By Pacific Island Times News Staff
The Federated States of Micronesia has set a target to reach a 70 percent renewable energy capacity by 2030 under its updated nationally-determined contribution under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The FSM government said part of the goal is to increase the clean energy capacity to 85 percent by 2040. “This will yield a 65 percent reduction of CO2 emissions below the levels measured in the year 2000 from electric power generation, including an 80 percent reduction of fossil fuel-based electricity. Achieving these targets would firmly establish the FSM as a global leader in renewable energy,” the FSM government said.
The nationally-determined contribution or NDC represents a country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The FSM government said its updated NDC “is an economy-wide focus, including continuing reductions of short-lived climate pollutants like hydrofluorocarbons, black carbon, and methane; thorough rehabilitation and climate-proofing of the nation’s roads, seaports, and airports; sustained and integrated ecosystem protection, including effective management of the nation's marine and terrestrial resources; and major improvements to food security, water security and public health."
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In total, the FSM government said its updated NDC spans eight core economic areas: energy security, short-lived climate pollutants, transportation, food security, water security, public health, ecosystems management, and emergency management and response. “To read our NDC is to understand how our future in the FSM, as in all small island developing states, is deeply intertwined with climate change,” said Andrew R. Yatilman, secretary of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management. “Our near-term priorities, our medium-term plans, and our long-term opportunities—all of these are enormously shaped by climate change.”
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During his remarks at the 27th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Yatilman emphasized that implementing the updated NDC would require consistent support from the nation’s development partners.
“We hope this updated NDC serves as a gateway for future cooperation on achieving our ambitious goals,” Yatilman said. “Taking ambitious action to reduce emissions and build resilience to the impact of climate change is the best way for the FSM to unlock its opportunities for economic development.”
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