The longer we wait to fight climate change, the more we stand to lose in terms of our life, ecosystem and economy, announced Slovak President Peter Pellegrini on Tuesday during a speech at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku. He called for joint solutions and cooperation of all countries, reports TASR.
Pellegrini in the introduction reminded that Slovakia was also one of the countries that this year suffered the hottest summer in the history of measurements and was accompanied by heavy rains and devastating floods. According to him, “every single country is too small” to face climate change. He emphasized the need for cooperation between all countries, including the world’s largest economies and polluters.
“Developing countries need our solidarity,” declared and later added that Slovakia promised to contribute 2.2 million euros to the Green Climate Fund until 2027. “This will help our development partners build a cleaner future,” Pellegrini specified.
According to his words, Slovakia has reduced emissions by almost 50 percent since 1990, and in this context he recalled the closing of the last coal mine in 2023. He also emphasized the country’s focus on low-emission energy sources – especially nuclear and renewable sources. At the same time, Slovakia is the second largest producer of nuclear energy in Europe on its way to neutrality, he added.
“My country plans to reduce emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. To achieve the goal, we will invest 14 billion euros to decarbonize the sector and increase renewable resources to increase our resilience,” he said, adding that he is in favor of measures that do not threaten working people, the competitiveness and prosperity of the country. “If we as politicians lose the trust of our citizens, we cannot succeed “, he stated.
This year’s Azerbaijani presidency of the COP bears the subtitle “In solidarity for a green world”. Negotiations at COP29 mainly focus on three areas: emission reduction, adaptation to climate change and climate finance. As part of the three-day work program in Baku, Pellegrini met with the host of this year’s summit, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and attends several bilateral meetings.