UN Climate Change News, 22 June 2023 -- UN Climate Change, in consultation with Israel, coordinated the first-ever in-country technical analysis of a biennial update report (BUR) last month.
Biennial update reports are submitted by developing countries to UN Climate Change and include the status of a country's greenhouse gas emissions and information on how the country is cutting emissions, along with information on support needed and received.
Reporting of climate action is crucial for ensuring transparency and supporting collective progress toward achieving the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global warming to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
Xuehong Wang, Manager of UN Climate Change's Transparency Division noted that "this first-ever in-country technical analysis represents a significant and positive step towards a more solid and rigorous transparency process under the Convention and the Paris Agreement."
Some of Israel's mitigation actions include updating its climate action plan (formally known as its Nationally Determined Contribution) to aim for a 27 percent economy-wide reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 2015; phasing out coal-powered electricity by 2026; and embracing clean and sustainable energy, mainly by investing in solar photovoltaic technology.
Naama Wald, Senior Coordinator for Energy and Climate Change at Israel's Ministry for Environmental Protection, expressed her gratitude for the inputs from international experts on the enhanced reporting requirements and possible improvements for the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) infrastructure.
Fifteen countries showcased climate action at Bonn Climate Change Conference
Following the publication of a summary report on this technical analysis, Israel will participate in the 15th facilitative sharing of views (FSV) workshop that will take place during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) at the end of this year.
The Facilitative Sharing of Views (FSV) workshops provide a platform for countries like Israel to showcase their progress and strengthen their national arrangements, ambitious climate actions and preparations for the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). Fifteen countries recently benefited from this experience during the 14th FSV workshop at the Bonn Climate Change Conference.
Participating countries, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Indonesia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Montenegro, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, highlighted progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and shared ambitious mitigation objectives.
Here are some of the highlights of action presented at the FSV workshop in Bonn:
- Promotion of renewable energy sources is at the core of emission reduction strategies for many countries. Notable examples include Montenegro's pledge to phase out coal and cease operations of its Pljevlja thermoelectric power plant by 2035; Saint Lucia's target to generate 72 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy by 2030 through the promotion of solar and wind technologies; or Morocco and Moldova's aim to increase their share of electricity production from renewable sources by 15 and 23 percent respectively from 2020 to 2030.
- Brazil and Zimbabwe are focusing on their hydropower potential, with Brazil reporting 8,835 MW of additional hydropower capacity (2018-2019), and Zimbabwe presenting its Batoka Gorge hydropower station project, which is expected to generate 10,215 Gigawatthours (GWh) of electricity per year.
- The use of clean energy cookstoves in Lesotho has contributed to a 75 percent reduction in emissions between 2005 and 2017. Similarly, Rwanda has plans to improve energy efficiency by distributing modern cookstoves to 80 percent of its rural population and 50 percent of its urban population by 2030.
- Efforts to reduce emissions in the transport sector are underway in the Republic of Korea, with the target of four million hybrid and three million electric vehicles by 2030; in South Africa, a green transport strategy includes plans for a rapid bus transit system, a shift from road to rail for freight transport, and the promotion of electric vehicles.
- Several countries have taken significant measures in the forestry and land use sectors. Argentina reduced carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by more than 274 million tonnes between 2014 and 2018 by reducing deforestation, and Indonesia established the sustainable management of approximately 84 million hectares of forest to combat deforestation and peat fires.
- In the same vein, Mauritius has set out to plant at least 100,000 trees annually until 2024, and Belize has emphasized the effectiveness of its REDD+ strategy and Forestry Act, which have allowed the country to maintain its position as a net carbon sink. In Nigeria, mitigation actions with high potential include afforestation, reforestation, and the reduction of wood removals for energy production by local communities.
Both the technical analysis and the FSV shed light on the need for continued capacity-building and technical support in areas such as greenhouse gas inventory, implementation of mitigation actions and showcasing of results achieved. Many countries highlighted financial gaps, as current levels of support are insufficient to meet their climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives.
