Moldova - National Planning on short-lived climate pollutants

Year
2017
Funding
CCAC Funded
Implementing partners
Moldova

Despite its small contribution to global emissions, Moldova is taking ambitious action to tackle climate change and air pollution simultaneously in line with their development priorities. Through the SNAP initiative, Moldova has developed integrated SLCP, greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions inventories, which has allowed it to prioritize emissions reductions from key sectors, like transportation, and improved its reporting to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. This work is paving the way for informed policy making, improved emission reduction strategies, and the ability to track the effectiveness of these activities.

Objectives

The SNAP Initiative’s objectives were to increase institutional capacity for short-lived climate pollutant mitigation planning, and to start taking actions to reduce their impacts on air quality and climate. It specifically set out to:
  

  • Strengthen coordination and action on short-lived climate pollutants
  • Identify major emission sources, their likely evolution and mitigation potential
  • Assess the co-benefits of action
  • Prioritise the most relevant measures at national scale
  • Identify ways to promote and implement these mitigation measures
  • Incorporate short-lived climate pollutants into existing plans and activities where they are not currently considered
  • Support the implementation of priority measures and track progress
What we're doing

Phase I – Institutional Strengthening and Black Carbon Inventory Support – Ongoing

In 2017, a cooperation agreement was signed between UNEP and Institute of Chemistry of the Republic of Moldova following a call for proposals by the CCAC Secretariat. This agreement launched institutional strengthening activities through the SNAP Initiative to sustainably increase human and technical capacity for SLCP and climate change mitigation, to improve planning and coordination on mitigation activities, and to increase commitment among national stakeholders. In addition, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), UNEP and the CCAC Secretariat provided technical assistance for the development of a national integrated emission inventory for black carbon, greenhouse gases, and other SLCPs.

The process began by establishing a National Project Implementation Unit (PIU) within the Institute of Chemistry, with experts from the Institute of Ecology and Geography and the Institute of Energy. The Laboratory of Physical-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis was recruited to support institutional capacity building within state entities for the mitigation of SLCPs, and the Institute of Chemistry’s Scientific Council was consulted on the structure for national inventory reporting. National experts were recruited by the SNAP Initiative to support the project.

Following the establishment of this national team, a National Emission Inventory System was created to accelerate data processing and improve data documentation and calculation procedures. A stakeholder partnership – coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment – was created to foster inter-institutional cooperation to facilitate national data collection.

Extensive public awareness activities—in collaboration with SEI, the SNAP initiative and the World Health Organization – took place to complement this work and raise awareness of the benefits of SLCP mitigation. This included an online seminar in May of 2019 to demonstrate the impact of SLCPs on oral health with the Faculty of Dentistry at the Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chisinau.

As a result of the work, the national team of experts drafted the second Informative Inventory Report (IIR), and presented an updated emissions inventory to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). This was made possible by data collection and communication with state institutions such as the National Bureau for Statistics, the Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, and the State Hydrometeorological Service. The report included an inventory of black carbon and 25 other air pollutants, and highlighted emission sources and quantities from 1990 to 2017. Field burning of agricultural residues was identified as the largest contributor to black carbon emissions, amounting to 90% of emissions. The IIR goes to the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, which is the CLRTAP focal point. The report was approved in March of 2020 by the Scientific Council of the Institute Chemistry. Moldova continues to work with the SNAP initiative to identify opportunities for SLCP mitigation as a result of this project, including for the ongoing development of the country’s third IIR.

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