Moldova participates in United Nations Climate Change Conference

Chisinau, 2 November /MOLDPRES/ - Environment Minister Iuliana Cantaragiu participates in the Summit of the 2021 world leaders, within which the 26th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) is launched. The event is held on 31 October – 12 November in Glasgow, United Kingdom, which holds the COP 26 chairmanship and is organized in partnership with Italy.   

The meeting’s goal is to set concrete steps, which will speed up the actions undertaken to combat the climate changes. Also, the meeting represents an important stage for revising and accelerating the progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 13), discussing the challenges dealing with cutting the emissions of the greenhouse gas.   

„Moldova is fully aware of the steps which must be taken and works for their implementation. In the last 30 years, the country has been hit by radical industrial and social changes. The greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) have decreased by about  68 per cent since 1990. Changes took place in the heavy industry, a big cut in the consumption of energy, changes in agriculture were recorded, the transports extended and the infrastructure developed. A significant change of the fuel has been carried out from coal and oil to natural gas and renewable resources, as well as a transformation in the industrial activities less consuming energy,’’ the Environment Ministry said.       

According to the institution, the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) (submitted in March 2020), Moldova announced ambitious intentions as regards the cutting of the greenhouse gas emissions through two scenarios of reduction. ‘’In the ‘’non-conditioned’’ scenario, the cutting of the GGE by 70 per cent against the levels of 1990 will be made through domestic resources. To carry out the most ambitious scenario, the ‘’conditioned’’ one, which provides for the cutting of the emissions by 88 per cent against the levels of 1990, Moldova needs external financial support equivalent to about 2.6 billion dollars annually till 2030.  Such a support will be additional to the domestic allocations, which are to cover the costs of reducing GGE, in accordance with the ‘non-conditioned’’ scenario.    

Moldova’s priorities in reducing the GGE emissions relate to the extension of the forest areas, implementation of efficient waste management technologies, switching to a green and circular economy, improving the energy efficiency, promoting the conservation of the farmlands’ soil, promotion of the responsible use of water resources and the sustainable production and consumption.  

To achieve the targets of cutting the GGE emissions, Moldova will back the finishing and urgent approval of the mechanisms of attenuating, which are to allow implementing the provisions of the Paris Agreement starting from 2021-2022,  through the Low Emission Capacity Building Programme till 2030 and the action plan for its implementation, which is to be approved by the government in the next several months.

Photo: Environment Ministry