The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) discussed the possible accession of Kazakhstan to the Global Methane Pledge initiative, QazMonitor reports citing the ministry’s press service.
Yerlan Nysanbayev, the head of the ministry, met in Astana with Huseyin Ozhan, the head of the EBRD – Kazakhstan. The parties exchanged views on several issues related to climate change, particularly methane emissions and the associated Global Methane Pledge.
Initiated by the US and the EU in 2021 at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), the Pledge aims to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30% compared to the level recorded in 2020. Over 100 countries have joined this effort as methane emissions are the primary contributor to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Furthermore, the parties also discussed the development of the national Carbon Neutrality Strategy by 2060, which includes the following measures:
Decarbonization of emissions from energy production and use
Decarbonization of emissions not related to energy use
Sequestration and carbon offsets
During the meeting, the EBRD presented a new program aimed at greening the financial systems in several countries through the Green Climate Fund. This program aims to create a favorable investment environment for joint actions on climate change and economic growth and accelerate the adoption of innovations in business models, financial instruments, and mitigation technologies.