“Ukraine was one of the first in Europe to ratify the Paris Agreement. In terms of emission reductions, it ranks fourth among 45 parties to the UN convention. Our goals by 2030 are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent and achieve climate neutrality by 2060, ”the head of the Ukrainian state explained.
In terms of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, Ukraine is now in 31st place in the world, the indicators are high. The country had previously pledged to reduce emissions by only 40 percent from 1990 levels, but the government, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). In accordance with the Paris Agreement, countries undertake to revise this "quota" every five years so that the world achieves a common goal - the average global temperature should not rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In his speech, Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited UN data that the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere is a record over 10 years, which means that the temperature on Earth can rise significantly more than two degrees. New calculations show that more efforts will be needed to contain warming and achieve carbon neutrality than was planned in Paris in 2015.
The President of Ukraine also considers environmental measures alone to be insufficient and proposes to transfer "warming" to relations between states to combat climate change, stressing that now more and more "trust" is being lost between the countries of the world.
In order to fulfill its obligations and reduce emissions, Ukraine plans to implement a number of measures over the next 10 years. Among the priority tasks are to modernize the energy infrastructure and industrial enterprises, develop renewable energy sources, and improve energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy. Practical steps include insulating buildings, developing sustainable agriculture, promoting the use of electric vehicles, modernizing the vehicle fleet, recycling more efficiently, reforestation and reforming forestry.
The importance of such steps by Ukraine was confirmed by Manal Fouani, Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP in the country. “The statement made by Ukraine serves as a signal to other countries that are seeking to increase their contribution to solving this huge challenge through joint opposition to the climate crisis,” she said.
As part of the Climate Promise initiative, UNDP is helping the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine to develop a roadmap and financial strategy for NDCs, supported by an appropriate investment plan that will be in effect until 2030. Overall, the Climate Promise initiative is being implemented in 118 countries - the world's largest program of its kind.
