Miory Regional Executive Committee

An extended field meeting of the Public Coordination Ecological Council (PCEC) under the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection was devoted to climate change and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

The discussion of the topical issue took place at the premises of RUE “Vitebskenergo”. The event was organized 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.

Dam as a Filter

Before the plenary session, a tour was organized to the largest hydropower plant in Belarus – the Vitebsk HPP. It was built over five years by the Chinese corporation CNEEC, which operates worldwide. Commissioned in summer 2017, its capacity is 40 MW, and annual electricity generation is approximately 138 million kWh. The facility is serviced by 29 employees.

Guests learned that the Vitebsk HPP not only generates energy from a renewable source but also serves as a kind of cleaning filter for the Western Dvina. Annually, the dam retains about 1,000 cubic meters of waste. River workers assist in collecting it from the water surface, resulting in 10 barges. Sorting and disposal are handled by specialized organizations. Just plastic alone requires 8 to 9 long-haul MAZ trucks to transport. This highlights the issue of recreational culture among people on the banks of this transboundary river.

Strategy for Reduction

In 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 has a significant impact on climate change. The main drivers of this process are greenhouse gas emissions, the volume of which increases every year.

According to the World Meteorological Organization report, in 2022, droughts, floods, and heatwaves affected populations across all continents and resulted in multi-billion-dollar losses. At the same time, experts forecast that global temperatures will reach record levels over the next five years.

Currently, in Belarus, statistical accounting of greenhouse gas emissions at the regional level is not established. At the same time, their interrelation with emissions 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 optimization of technological processes and modernization at 181 production facilities across 123 organizations. Thus, the Vitebsk Region is contributing to achieving national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions undertaken by the Republic of Belarus within the framework of international obligations. Viktor Galanov stated that, given the foregoing, building capacity for greenhouse gas emission trading and strengthening the monitoring, reporting, and verification system in Belarus are of strategic importance.

UNDP Project Coordinator Olga Chabrovskaya highlighted that many do not fully grasp the impact of climate change on individuals. However, there is growing discussion regarding the correlation between elevated air temperatures and the increased frequency of forest fires, floods, heavy rainfall, and downpours, which can cause sewage systems to fail. Regarding the ongoing international technical assistance project, Olga Chabrovskaya emphasized that trading carbon units resulting from reductions in greenhouse gas emissions constitutes a distinct economic sector. It is essential to have the proper documentation to enter this market.

The head of the Main Directorate of Environmental Policy, International Cooperation and Science of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Belarus, Tatyana Kononchuk, spoke about the environmental component of the draft new Concept of National Security of the Republic of Belarus. In particular, the document includes such concepts as improving the accuracy of assessments and forecasts of the state of the natural environment, climate change, and hazardous weather and climate events; adaptation of economic sectors to environmental changes; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere through expanding the use of renewable energy and the rational and sustainable use of non-renewable energy sources; and an increase in greenhouse gas absorption resulting from the expansion of forest areas and the rewetting of former peat extraction sites. Currently, forests cover 40.1% of Belarus's territory, and over the past ten years, more than 80,000 hectares of peatlands have been rehabilitated.

Deputy Head of the Department for Regulation of Atmospheric Air Impacts, Climate Change and Expertise of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Oksana Mel'nikovych, reported that the ministry is currently preparing a draft government decree regulating the procedures and conditions for greenhouse gas emissions. The document will be aimed at streamlining the reporting system for business entities. Work is also underway on the Long-term Development Strategy 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 utilities sector will be provided for.

Representatives of enterprises and organizations, businesses, and public ecologists participated in the OKES meeting.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by