Belarus already reduced greenhouse gas emissions to the level planned only in 2030

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires a lot of resources, but Belarus managed to reach the level that was planned only in 2030 – as stated by Oksana Melnikovich, the Deputy Head of the Department for Regulating the Impacts on the Air, Climate Change and Expertise of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Republic of Belarus

“Belarus has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, but already this year the reduction was 40 percent,” she noted.

According to the specialist, taking into account the sector of absorption of land use and forestry, this figure was 62.4 percent, “This means that we’re ahead of schedule. Such a reduction requires a lot of resources, including financial. Moreover, one of the ways to reduce emissions is nuclear energy.”

Oksana Melnikovich also noted that the use of renewable energy sources (RES) depends on the climate. Current weather changes could increase renewable energy use by 11 percent in 2024 worldwide.

Belarus ratified the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016. At the time, the country pledged to reduce CO2 emissions by 28 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In 2019, the national action plan to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide by forests until 2030 was also adopted, which, among other things, assumes an increase in the area of forests for greater absorption of CO2.