The climate cost of mistrust: Study finds Israel's Plastic Tax policy backfires in traditional communities

A well-meaning environmental tax turned into a cultural flashpoint: a new study shows that Israel's 2021 tax on single-use plastics caused a sharp and lasting drop in climate support among the ultra-Orthodox community. Driven by a deep sense of political victimization—not financial burden—many saw the tax as an attack on their way of life. Even years after the tax was repealed, the damage to environmental trust still lingers.