Riga, 20 August 2020 - Today the Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Juris Pūce, will participate online in the “European Liberal Forum” (ELF) expert forum under the Liberal White Book Europe 2030 initiative. The minister will make a brief statement on sustainability and climate change issues, followed by a discussion of the experts' round table, which will discuss an integrated legal framework on sustainability and climate change, and discuss cooperation to support climate change efficiency and the circular economy.
Minister Juris Pūce: "The world is still struggling and increasingly experiencing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on economic development and everyday, and this experience needs to be taken into account and focused on the implementation of climate-friendly solutions. . The work on a sustainable and environmentally friendly economic recovery programme should be at the centre, clearly aware that green choices are an opportunity to develop new, profitable industries and jobs that can become the basis for faster economic growth. "
Climate change remains a direct and existential threat to the world. 2019 closed a ten-year wave of heat and extreme weather around the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Meteorological Organization have issued harsh warnings in recent reports on the growing negative impact of global temperature rises I.
It is important to note that the green recovery should be based on the concept of sustainability, which means that there is no room for compromise between economic growth and the environment. All decisions taken by individual companies or governments must take into account all three sustainability components, economic, social and environmental. s. Therefore, true sustainability is based on cooperation and solidarity between decision-makers and economic operators. .
Investment in high-emission industries (fossil fuels) and environmentally damaging activities (land degradation, deforestation) will lead to greater environmental degradation, higher costs. . Especially since many renewable energy sources are currently competitive in terms of prices even against traditional fossil fuels.
The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is a cornerstone of EU climate change policy. Minister stresses that it would be helpful for Member States to see how we can extend the EU ETS to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions more effectively and quickly, while at the same time we should see precise proposals so that they can be fully evaluated t.
Moreover, Member States should look at the system of the common agricultural policy (CAP). Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture remain high in Europe and Latvia. The CAP needs to contribute more to climate change mitigation in the coming period by reducing GHG emissions more rapidly s. We must also look at agricultural practices from a sustainability point of view and ensure that it does not endanger biodiversity. .
Resources are limited and EU Member States cannot waste them, use them inefficiently or cause pollution. Pollution should not be regarded as an indispensable part of any manufacturing process, but as a sign that work should be started. t. Cooperation must also be at the heart of the concept of a circular economy. .
The latest reports are not only worrying about climate change, but also about the loss of biodiversity in both the world and the EU. Ministry highlight that it is not possible to prevent biodiversity from declining without addressing climate change; it is equally impossible to tackle climate change without preserving or restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services. .
Minister Pūce points out that protecting the diversity of natural heritage, ecosystems and species providing essential services and managing them in such a way as to preserve and improve these services is crucial to maintaining our economy and maintaining the well-being of people over time.
Thus, protection and investment in nature protection provide research, innovation and business opportunities and directly contribute to growth and employment, which is currently the European Commission's top priority. . This is an important means of achieving the green growth target s.
The information was prepared by:
Public relations department
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development
Tel. .20200305; 67026533,
email: prese@varam.gov.lv