IMAGE: ISTOCK; ARIELLE EVAN
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY Environmental cooperation
Hailing from the Netherlands, master’s student Laura de Wit is pursuing an English-language degree in environmental studies at Tel Aviv University. She talks about her experience and her thesis on environmental cooperation under the Abraham Accords
Why is Tel Aviv University’s environmental studies program a great option for students who want to learn about sustainability? The environment is the biggest issue of our time, and the program’s interdisciplinary approach is crucial for things to really move forward. I took courses in all kinds of fields — water management, philosophy, city planning, nanotechnology, ecology — and learned to look at environmental issues from all these different fields of research. What’s more, students come from all different
backgrounds. Mine is in Middle Eastern studies, but my classmates hold degrees in economics, physics, biology, engineering and more. Some already had a career, and for many it was their second master’s degree. It was extremely valuable to learn together and from each other; it gave me a refreshing outlook on things. My own thesis combines a lot of different
disciplines, too — from Middle Eastern studies and water management to international relations and conflict studies, sociology and anthropology.
Sounds interesting, could you give us an overview of this thesis project? I’m looking at environmental cooperation under the Abraham Accords — the normalization agreement signed between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. in 2020. Specifically, I’m focusing on an agreement facilitated by the
Accords that will see Israel provide Jordan with desalinated water, and Jordan provide Israel with solar power. It’s the first big outcome of the Accords that sees countries enter increased cooperation on environmental issues. Efforts between Jordan and Israel had been
going on for decades, but there were too many obstacles for something to actually happen. My aim is to get an idea of why such an agreement could come into existence, what it can bring to the region in terms of improved environmental cooperation and how that can lead to improved political stability and resource accessibility.
What do you love about Tel Aviv University? Even though the program is demanding and serious, the professors are very approachable. You’re really taken seriously by the faculty and by other students, too. Everybody’s very willing to help you or to connect you with other people. What’s more, the program provides students
with the opportunity to gain practical experience through an internship program in social justice, environmental advocacy, transportation, green architecture and more. It held a day where various organizations introduced us to their internships, and we could apply to ones we found interesting.
To read the full interview, head online to
israelacademia.che.org.il
BELOW: View of the Dead Sea, which borders Israel and Jordan.
26 Israeli Academia | 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
