Ukraine – one of the signatory countries of the Paris climate agreement

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Ukraine signed the Paris climate agreement which is to help country reduce gas emissions and improve environment situation. It will be implemented in Ukraine in three steps after the general Agreement ratification.

Kyiv, April 22, 2016. On April 22 Ukraine became one of the signatories of the Paris climate agreement (hereinafter – Agreement), together with other 155 countries, whose representatives signed the agreement in New York. Commenting on the event at a briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Thomas D. Peterson, President of the Center for Climate Strategies (USA), underlined that Ukraine’s accession to the Agreement shows that the country is within a global trend.

“This agreement will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve economic, energy and environmental situation in Ukraine,” said Mr. Peterson. The Center for Climate Strategies cooperates with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine and a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations on low-carbon development strategies.

Ganna Vronska, Deputy Minister of Ecology of Ukraine, explained that Agreement ideology will be implemented according to the following scenario: within the next three years the countries, responsible for 55 percent of emissions, are to ratify the Agreement. After that it will come into force. The signatory countries have to spend this time on development and implementation of solutions that will ensure compliance with the rules of the Agreement. Therefore, according to Ms. Vronska, development of energy strategy should be coordinated with development of climate and environmental strategies. “These three basic strategies should be combined. And it is low-carbon development strategy that can be a foundation, a basis for this association,” stressed Ms. Vronska.

Hanna Hopko, MP of Ukraine, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs, expressed hope that the Agreement will modernize the outdated infrastructure, attract investment, create new jobs in the “green corridor”, change the image of Ukraine as a “raw state” and balance the interests of environment and economy. “Low-carbon development is a worldwide trend that provides broad implementation of energy efficiency measures and gradual refusal to use fossil fuels in favor of renewable and alternative energy sources,” said Ms. Hopko.