Climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions were the focus of an extended field meeting of the Public Coordination Environmental Council (PCES) under the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
The discussion of this topical issue took place at the RUP "Vitebskenergo" facility. The event was organised with the support of the project "Capacity Building for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading and Strengthening the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification System in the Republic of Belarus," funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Belarus.
The Dam as a Filter
Prior to the plenary session, an excursion was organised to the largest hydroelectric power station in Belarus – the Vitebsk HPP. It was constructed over five years by the Chinese corporation CNEEC, which operates worldwide. Commissioned in the summer of 2017, its capacity is 40 MW, with an annual electricity generation of approximately 138 million kWh. The facility is operated by 29 people.
The visitors learned that the Vitebsk HPP not only generates energy from a renewable source but also serves as a unique purification filter for the Western Dvina River. Annually, the dam retains about 1000 cubic metres of debris. River workers assist in collecting it from the water surface, resulting in 10 barges of waste. Sorting and disposal are handled by specialised organisations. As much as 8-9 long-wheelbase MAZ trucks of plastic alone are removed. This highlights the issue of people's recreational habits on the banks of the transboundary river.
A Strategy for Reduction
Welcoming the meeting participants, the Chairman of the Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection (prior to his appointment to a new position), Viktor Galanov, noted that human economic activity significantly impacts climate change. The primary culprits in this regard are greenhouse gas emissions, the volume of which is increasing annually.
According to a report by the World Meteorological Organisation, in 2022, droughts, floods, and heatwaves affected populations on all continents, leading to multi-billion dollar losses. Specialists predict a rise in global temperatures to record levels within the next five years.
Currently, Belarus does not have statistical accounting of greenhouse gas emissions by region. However, their interrelation with the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere is noted. Over the past five years, annual indicators in the Vitebsk region have decreased by 21 thousand tons, facilitated by the optimisation of technological processes and modernisation at 181 production facilities in 123 organisations. Thus, the Vitebsk region contributes to achieving the national targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction undertaken by the Republic of Belarus within its international obligations. Viktor Galanov stated that, considering the above, enhancing the potential for greenhouse gas emissions trading and strengthening the monitoring, reporting, and verification system for emissions in Belarus are of strategic importance.
UNDP Project Coordinator Olga Chabrovskaya highlighted that many people do not fully realise the impact of climate change on individuals. However, we increasingly talk about the link between elevated air temperatures and the rise in forest fires, floods, heavy rains, and downpours that can disable the sewage system. Regarding the ongoing international technical assistance project, Olga Chabrovskaya emphasised that trading carbon units, obtained from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is an entire economic sector. It is necessary to be documentarily prepared to enter this market.
The ecological component of the new Concept of National Security of the Republic of Belarus was discussed by Tatyana Kononchuk, Head of the Main Department of Environmental Policy, International Cooperation, and Science of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. In particular, the document includes concepts such as improving the reliability of assessment and forecasts of the state of the natural environment, climate change, and hazardous weather and climate phenomena; adaptation of economic sectors to environmental changes; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere through the expanded use of renewable and rational-sustainable use of non-renewable energy sources; and increased greenhouse gas absorption resulting from the expansion of forest areas and the rewetting of former peat extraction sites. Currently, forests
Oksana Melnikovich, Deputy Head of the Department for Regulation of Atmospheric Air Impacts, Climate Change and Expertise of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, reported that the department is currently preparing a draft government resolution that will regulate the procedures and conditions for greenhouse gas emissions. The document will be aimed at establishing a reporting system for economic entities. Work is also underway on the Strategy for the Long-Term Development of the Republic of Belarus with Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions until 2050. Appropriate measures for the development of industry, energy, transport, construction, and the housing and communal services sector will be envisaged.
Representatives of enterprises and organisations, businesses, and public environmentalists took part in the meeting of the ECES.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by