The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi took part in the International Climate Ambition Summit, which took place on December 12 in an online format and took part in the discussion of climate issues.
The Ukrainian president said that this year Ukraine was particularly affected by climate change: in a number of regions, prolonged droughts destroyed crops, large-scale forest fires occurred 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 in the range from 36% to 42% compared to 1990. reduction by 58-64% “, – Vladimir Zelensky added.
Zelensky stressed that Ukraine also seeks to align its climate policy and legislation with the European Green Course. 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.
“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.
“We have started preparing a framework strategy for adaptation to Ukraine’s climate change 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 climate change and environmental protection,” he said.
Also, according to Zelensky, the process of revising the Energy Strategy of Ukraine, which provides for the development of renewable energy, the gradual replacement of fossil fuels, including coal.
It is noted that 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” obligations of their countries under the Paris Climate Agreement.
Thus, 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 Conference on Climate Change (COP26), which will be held in Glasgow (UK) in November 2021.
