REGIONAL POST CAUCASUS
EXCLUSIVE
We have witnessed a number of very hot and dry summers over the past few years. Is this becoming a new norm? — Scientific data and forecasting is telling us that it is going to get even hotter and this will take place across the country. The most recent data tells us that if before the temperature increase that we had registered stood at 1.23 degrees Celsius, the most up to date information has brought that number to 1.3 C. In addition to the increasing temperatures, we have also registered a decrease in precipitation, which currently stands at 9%. This is very alarming especially for Armenia – a country whose economy largely depends on agriculture. What does Armenia do to overcome this situation? Do we have a strategy?
SAVING THE PLANET: Paradox of Centuries
What is Armenia’s perspective on climate change mitigation and why is the idea of saving the planet paradoxical? Regional Post discussed some of the central questions of the environmental agenda in Armenia and the world with the Deputy Minister of Environment Dr. Irina Ghaplanyan. Interview : Arshak Tovmasyan
8
#4-5 / 2019
Photo : RA Ministry of the Environment
— Before jumping into our projects and strategies, I would like to mention that Armenia has signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, and with this historic agreement along with many developed and developing countries, committed to tackling climate change. This agreement was essential in establishing climate justice – that is, documenting that warming of the planet is due to greenhouse gas emissions and the lion portion of these emissions fall on the shoulders of developed countries. Moreover, this agreement ensured that developed countries took commitments to support developing nations in climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. As a political scientist for me the issue of climate change is the most pressing global challenge today, because we all – developed and developing nations – have to come to an agreement and make immediate changes in the way we run our economies, i.e. ensuring just transition to a sustainable model both from social and economic perspectives while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. There was a great momentum during and after the signature of the Paris Agreement back in 2015, however, as