After the United Nations Conference on Climate Change – COP 26 was held last week in Glasgow, environmental experts from the region warn that Western Balkan leaders must responsibly meet their international obligations and mitigate the climate crisis.
At this conference, more than 40 countries worldwide pledged to phase out coal use. Unfortunately, of the Western Balkan countries, only Northern Macedonia is among them. However, other countries in the region have signed and ratified numerous international agreements on reducing harmful gas emissions and the abolition of coal-fired power plants.
“Regional leaders need to fulfill their political promises and commit to the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans without delay. The devastating effects of climate change and the daily toxic air pollution are affecting citizens across the region and paying a high price for inefficient and careless government policies. All governments must set precise and ambitious timeframes for phasing out coal use. “Strong national policies, with action plans, are the backbone of a fair energy transition and a way to combat climate change,” reads a statement signed by environmental organizations from Belgrade, Podgorica, Priština, Banja Luka and Skopje.
Activists call on their statesmen to adopt ambitious plans for the phasing out of coal use by 2030, which includes urgent and bold national strategies for energy and fair transition from fossil to green energy, and state that must show clear political ambition without delay, as well as plan actions aimed at achieving complete decarbonization of the region by 2050.
“For developing countries like the Western Balkans, there is no alternative: coal must be phased out by the end of this decade. However, the reality is that six years after the Paris Agreement plans to reduce greenhouse gases (nationally determined contributions) have either not been adopted or are not being implemented. In addition, the process of drafting and adopting these laws was not inclusive and transparent, which is why many social and environmental aspects of these processes were missing, which makes their future implementation problematic, “the statement said.
Frequent and serious climate disasters are increasingly threatening the normal lives of people in the region, as evidenced by the recent devastating floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which left entire settlements in the Sarajevo region paralyzed and without electricity for hours.
“The current situation in BiH is very symbolic because the torrential floods took place during the largest climate conference in Glasgow. It just shows that our country, although small, is also hard hit by the climate crisis, which our politicians often like to ignore. We are listening to empty phrases without true commitments to reduce and prevent the main cause of this environmental crisis: the coal industry.
That is why we demand that the decarbonization scenario immediately becomes part of the political agenda. Therefore, all new projects for new coal-fired power plants are abolished, and the government commits to an exact date for phasing out coal use,” said the Center for Environment from Banja Luka.
There are different levels of climate change activity in the Western Balkans, but even those countries ahead of others need to step up their efforts. Although Northern Macedonia has been named a regional leader for setting one of its most ambitious climate and energy goals, a clear plan for achieving this is lacking. BiH and Serbia are planning to open new coal-fired power plants on the other side of the spectrum: Kostolac, Kolubara B, Ugljevik 3 and Tuzla 7. Kosovo *, despite not yet a UN member state, is a party to the Energy Community Treaty, therefore obliged to show a strong commitment to the goals of phasing out coal use. At the same time, Green Home and the Eco-team from Montenegro welcome Montenegro’s official announcement of ending its dependence on fossil fuels after 2035 but call for stronger ambition:
“It is now imperative that the government adopts a clear map to ensure that the energy transition is fair and that no one is forgotten. Decarbonization and reorganization of the energy sector are already happening, so we need concrete activities, such as urgent adoption of the National and Energy Climate Plan (NECP) and the National Adaptation Plan (NAP)”.
Serbia is the last country in the region to start developing the NECPand. However, according to the Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy Sources and the Environment and the Belgrade Open School, it did so without adequate public participation.
“The energy transition in Serbia began without an open and transparent public dialogue. The goals and ambitions are unclear, and the citizens do not present the social and economic implications. The entire process of energy and climate policy development sends mixed messages, with the development of the NECP and the Energy Development Strategy on the one hand, and the opening of doors for new 3GV thermal power plants in the Draft Spatial Plan, on the other. Controversial messages are also being sent from competent institutions regarding the energy transition. Still, one letter sounds louder than the others: President Vučić announced to the world in Glasgow that Serbia cannot promise a timeframe for withdrawing the use of coal. This leaves us without hope and optimism when we think about the green future of our country. “
After weeks of negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference where scientific evidence is clear, and the world needs to limit global temperature rises by 1.5 degrees Celsius to slow climate change, environmentalists in the region agree on one thing: by now, regional efforts have been weak and lagging in every way.
“Our countries cannot afford this delay because the burden will be even greater on our health, and the damage caused by the destructive effects of climate change will continue to grow.” Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis, or any internal political situation, cannot be used as an excuse to delay setting specific goals and clear action plans for phasing out coal use in this decade, with a fair transition. Therefore, we call on all regional governments to respect their political obligations and to show responsibility and true commitment to the interests and well-being of their citizens and to direct the region towards the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans”!
- Centar za životnu sredinu, Bosna i Hercegovina
- Eko-svest, Severna Makedonija
- Green Home i Eco-team, Crna Gora
- RERI i BOŠ, Srbija
- Mreža za klimatsku akciju Evrope