Russia’s illegal reporting on greenhouse gas emissions in the occupied territories of Ukraine undermines international climate agreements

Since 2016, Russia has been reporting on greenhouse gas emissions, including data from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This sets a dangerous precedent that calls into question the transparency of international agreements, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. This was emphasised by Svitlana Hrynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, in her speech at the high-level segment of the COP29 conference.

‘We have already blocked and will continue to block the consideration and adoption of any documents under the UNFCCC if they refer to Russian statistics that include information from Ukrainian territories,’ said Svitlana Grynchuk.

The Minister also underlined Ukraine’s commitment to achieve zero emissions by 2050 and announced the development of a new Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement (NDC 3.0). This document is seen as an investment plan for the green recovery of all sovereign territories of Ukraine.

The NDC 3.0 will integrate the Energy Transition and Decarbonisation Plan, as well as the updated National Low-Carbon Development Strategy.

‘These steps demonstrate that Ukraine remains a reliable partner in ensuring global security and sustainability,’ the Minister added.

She also stressed that the implementation of climate action and green recovery largely depends on access to additional, long-term and predictable financing. In this context, the key task of the COP29 in Baku is to set a new collective climate finance target that will take into account the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities.

‘Only by uniting the efforts of the international community will we be able to achieve a safe, sustainable and resilient future,’ summed up Svitlana Grynchuk.