorological service says that Israel’s climate has been getting hotter since it began measuring temperatures in Israel. Also, getting drier. It predicts that these trends will continue until at least 2100, and will have a disasterous effect on Israel, causing a major water shortage in the country and severe health impacts on the population, especially “vulnerable” groups such as children, the elderly, the ill, etc. Ted, do you think these Israeli meteorologist are leftist conspirators too, like the U.S. and British meteorological services? Are weather reporting agencies around the world really hotbeds of leftist conspiracies?

13. Felix Quigley Said:

    this leads us to a consideration of the gases in the atmosphere, that is the gases which make up the atmosphere.

    No doubt yopu will argue that CO2 is increasing due to the burning of fossil feul. Bu the records over the millenium say that temperature rises befor the CO2 level rises. Yet you maintain the reverse.

14. @ Felix Quigley:
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2014/04/26/former-nasa-scientist-global-warming-is-nonsense/

15. Ted Belman…can I refer you specifically to this paragraph which I wrote:

    “Are you even aware that the sun in heating our earth works through the atmosphere, and so this leads us to a consideration of the gases in the atmosphere, that is the gases which make up the atmosphere. I have never once saw either you or Zorn refer to this. perhaps you can start today from that point and go on from there.”

    Perhaps you can explain what are your views on this?

    In my view we are past the point where you as editor of Israpundit need to state your own views and not rely on dubious sources from the “Right”. That is just too easy.

    We often hear it said that the heating of earth is due to the sun, in the specific sense that the sun controls our climate. this is an argument that is often made by global warming deniers.

    This is so serious because it draws attention away from the role of the atmosphere, and there is an added issue here, by drawing attention away from the atmosphere they also draw attention away from global warming gases in the atmosphere, the main but not only one being carbon dioxide.

    Ted Belman you have seen an example of this from Sebastien Zorn above who refers to carbon dioxide only in one of its aspect, that is plants, and not the other that is as a global warming gas in the atmosphere. That is sheer dishonesty, or maybe just unwitting ignorance, on the part of Zorn. i hope Ted Belman you dissociate from that.

16. @ Peter Dale:
    Peter Dale it is embarrassingly easy to demolish your arguments based on two frauds

    One of his central arguments, exemplified by the German experience, is that the cost is prohibitive

    This is not an argument. This is in no way an argument. the opposite also holds, that the cost of NOT dealing with Global Warming may be a thousand times more prohibitive.

    Even more to the point is Rex J. Fleming’s ‘The Rise and Fall of the Carbon Dixoide Theory of Climate Change’

    carbon Dioxide is the main warming gas in the atmosphere

    and the literature he cites to question how much is due to human beings and how much is due to other forces

    What literature? You have introduced the man so can we know the literature he cites

    such as the variation in the earth orbit and the sun cycle

    the variation of the earth orbit is raised but/and this proceeds on a timespan of 100,000 years if my memory is correct (Milankovitch cycles describe the collective effects of changes in the Earth’s movements on its climate over thousands of year)…PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE DECEIVING REFERENCES
    And the “sun cycle”…with due respect that expression is too imprecise to mean much.

    In conclusion resent day global warming has got nothing to do with that. It is caused by carbon dioxide entering, being put into, the atmosphere at what can truthfully be called a “frantic” rate

17. @ Sebastien Zorn:

    Sebastien Zorn

    Actually, everything has been questioned. Whether there is global change that is significant compared to such changes throughout recorded history, whether the earth is warming or cooling, whether carbon dioxide is good or bad — plants breathe it in and breathe out oxygen, whether man has anything to do with it. They have been using computer models that don’t conform with observed reality and they haven’t been observing it closely for very long. It’s a scam intended as a tool of global social engineering. Sometimes they admit it.

    Actually, everything has been questioned.

    But not answered or refuted in any scientific manner. if so state where.

    Whether there is global change that is significant compared to such changes throughout recorded history

    There has never been such a change since man came on earth

    whether the earth is warming or cooling

    the earth is warming at a rapid rate over the past 150 years and especially over the past 70 or so

    whether carbon dioxide is good or bad — plants breathe it in and breathe out oxygen, whether man has anything to do with it

    yes but carbon dioxide also enters in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide has an effect on the heating of the earth. The old saying “you can have too much of a good thing” applies here

    They have been using computer models that don’t conform with observed reality

    In what way do the computer models not conform with reality? That is an opinion. Back it up with information. until you back that up with some data that is just an opinion. Please urgently back it up since you make the assertion.

    and they haven’t been observing it closely for very long

    What do you mean by “it”. I take it you mean climate. And they have been observing “it” for a very long time indeed. Do you not know?

    It’s a scam intended as a tool of global social engineering

    Here you show extreme disrespect for global science. What gives you the credentials to do that

    Sometimes they admit it.

