Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Committee on Ukraine's
Integration into the EU, took part in the committee hearings on “The
European Green Deal and other Commitments of Ukraine on Greening”. The
event was organized by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental
Policy and Nature Management and the subcommittee on climate change.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of
Ukraine presented the results of modeling the second Nationally
Determined Contribution of Ukraine to the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement is an international document on climate, which was
adopted in December 2015. It aims to limit global warming to below 2°C
and to continue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Ukraine ratified it in
2016. Ukraine’s renewed contribution plan should outline the level of
gas emission reductions by 2030 and take into account the UN's
Sustainable Development Goals. It shall be submitted to the Secretariat
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by the end of 2020.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection presented the results of
modeling of greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine in 4 scenarios:
- basic, which does not provide for structural
changes in the energy and economy of the country;
- a reference or current policy scenario, which
includes full implementation of current European legislation, including
the Energy Strategy, the Waste Management Strategy, etc.;
- a climate-neutral economy scenario that is fully in
line with the Paris Agreement;
- combined sensitivity scenario, in which Ukraine
will be able to reach the ambitious goals by 2070, but at lower
investment costs compared to previous scenarios.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze stressed that the strategies, presented by
the Ministry, did not provide a clear answer to the question — which
scenario Ukraine choose. “I have heard calculations of different
options for how we will move, but as far as I understand — there are no
decision on choosing a path today”, — the Chair of the Committee said.
The participants of the discussion stressed the importance of Ukraine’s
compliance with its obligations under the European Green Deal. The
Green Deal was officially presented by the President of the European
Commission Ursula von der Leyen on December 11, 2019. It aims to
transform Europe into the world's first climate-neutral continent by
2050. In addition to the EU, other countries have announced their
ambitions to achieve climate neutrality — Korea, Canada and Japan —
also by 2050, China — by 2060. Ukraine has also declared its interest
in participating in this process.
The participants also noted that due to the greening, there is not only
a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but also a change
in production processes, economic and social rules and the patterns of
behaviour. “Any ambitious task we set ourselves will require serious
investments and additional funds, and this can only be partially
mobilized within Ukraine”, — the Committee Chair said, adding that
Ukraine should count on both external non-refundable funds and loans
and investment funds that would be needed in implementing the changes.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze also stressed that the Committee on
Ukraine's Integration into the EU had already held hearings on
Ukraine's participation in the European Green Deal on September 11. As
a result of these hearings, a large list of recommendations was adopted
and sent to the Government and ministries on the implementation of
changes, taking into account Ukraine's commitments under the European
Green Deal. According to the Chair, it is now important to coordinate
the efforts of all the committees involved in ensuring Ukraine's
participation in the European Green Deal and to make committees’
cooperation a platform for involving all sectors and key stakeholders.
Such platforms are needed, in particular, to discuss the necessary
legislation and form proposals for Ukraine's negotiating position.