The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 

Global climate change and forests in the desert

The JNF has been proud that its forests in the middle of the Negev desert are a solution to help stop global climate change.

Unfortunately the science is off. The desert reflects about 40% of the sunlight that falls upon it back into space, while a typical forest reflects back about 10%. What's gained by the carbon sequestered in these forests may be offset (in the wrong direction) by all the additional heat that's held in the atmosphere.

That's not too mention the fact that some of these forests are being planted on land that was once a Bedouin village (e.g. Yatir/Al-Atir).

JNF does do some good work on behalf of mitigating the global climate crisis, but their desert forests are probably not it.

Design in progress © Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg 2006