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We need to roll up our sleeves to reduce carbon emissions

Although Montenegro has an almost negligible impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, the guidelines of the Paris Agreement oblige us to make a concrete contribution to limiting the rise in global temperature that affects climate change within the set deadlines. To be precise: Montenegro produces 0.009 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, and the energy transition process should continue until 2030 in order to reach the final goal by 2050 at the latest – which is to reduce carbon emissions, i.e. achieve carbon neutrality.

Director of the Climate Change Directorate, Mr Ešef Husić, points out that great investments will be required.

“The Paris Agreement is a historically important agreement in the field of climate change, which is a comprehensive, legally binding document, aimed at limiting the temperature rise to significantly below two degrees Celsius, compared to the pre-industrial level, with the obligation to make efforts to increase the limit to 1.5 degrees Celsius, “Mr Husić said.

According to him, apart from investments, state’s full support and enhancement of technical and human resources for the application and supervision of the agreement are of paramount importance.

We belong to the region that is most endangered by climate change, but Montenegro’s adaptation to such a situation is still limited, so the institutions must intensify the dynamics of fulfilling obligations.

Heavy rains, strong winds, higher average temperatures and fires are situations that the state has been struggling with for a decade, and which, according to experts, can be expected in the future as well.

“Montenegro has adopted a 2030 Climate Change Strategy, but needs to intensify work to ensure consistency with the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework and enable its strategy to be integrated into all relevant sector policies and strategies,” the director of Green Home NGO, Ms Nataša Kovačević, has said.

She believes that the institutions of Montenegro must accelerate the dynamics of fulfilling the obligations from the Paris Agreement and the European acquis from the process of Montenegro’s accession to the EU.

Ms Kovačević believes that it is necessary to establish a carbon budget limiting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Montenegro can legally emit in a five-year period.

Ms Kovačević believes that despite the adoption of the Law on Protection of Negative Impacts on Climate Change and the Decree on Issuing Permits for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, it is insufficient in the light of European climate regulations that are waiting to be applied.

As the main problems in the implementation and monitoring of regulations related to climate change, Ms Kovačević sees poor quality and availability of data, as well as insufficient human and technical resources, limited financial resources for infrastructure and lack of mechanisms for cooperation and coordination at state and local levels. .

Mr Husić reminds that Montenegro’s contribution to the efforts of the international community in the fight against climate change, expressed through the Intended nationally determined contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is at least 30% in the period until 2030 compared to the base level in 1990.

According to him, the first draft of the revised Intended Determined Contribution has been prepared and the Government is expected to adopt the document by the end of December.

Support for implementation, technology transfer…

Mr Husić explained that in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the agreement regulated other issues related to adaptation to changed climatic conditions and recognized the need to provide support for developing countries for its implementation.

Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism has carried out social and economic analysis on the manner and costs of the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Mr Husić said that a firm support for financial incentives was necessary.

“The projection of economic growth for the period 2017-2030 is based on clean energy (hydropower plants, wind farms, solar power plants, biomass) and energy efficiency programs in transport (construction of the state highway and other projects), industry (especially metal), tourism (tourist complexes and hotels) and agriculture. Montenegro has remained committed to using energy resources from coal reserves – hence plans to modernize the coal-fired power plant, to ensure long-term stability of the electricity system and a reliable electricity supply to implement the low-carbon strategy “, Mr Husić explained.

Kovačević: Interested in solar energy, but will not give up on coal production

As Ms Nataša Kovačević states, the current projects of the renewable energy show that Montenegro is ready to build new production capacities from renewable energy resources.

“However, it is clear that decision makers currently consider it unreasonable to give up the strategic resource of coal production, which deepens the conflict with the need to reduce pollution, reduce GHG emissions and prevent full momentum for the development of RES-based systems. There is still no long-term vision towards ending the dependence on coal, and a clearly defined date for the closure of TPP Pljevlja, but just the opposite – investing in the reconstruction of TPP which extends its lifespan by another 30 years,”, Ms Kovačević said.

 

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