Yaara Peretz

My name is Ya’ara Peretz, I am 31 years old, living in Tel Aviv. I have a double major in political science and sociology-anthropology, and an MBA in social leadership from the Mandel social leadership program. I am a political-environmental activist fighting for climatic justice. I have taken part in and organized dozens of activities to combat the climate crisis throughout the country. I first learned about the climate crisis at the age of 14, when I saw a film about global warming called ‘An inconvenient Truth’. I watched horrific images of melting glaciers, fires, extinct animals and scientific scenarios about the disasters that would happen if we did not act. I came out of it feeling like I could not sit on the sidelines – that I had to do something about it.

At the beginning of my journey I saw the environmental struggle as a separate battle, but over the years I have learned that all of the struggles are intertwined. They are all the product of the same policy and the same systemic logic based on exploitation, endless economic growth and the strengthening of a few at the expense of many. This understanding shaped the continuation of my activism and my choices in the field.

For many years, I was a community organizer and campaigner in the environmental NGO Green Course. I represented the organization at international conventions and conferences, coordinated the struggle for Israel to becomes fossil free and promote a just transition to renewable energies, led the field work and the organizing of the annual climate march. I took part in the establishment of the Israeli branch of Fridays for Future, a global movement of youth and young people seeking to put pressure on governments to act on the climate crisis, inspired by Greta Thunberg.

At the same time, I took part in the establishment of the Israeli branch of Extinction Rebellion, an international movement based on the idea of non-violent direct action, mass civil disobedience and creative activism.  For the past year and a half, I am part of the establishment of One Climate – a new movement which works to promote climate justice between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea, and to bring to the forefront of the fight against the climate crisis the voices of those most affected – the most vulnerable populations – Palestinians, women, LGBT, people living in poverty, animals etc. In addition, I am a member of the Gastivists Collective, an international collective that works to support local grassroots groups fighting to stop fossil gas projects. In this context, I am the co-director of the campaign to stop the EastMed pipeline, which is intended for exporting gas from Israel to Europe via Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. Lately I was selected for the 40 under 40 list for 2021 of TheMarker magazine.