ArmInfo. The Yerevan Council of Elders has adopted a climate action and sustainable energy development program. The draft law was presented at the Council's meeting on February 10 by Sirarpi Haykazyan, Acting Head of the Nature Protection Department.
According to her, the implementation of this program is based on the city authorities' commitments under the European Commission's "Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy" initiative.
As part of the initiative, a sustainable energy and climate protection program has been developed to reduce atmospheric emissions by at least 30% by 2030 compared to 2012 levels. Furthermore, in the context of global environmental challenges, sustainable development in the management of various infrastructures has become a priority for the Mayor's Office, officially outlined in the ratified Paris Agreement. Under this agreement, Armenia commits to reducing emissions and increasing the implementation of measures to adapt to the effects of climate change.
The suggestions put forward by the acting head of the Nature Protection Department include initiatives in transportation, the city's lighting infrastructure, road construction, the expansion of green areas, building energy efficiency, and solid waste management. According to Haikazyan, the adoption of the program will enable the use of green grant programs to carry out the planned actions. "Thanks to the proposed measures, the Yerevan community will be able to fulfill its commitments by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%," she said.
During the discussions, opposition members of the Council of Elders expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the 250-page program was made available to them for review only two days prior. They argued that today's discussions can hardly be called comprehensive and meaningful. It should be noted that the draft was adopted by the Council of Elders with 38 votes in favor. Eight members voted against, and 13 abstained.
