President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the International Climate Ambition Summit, which took place online on December 12, the presidential press service reported.
“This year, the event was attended by more than 70 heads of state and government, who recorded short video appeals outlining the ‘new and ambitious’ commitments of their states under the Paris Climate Agreement,” a message posted on Sunday morning reads.
In his video address, Zelensky said that this year Ukraine was particularly affected by climate change: prolonged droughts destroyed crops in a number of regions, large-scale forest fires in the east and devastating floods in the west. “Every inhabitant of the planet already feels the breath of global warming and suffers losses due to a passive attitude to climate policy,” the President stressed.
According to him, Ukraine has consistently adhered to its commitments to effectively implement the Sustainable Development Goals – 2030 and international climate agreements.
“In preparation for the Conference of the Parties to the Paris Agreement in Glasgow, we are working on a second nationally determined contribution. On this basis, we consider the target for greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 in all sectors of Ukraine’s economy in the range from 36% to 42% compared to 1990, i.e. a reduction of 58-64%,” Zelensky said.
In addition to the new commitments under the Paris Agreement, Ukraine is also working to improve the mechanisms of state financial support for climate policy, the President informed.
“Ukraine also seeks to align its climate policy and legislation with the European Green Deal. We are stepping up cooperation with the EU in the areas of energy efficiency, development of hydrogen energy and renewable energy sources, fair transformation of the coal sector and development of a national greenhouse gas emission allowance trading system,” the President noted.
“Ukraine’s long-term goal is to achieve carbon neutrality. We will make every effort to minimize the time to achieve this goal,” he added.
Also, according to the Head of State, Ukraine continues the process of revising its Energy Strategy, which provides for the development of renewable energy and gradual replacement of fossil fuels, including coal.
“We have started preparing a framework strategy for adaptation to climate change in Ukraine until 2030. The document will coordinate the work of various authorities at the national and local levels. Ukraine is and will remain one of the active and responsible participants in the global process of combating climate change and protecting the environment,” the President stressed.
The International Climate Ambition Summit 2020 is dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement (2015) and preparations for the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will be held in Glasgow, UK, in November 2021.
The event will be chaired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement, parties are required to report their Nationally Determined Contribution every five years, indicating progress relative to their current contribution, and reflecting the most likely ambition and respective capabilities in light of national circumstances. According to Ukraine’s first nationally determined contribution to the Paris Agreement, the country has committed itself not to exceed 60% in 2030 of its 1990 greenhouse gas emissions (or a 40% reduction since 1990, excluding the “Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry”).