    Your two examples. 1. AOC is not representative of climate science and yet I say she has a right to her point of view and 2. the only point about that article is that Greta is reaching the opinion that the capitalist system is bankrupt and cannot solve this problem, only intensify the problem. Which they have caused. And is her right to say so if she believes it.

18. @ Felix Quigley:
    So what? That changes nothing.

19. @ Sebastien Zorn:
    Your two references, which i have read, are of not much use to anything. AOC is a spokesman for herself. I do not like her politics, but so what.

    ““Do you guys think of it as a climate thing?” Because we really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing,” he added.”

    In contrast I am talking about global warming so can we deal with that and not veer off.

    Also with Greta. i fail to see why you quote this. She wants to stop global warming, is coming to the conclusion the system of capitalism is not going to do this, so she voices the view that the system of capitalism needs to be ended. it is a viewpoint and i commend her for stating the truth. What is your beef exactly?

20. @ Ted Belman:
    Ted Belman you completely do not understand the issue of global warming, which is just a descriptive term, and describes the heating of the earth by the sun through the medium of atmospheric gases.

    I have a sense that people like you and Sebastien Zorn do not even understand the basic physics connected with the heating of the earth. Why do I sense that…because i have never once known you to refer to the basic physics involved in the heating of the earth.

    For example when you wrote your essay on the historical Jesus you dealt with the physical reality of the Jews living in Judea at that time, the reality of the Romans and so on. But not on this issue. You do a different thing here.

    Are you even aware that the sun in heating our earth works through the atmosphere, and so this leads us to a consideration of the gases in the atmosphere, that is the gases which make up the atmosphere. I have never once saw either you or Zorn refer to this. perhaps you can start today from that point and go on from there.

21. @ Ted Belman:
    Actually, everything has been questioned. Whether there is global change that is significant compared to such changes throughout recorded history, whether the earth is warming or cooling, whether carbon dioxide is good or bad — plants breathe it in and breathe out oxygen, whether man has anything to do with it. They have been using computer models that don’t conform with observed reality and they haven’t been observing it closely for very long. It’s a scam intended as a tool of global social engineering. Sometimes they admit it.

    https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/climate-strikes-greta-thunberg-calls-for-system-change-not-climate-change-here-s-what-that-could-look-like

    https://www.nationalreview.com/news/aocs-chief-of-staff-admits-the-green-new-deal-is-not-about-climate-change/

22. That is why I suggested reading Darwall’s books; he deals in some detail with these issues. One of his central arguments, exemplified by the German experience, is that the cost is prohibitive. Even more to the point is Rex J. Fleming’s ‘The Rise and Fall of the Carbon Dixoide Theory of Climate Change’ and the literature he cites to question how much is due to human beings and how much is due to other forces, such as the variation in the earth orbit and the sun cycle. Rex Fleming is also on youtube.

23. @ Felix Quigley:No one disputes there is climate change. What’s in dispute is whether such change is man made. Secondly it is disputed that the medicine is worth taking. It may make an insignificant difference at an outrageous cost.

24. Perhaps people should consider reading two books written by Rupert Darwall: ‘The Age of Global Warming’ and ‘Green Tyranny’. He is especially good in presenting Germany’s experience with ‘going green’. And it’s not a happy one. Germans are using renewables; they are reverting to burning wood. But not from their Black Forest. Rather wood from old growth forests in North America. Darwall also shows the origins of the green movement in the Nazi election manifesto of 1933. And he poses the question of whether the climate change movement is really about climate change or about the transformation of the capitalist economies of the West. (Hint: it’s about transforming the economy) You can also find Darwall on youtube if you want to get a hint of what’s in the books.

25. @ Ted Belman:

    The earth is either warming or the earth or it is not

    By a significant amout or an insignificant amount

    There is melting of the polars or not

    There is melting of the glaciers or not

    There is effect on animals of warming or there is not

    Surely we can find the answers to these questions. What is the mystery?

    Where are the Israeli scientists on this? Is Israel not producing scientists who are studying global climate? What do they say? Who are they?

26. @ Edgar G.:
    Edgar…everythign above you say about Jones is correct. i am focussing ont he way he promotes this isue of Epstein and the sad situation that ted is not fighting against Jones, and through jones

    “Jeffrey Epstein was a Mossad asset who was used by Israeli intelligence to blackmail American politicians, according to a former Israeli spy.

    Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli spy and alleged “handler” of Robert Maxwell, told the authors of a new book, Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales, that Epstein ran a “complex intelligence operation” at the behest of Mossad.

    Believing that Epstein planned to marry his daughter, Maxwell introduced him and Ghislaine Maxwell to Ben-Menashe’s Mossad circle.

    “Maxwell sort of started liking him, and my theory is that Maxwell felt that this guy is going for his daughter,” Ben-Menashe said. “He felt that he could bless him with some work and help him out in like a paternal [way].”

    Israeli intelligence bosses gave the green light and Epstein then became a Mossad asset.

