Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has warned Premier Mykola Azarov and First Vice Premier Andriy Kliuyev about the government's responsibility for fulfilling the Kyoto Protocol.
"Andriy Petrovych [Kliuyev] and Mykola Yanovych [Azarov], I warn you both: If the Kyoto program fails, someone’s head will roll. I warn you, attentively check every region to see how the mechanism is working there. I am sure you won’t be satisfied," the head of state said at a meeting of the regions’ council in Kyiv on Sept. 15.
Speaking about the role of local government in the fulfillment of Ukraine’s international obligations, Yanukovych demanded that regional heads deal actively with the problem.
Recently, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine instructed the State Environmental Investment Agency to transfer emission reduction units equivalent to 6.712 million tonnes of CO2 to three buyer nations – the United Kingdom, Spain and Switzerland.
Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions were achieved by OJSC Alchevsk metallurgical mill and Infox Ltd. through the implementation of a joint project in 2008.
The cabinet on Sept. 7, 2011, instructed the State Environmental Investment Agency to transfer emission reduction units equivalent to 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 to the Netherlands (31,732 tonnes of greenhouse gases), Switzerland (527,934 tonnes), and the United Kingdom (569,778 tonnes).
The overall emission of greenhouse gases in Ukraine in 2009 stood at 374 million tonnes, which was 40.18% of the basic level of 1990.
The energy sector accounted for the lion’s share of the overall emissions, which was 69%, or 258.7 million tonnes.
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in December 1997.
It outlines the procedures and principles of common responsibilities to reduce emissions through concluding special agreements between the parties to the protocol.
In Ukraine, the protocol came into effect on Feb. 16, 2005.
