Climate change is a reality that is already affecting our communities, impacting people's lives, agriculture, forests, and infrastructure, said Minister of Environment, Water, and Forests Diana Buzoianu at a conference in Brazil.
According to a press release sent to AGERPRES, Diana Buzoianu is leading the Romanian delegation to the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which is taking place in Belém (Brazil) from November 17 to 19.
During the High-Level Plenary Session of the Conference, Buzoianu emphasized the need to accelerate climate action, protect people, and the importance of a just and applicable transition in all member states.
"Today, on behalf of Romania, I sent a clear message: climate change is a reality that is already affecting our communities. From the extreme floods this summer to the drought that is leaving entire communities without water, the impact is real and can be felt in people's lives, in agriculture, in forests, and in infrastructure. The 1.5°C target is not a slogan, but the line that separates a manageable future from irreversible losses," the Environment minister was quoted as saying in the release.
The Romanian official's message also included the human rights dimension, emphasizing that protecting the lives, health, and safety of citizens is a legal and moral obligation of states, the press release said.
"Romania remains an active part of the European solution. We support the European Union's climate objectives and we are committed to the energy and economic transition, but we insist that this transition be fair, realistic, and equitable for all states. In Belém, we emphasised that the transition is not a competition between states, but a joint mission in which we must support each other to achieve the global goal," Buzoianu added.
"COP30 is taking place in a critical global context: ten years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement and following the first assessment of the commitments made by the states party to the Agreement, which showed that the current rate of emissions reduction is not sufficient to maintain the objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C," reads the release.
The conference is also the first to be held since the historic ruling by the International Court of Justice confirming the obligation of states to take decisive action against climate change.
According to the cited source, the Romanian delegation includes Elena Tudose, secretary of state responsible for climate change, who participates in technical negotiations and European Union coordination meetings alongside MMAP experts.
The participation of Romanian delegates is calibrated to the available budget and the special logistical conditions in Belém, but ensures active presence in plenary sessions, working groups, and key European and international dialogues, according to ministry representatives.
"On the sidelines of COP30, the Romanian delegation is also participating in bilateral meetings, including with representatives of Brazil, to strengthen cooperation in areas such as the management of large rivers (the Amazon and the Danube), forest conservation, combating illegal logging, and developing the national network of protected natural areas," shows the release.
In this context, Romania reaffirms its firm commitment to European and international climate goals and promotes examples of climate action at the national level. The delegation's objective is to contribute to an ambitious COP30 outcome that is credible to citizens and aligned with scientific evidence on climate, the cited source mentions.
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