Republic of Moldova sets sectoral targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with the support of the European Union

A low-emission national development programme was developed by experts from the EU4Climate project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP,totranslateMoldova’scommitments under the Paris Climate Agreement into national development policies. These were expressed in the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), submitted by the Republic of Moldova in 2020 to the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). According to its NDC, Moldova will unconditionally reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 70% compared to 1990 to 2030, and by 88% if it has access to technical and financial assistance in this regard.

The low-emission development programme aims to change the perspective of public policies in the Republic of Moldova, by focusing them on people’s problems, interests, and aspirations. The strategy document focuses on the measures and principles of the green economy: energy efficiency, the development of renewable energy sources, the use of advanced technologies to produce cement and glass, conservative agriculture, afforestation, and efficient waste management.

The programme mentions that the energy intensity in Moldova (total primary energy per unit of GDP) is 5.7 times higher than the average in the European Union, and the intensity of CO2 emissions is also among the highest through the countries of Central and Eastern Europe – 0.91 kg CO2/US$ of GDP.

The energy sector is responsible for over 68% of GHG emissions, and the priority has been on reducing emissions. By 2030, emissions in the energy sector would fall by 81% compared to 1990, in the transport sector – by 52%, buildings – by 74%, the industrial sector – by 27%, agriculture – by 44%, waste – by 14%, and the forest carbon sequestration would increase by up to 10%. Specific measures and actions are proposed for each sector, in line with previously developed sectoral policies. The total cost of these measures for the 10-year period is nearly 11 billion USD.

The approval of the Low-Emission Development Programme is one of the conditions that would open access to financing from the Green Climate Fund. The document has been submitted to public debates with stakeholders and is to be promoted for Government’s approval.