President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi took part in the International Climate Ambition Summit, which took place on December 12 in an online format. This was reported in the press service of the head of state.
The summit has significant political weight for leading international partners, in particular Great Britain and France. This year, the event was attended by more than 70 heads of state and government, who recorded short video addresses outlining the "new and ambitious" obligations of their states under the Paris Climate Agreement.
In his video address, Zelenskyi said that this year, Ukraine has felt the negative impact of climate change especially acutely: in a number of regions, a long drought has destroyed crops, large-scale forest fires have occurred in the east of the country, and devastating floods have occurred in the west.
"Every inhabitant of the planet is already experiencing the effects of global warming and is suffering losses due to a passive attitude to climate policy," the president emphasized.
According to him, Ukraine consistently adheres to its commitments to effectively implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and international climate agreements.
"Preparing for the conference of the parties to the Paris Agreement in Glasgow, we are working on the second nationally defined contribution. On this basis, we are considering a target for greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 in all sectors of the Ukrainian economy in the range from 36% to 42% compared to 1990, that is, a reduction of 58-64%," Zelensky said.
The head of state also noted that, in addition to new obligations under the Paris Agreement, Ukraine is also working on improving the mechanisms of state financial support for climate policy.
"Ukraine also strives to coordinate its climate policy and legislation with the European Green Course. We will intensify 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 the national system of trading quotas for greenhouse gas emissions," the president said.
"Achieving carbon neutrality is the long-term goal of Ukraine. We will make efforts to shorten the time to achieve this goal as much as possible," he added.
Also, according to the head of state, there is a process of reviewing the Energy Strategy of Ukraine, which provides for the development of renewable energy, the gradual replacement of fossil fuels, in particular coal.
"We have started the preparation of the framework strategy of 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 emphasized.
We will add that the International Climate Ambition Summit - 2020 is dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement (2015) and preparation for the next UN Climate Conference on Climate Change (COP26), which will be held in Glasgow (Great Britain) in November 2021.
The event will be chaired by Prime Minister of Great Britain Boris Johnson, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte, President of Chile Sebastian Piñera and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
According to article 4 of the Paris Agreement, the parties must report their nationally determined contribution every five years, indicating progress compared to the current contribution, and reflect the most likely ambitions and corresponding opportunities in the light of national circumstances. According to the first nationally determined contribution of Ukraine to the Paris Agreement, our country undertook not to exceed 60% in 2030 of the level of greenhouse gas emissions in 1990 (or a reduction of 40% since 1990 without taking into account the sector "Land use, changes in land use and forestry").
