17 October 2012
17.10.2012 - The United Nations Development Programme in Kosovo, through a brochure, has published the summarized results of the project “Transfer of Czech Experience: Development of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Registry Management System in Kosovo.” The results of the study initiated by UNDP in Kosovo and the UNDP Regional Center in Bratislava contain the GHG Registry data for the years 2008-2009. The project was led by a group of Czech experts who make up the current Czech system for the National Registry (NIS) from the Environment Center of Charles University. The main objectives of the project were to train national experts on how to apply the GHG Registry methodologies in national conditions, assess GHG emissions from all sectors according to the IPCC 2006 methodology (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and present these results.
The GHG inventories were developed in close collaboration with experts from the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency.
According to the data presented in this brochure, total emissions of all greenhouse gases in 2008 reached 9.5 Mt CO2 eq. They increased to 10.5 Mt CO2 eq. in 2009. This relatively large increase was caused almost entirely by the increased burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide accounts for about 80% of all emissions, while methane and nitrous oxide are around 10%. The so-called new greenhouse gases, such as HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and PFCs (perfluorocarbons), are almost negligible. The most important sector for the complete inventory is sector "1A fuel combustion activities" which constitutes about 80% of all anthropogenic emissions in Kosovo. The most important source category for Kosovo is the combustion of solid fuels. It is estimated that Kosovo, compared to other countries in Europe, still has relatively
low per capita. This mainly happens due to favorable geographical conditions and due to the lack of energy-intensive industries, intensive agriculture, and the lack of waste management.
Even though Kosovo is not a part of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) or the Kyoto Protocol, the Government of Kosovo, similarly to the EU, considers climate change a priority area and is committed to contributing its part to solving this global challenge. The GHG registry in Kosovo comes at the right time and will support Kosovo's objectives in the international climate change agenda. Otherwise, according to the 2007/2008 UNDP Human Development Report, stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere at a level that prevents the impact of climate change requires a 50% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 to reach the levels of the 1990s. This is especially relevant for the Western Balkan region, which has some of the most carbon-intensive economies, and where the change in
Lime now has a significant impact on development. The database for the greenhouse gas (GHG) register in the future will be managed by the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA) and will be used for reporting to national and international institutions.