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Evironment official: Romania will assume climate neutrality in 2050 time horizon
Climate neutrality, as assumed by Romania in the 2050 time horizon, is not a nice-sounding goal to talk about on a political level, but a goal that if we do not achieve we will not be able to survive, Secretary of State with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests (MMAP) Ionut-Sorin Banciu told specialist debate on Monday, told Agerpres.
"Romania will assume climate neutrality in the 2050 time horizon and here there have been many discussions with all key ministries: Energy, Development, Agriculture, Transport. Because every one of us, every one of the institutions, companies, sectors will have to contribute to climate neutrality. It is not a nice-sounding goal to talk about on a political level, but it is a goal that if we don't reach it we will not be able to survive (...). We see what has happened this summer. The signs are very clear: record-breaking weather records, the hottest July globally and in Romania, the hottest day in the history of weather records. We already have calculations about the wind energy potential in the Black Sea. Romania certainly has a fantastic potential that we must take advantage of, because without offshore renewable energy, Romania cannot reach its goals," Banciu said.
In the official's view, renewable energy has an important role to play in aligning all sectoral strategies to achieve climate neutrality.
"Beyond the discussions about investors, about how attractive these investments are, we must also think about how we make these investments, because the Black Sea is a sensitive area also from an environmental perspective, and not only the Black Sea, but also the Danube Delta, which is very close. Indeed, we can make those investments without damaging [the environment]. The role of the Ministry of Environment, beyond regulating all these projects, strategies and plans, is also to negotiate in the name of nature and the environment," stressed the dignitary.
According to the quoted source, there is no 100% neutral investment in terms of environmental impact, but there are mitigation solutions in Romania.
"We have to look at the environmental impact and at the same time we have to be aware that there is no 100% impact-neutral investment, but we have mitigation solutions and Romania has usually had two approaches: either we said we have no impact and we let the investments go ahead and we had problems, or we said there was an impact and we did nothing... I think we need to get out of this approach, it is clear. I know the criticism against the Ministry of Environment that we block [investment], that the procedures are very long. Unfortunately or fortunately, from my point of view, these procedures are regulated by directives and European legislation," explained Ionut-Sorin Banciu.
