Albania

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its latest report on 2 February, stating that global warming is occurring, and that the increase in global temperatures are a result of human activities. They also say that given current trends, temperature extremes, heat waves and heavy precipitation will continue to escalate in frequency, and the earth’s temperature and seas will continue to rise into the next millennium.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently stated that climate change is one of the UN’s highest priorities and called on world leaders to respond urgently beyond 2012 (the end of the first commitment period of the Kyoto protocol) in part by technical innovation to find alternate energy sources.
 
“In Albania, the Climate Change Programme/Unit is sharing the message of the IPCC which leaves no doubt about the catastrophic effects of climate change,” said Ermira Fida, Climate Change Programme Manager and Vice-Chair of the Subsidiary Body of Scientific and Technological Advice, elected last year by the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Albania ratified the UNFCCC in 1995 and its Kyoto Protocol in 2005. As a party to the UNFCCC, Albania prepares national communications to the Convention. This process has helped to bring climate change into the national development agenda.  

“Awareness of climate change and its negative impact is growing every day in Albania,” said Ms. Fida. “Climate Change has become a recent topic in Albanian newspapers, magazines and has spurred debate on TV programmes. It’s impressive when you see owners of private businesses coming to our office and asking about the possibilities of selling carbon credits in exchange for carbon-free investments.”

“Albanian farmers, living in rural areas would never have thought of receiving payments from the World Bank Bio Carbon Fund in exchange for caring for their forests. Now this is a reality for 25 communes located in remote areas of Albania,” said Ms. Fida.
 
In Albania, the process of preparation of National Communications is not only a tool for reporting to the UNFCCC but also for mainstreaming climate change into national planning.
 
Thanks to these efforts, the National Energy Strategy has already integrated many findings from Albania’s First National Communication to the UNFCCC and Technology Needs Assessment Report. The strategy aims to increase the security of the energy supply through optimizing efficient consumption with minimal impact on the environment.

The Climate Change Programme, managed to naturally link national energy planning, poverty and climate change issues.  

“More than just looking at ecological pressures that come from climate change, we also take into account how it will affect poverty reduction and widen inequalities based on region, income and gender,” said Ms. Fida.

A law on energy efficiency, together with an energy trust fund, has been adopted in order to support implementation of the National Energy Strategy. The Climate Change Programme is also assisting the Government to draft by-laws to support the energy efficiency law and make the energy trust fund operational.
 
Reducing green house gases  

According to the First National Communication, Albania was found to be a relatively low net emitter of GHGs, with relatively low per capita CO2 emissions, mainly due to the fact that 95 percent of electricity is generated from hydro power sources but relatively high levels of CO2 emissions per GDP are found due to high levels of energy intensity. The energy sector contributes over 60 percent of total emissions.

Based on predictions for future emissions, it is expected that by 2020, emissions will increase by more than five times. Although Albania does not have any commitments to reduce GHG emissions, the national action plan aims to reduce GHG emission growth rates. The plan foresees a number of options, mainly focused on energy efficiency measures and the promotion of renewable energy sources, taking poverty reduction and social acceptability into account.
 
Proposed measures include thermal insulation in housing, energy efficient bulbs, and solar thermal power.  The proposed measures have been materialized into projects, such as the Solar Water Heating Project  and the Carbon Finance Project, already jointly funded by the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Albania, the Government of Italy, and the Austrian Technical Cooperation. Other new project ideas to mitigate GHGs are under development. Many of the measures represent potential Clean Development Mechanism* projects.

(*Through its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Kyoto Protocol allows developed countries to meet part of their emission reduction targets by investing in clean technologies in developing countries. At the Climate Change Conference in Montreal in November 2005, parties to the Kyoto Protocol officially adopted rules and regulations for the CDM to become fully operational. Since then, carbon credits generated by CDM projects have been sold and purchased on the international carbon market.)

Preliminary estimates show the overall CDM carbon potential of Albania to be around 2.5 Mt CO2eq per year. Considering the expected range of market prices from $8 to 11 per ton of CO2, the carbon investment potential could reach  $19 to 32 million per year.
 
Adapting to climate change

Climate changes predicted for Albania include increased temperatures, decreased precipitation and reduction of water resources and arable land. The most vulnerable area is Albania’s coastal zone, while the sectors highlighted as most vulnerable are water resources, ecosystems, agriculture, electricity and tourism.
 
The Drini River cascade is a high priority because future climate changes are expected to negatively impact the river flow, which in turn will affect the generation capacity of hydro power plants. This is especially significant, given that over 95 percent of Albania's electricity comes from hydro sources. In order to meet the electricity needs of the entire population, Albania needs to protect this unexploited potential from the negative effects of climate change.
 
It is imperative to present realistic figures to policy makers on the impact of climate change on hydroelectricity and to address adaptation response measures for the electricity sector. CDM projects and the use of green certificates also have a high potential through the rehabilitation of small hydroelectric power plants. The use of these mechanisms is likely to have a positive effect on the private sector by significantly increasing the return of investment.

The Climate Change Programme

Supported by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Climate Change Programme works within the Ministry of the Environment, Forest and Water Administration, which is ultimately responsible for implementation of the Climate Change Convention. The Government has taken considerable steps to meet its obligations to the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol, and aims at reducing growth rates of green house gases and addressing response adaptation measures to climate change. For more information, please contact the Climate Change Programme Manager, Ermira Fida at mirafida@icc-al.org ermira.fida@undp.org.