    “They were agents of the Israeli Intelligence Services,” said Ben-Menashe.

    When it became clear that Epstein wasn’t very competent at doing much else, his primary role became “blackmailing American and other political figures.”

    “Mr. Epstein was the simple idiot who was going around providing girls to all kinds of politicians in the United States,” said Ben-Menashe. “See, fucking around is not a crime. It could be embarrassing, but it’s not a crime. But fucking a fourteen-year-old girl is a crime. And he was taking photos of politicians fucking fourteen-year-old girls — if you want to get it straight. They would just blackmail people, they would just blackmail people like that.”

    There’s also a Mossad connection to a different kind of sex offender; Harvey Weinstein.

    Weinstein reportedly hired ex-Mossad agents to suppress allegations against him. Working for an Israeli firm called Black Cube, these agents pressured witnesses and tried to intimidate journalist Ronan Farrow in order to “bury the truth” about Weinstein’s activity.

    In response to the above I wrote on my facebook the following:

    ALEX JONES IS PUSHING THE NASTIEST CONSPIRACY THEORIES AGAINST ISRAEL AND JEWS

    Alex Jones is pushing the modern Protocols of Zion conspiracy against Jews

    Jones is a big time American Fascist type who has a desperate hatred for Israel, and because of that hatred of Israel, for Jews because Israel is the only state of the Jews. This is The Protocols of the Elders of Zion content being brought into political dialogue in 2019.”

    Let us deal Edgar with the central issue. Israel is a small country with a history of hatred against Jews going back into the ages. It IS small.

    In 1973 very false thinking left Israel unprepared for the attack from Arabs in the 1973 war. This undoubtedly had an effect on Jews who are in the leadership of Intelligence.

    So israeli Intellignce does what it can.

    Now these horrible claims are being made again against Jews. That Jews are involved in the wholesale raping of underage girls, that is children, and indeed according to the ultra nationalist Jones American Children. That is the content. Always children in these antisemitic circles.

    Without any proof!

    This comes also out of the dirty antisemitism of the British ruling classes because a very big antisemitic meme in Britain was that Maxwell was a Mossad agent and a SPY!

    These antisemites associated with Jones even made a big play on the fact that Maxwell was buried in Israel. How antisemitic is that!

    This latest action is also promoted by Hannity who is another unprincipled character, all based on the word essentially of one person who claims he was ex Mossad. And a dubious book ont he same themes that Hannity promotes. And where Hannity goes so does Trump.

    I would remind Ted Belman that if people are making claims that Jews, Israel, Mossad, are involved in the raping of girls, and American girls at that, then we ask for some proof.

    And there is none. That is the whole point.

    This IS Protocols brought into our own day, at this time.

    As regards Ezra Levant if he is such an up front guy, a defender of Tommy Robinson, come right out and clear up his association with Jones.

27. @ Mike Barry:
    Every right wing site I am familiar with wears the badge proudly. e.g. American Thinker, Gateway Pundit, Canada Free Press, etc. I don’t know of any that believe in man made climate change.

28. …being a man made climate change denier is a badge of honour that many of us wear.

    Sad!

29. @ Felix Quigley:

    I recall, a year or two ago, that as soon as I realised that Ted was posting Jones regularly, I wrote in that I’d listened to him a few times, and was convinced he was crazy, certainly a half mad conspiracy mashuggena. I though that he had been banned from public broadcasting. I see that I was wrong.

30. Felix Quigley Said:

    My problem is with Ezra Levant who is a liar on the issue of global warming,

    I don’t know what lies he is alleged to have told, but being a man made climate change denier is a badge of honour that many of us wear.

    As for the story on Espstein being a mossad agent, it is plausible. What proof is there that he was not? I’ll listen.

31. @ Ted Belman:

    I am not sure who is saying what in the above but perhaps my fault for not watching the videos. I hope to.

    My problem is with Ezra Levant who is a liar on the issue of global warming, which keeps coming into everything today.

    Then there is Alex Jones featured in pleasant garb in the above piece introduced by Ted, Jones…who I would not believe if he told me the sun was going to rise tomorrow.

    Then there is the lack of any warning by you Ted re Alex Jones, on just about everything to do with Israel and Jews.

    In particular a link of Alex Jones with David Icke who is the most shady and anti Israel anti Jewish person on the planet.

    So Levant a climate denier

    Close associate of Jones it seems now

    Jones is now promoting fascist slander of Israel in the case of Epstein slanders being made, against Mossad/Israel/Jews

    https://www.infowars.com/epstein-was-a-mossad-agent-used-to-blackmail-american-politicians-says-former-israeli-spy/

32. Ezra finds the bravery of young people in Hong Kong for standing up to tyranny commendable. He should have extended his shout out to the brave Iraqis and Iranians who are putting their lives on the line, literally, to oppose the Mullahs.