Asia rejects hasty transition to carbon neutrality

MOSCOW, Sep 27 – PRIME. Energy ministers of Asian countries opposed the hasty transition to carbon neutrality, noted the lack of a single path to this goal, the press service of the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan reported.

Carbon neutrality is one of the elements of the implementation of the Paris climate agreement. The document was adopted on December 12, 2015 following the 21st Conference of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris. The agreement was signed by 175 countries, including Russia.

As noted in the press service, the second meeting of ministers of the Asian Green Growth Partnership was held via videoconference. The meeting was attended by the heads of the Ministry of Energy of Asia and the Middle East. The event was organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

“Everyone agreed on the need to use all technologies and fuels to achieve an energy transition towards carbon neutrality in accordance with the energy situation of each country and that hasty transitions in the absence of alternative energy sources and solutions can lead to unforeseen consequences,” the release said. published on the agency’s website.

It is emphasized that the participants of the meeting “shared the idea that there is no single path to achieve carbon neutrality, but there are different paths for each country.” In particular, the different situation in each of the Asian countries should be reflected in the promotion of realistic energy transitions.

The parties drew attention to the need to focus on ensuring a variety of energy sources and their stable supply, especially in parts of Asia where international networks are underdeveloped due to the geographical conditions of peninsulas and archipelagos and where most of the primary energy depends on maritime trade.

In addition, ministers pointed to the importance of immediately mobilizing public and private funding to achieve equitable energy transitions and reiterated the importance of public funding to complement private funding for some countries.