Skopje, 20 October 2021 (MIA) – North Macedonia is one of the first countries to adopt a National Energy Development Strategy up to 2040. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve adopted a revised national contribution to reduce greenhouse gases. We’ve established as many as 63 climate action plans which are directly connected to 15 sustainable development goals, said President Stevo Pendarovski, who opened the Youth Climate Summit in Skopje, backed by UNICEF, alongside the embassies of Italy, Sweden and the UK. According to Pendarovski, the next 30 years will pose the biggest climate challenge not just for us, but for the whole world. “The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that we’re already living in the last decade in which we can limit global warming. To do so, we will have to quickly change the energy and production systems worldwide. We will have to create new, sustainable lifestyle habits and show better care for the environment. If not, if we don’t drastically reduce greenhouse emissions during this decade, and get to net zero emissions by 2050, we will move past the point of no return,” Pendarovski said. This year’s forest fires and flooding in Europe and in our country are a herald of the future ahead, he pointed out. “Due to climate change, these extreme weather conditions will intensify and become more frequent, with more human casualties and greater damages to national economies and ecosystems. Heatwaves, droughts and fires will become more frequent in some areas, whereas floods and storms will become more frequent in others. The Mediterranean region is especially vulnerable to climate change. Science has predicted this. What can we do? Realistically, not a lot by ourselves, but if we join forces with other European countries, we can do a lot,” Pendarovski said. He added that he will take part in the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, due in November in Glasgow, where he will present the country’s position and policies. “You’re the most well-informed, digitized generation in the history of humanity. To deal with this global challenge, we need your enthusiasm, innovation, creative ideas and solutions. That’s why we’re here today, to hear your ideas about how we can realize the aforementioned strategies, and secure a better future for you and future generations,” President Pendarovski added. dk/ba/