President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the International Climate Ambition Summit, which took place on December 12 online.
The summit has a great political significance for leading international partners, including the United Kingdom and France. 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" commitments of their states under the Paris Climate Agreement.
In his video address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that this year Ukraine was particularly affected by climate change: prolonged droughts destroyed crops in a number of regions, large-scale forest fires 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's economy in the range from 36% to 42% compared to 1990, i.e. a reduction of 58-64%," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In addition to the new commitments under the Paris Agreement, Ukraine is also working to improve the mechanisms of state financial support for climate policy, the President informed.
"Ukraine also seeks to align its climate policy and legislation with the European Green Deal. 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," the President noted.
"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.
Also, according to the Head of State, Ukraine continues the process of revising its Energy Strategy, which provides for the development of renewable energy and gradual replacement of fossil fuels, including coal.
"We have started preparing a framework strategy for 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 stressed.