Julian Popov is a former Minister of Environment and Water in Bulgaria (2013 and 2023-2024). He told ESGnews.bg about the benefits for our country of hosting the 61st session of the IPCC in Sofia. He was also the moderator of the International Conference "Climate policies as an opportunity for investments in the development of the urban environment", part of the accompanying program of the IPCC in Sofia.
Mr. Popov, what are the benefits for Bulgaria of holding the 61st session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Sofia?
The benefits for Bulgaria are enormous along several lines. One is that after our very strong performance in Dubai last year at COP 29, we are now showing that despite the volatile political environment in our country, our climate policy, climate technology and investment, climate diplomacy remains unchanged . This is very important both as an outward and inward signal.
The other great benefit for our country is that we enter a very large and valuable network of contacts, which enriches Bulgarian knowledge, as well as the knowledge of foreign countries about Bulgaria. Delegations from over 130 countries are here and all of them are extremely satisfied with the performance of our country. Their rating is very high and they consider it to be one of the best organizations of all 61 IPCC sessions so far, including the light show, entertainment and meetings that have been organised. This is a global assessment.
Enriching our knowledge is another benefit of holding these meetings in Sofia. It is very important to understand how these global organizations that we have have a major impact on our economy. It is extremely useful to see the mechanism by which they work and to participate in them. This makes policymaking and analysis much more relevant because it is tailored to this process. These are just a few of the many benefits we can derive from our household.
Do you think we are doing a good job of this task, despite claims earlier that we don't have the capacity to host these meetings?
Definitely yes. Earlier, we also stated our desire for COP 29 to be held in Bulgaria, but we were blocked by Russia. However, we were noticed for our fight against this blockade and because we were well prepared for last year's COP meeting. It was thanks to this preparation that the IPCC decided to hold the 61st session in Sofia.
This consistency is very important and we have shown that we not only have the capacity to handle the meeting we handle at the highest level, but we also organize over 30 side events, such as those with the municipalities. The Black Sea Climate Risks Conference will leave a very strong mark and is of great international importance for the Black Sea region. We have several other events coming up related to climate diplomacy, science and climate, and more. By the next COP in Azerbaijan, maybe around 30 more events will be organized and held..
What are the most important decisions to be made at this year's UN climate summit?
This year COP 29 will be held in Azerbaijan. One of the most important things is perhaps a confirmation of the agreements of last year, when the parties agreed that the world should get off the use of fossil fuels. It was a historic breakthrough.
The other thing that needs to be solved is the issue of financing climate adaptation and, in general, the financial instruments that will be used in the future for climate policies. This ongoing dispute between richer and more vulnerable and poor countries is important to resolve. A global financial architecture must be created, and of course many countries, including us, must strive for very high transparency and guarantees against corruption. I am very proud that Bulgaria became the lead country for this appeal.
Where is Bulgaria in terms of green policies compared to other European countries?
The picture is very colorful. Bulgaria is part of the European Union and participates in the negotiations of the CPC. We are negotiating inside the European Union and it was a great achievement to be noticed globally. Basically, we should be noticed internally, as part of the EU, but we were noticed on a global level.
From the point of view of European policies, we are simply moving in sync with EU requirements. Of course, there are areas where we are lagging behind. There are also some that we are making progress on, such as the whole nature restoration agenda, etc. Nature Restoration Low. We are in a good position partly because 1/3 of Bulgaria is in Natura and we are naturally well positioned.
Bulgaria has a very strong growth in renewable energy, especially solar energy. A month ago, the first battery in Southeast Europe, which is connected to the power grid, was installed. This is a very important technological leap. Bulgarian companies in the solar sector work all over the world.
Are we lagging behind in energy transmission and storage systems?
Bulgaria has a fairly high share of hydropower storage, the so-called PAVETS, we have nuclear energy, which is low-emission. Our country entered the Bloomberg ranking of countries that have passed the turning point of electromobility. Over 5% of the new cars sold on the Bulgarian market are electric. Sofia's public transport is over 80% electrified. So, on the one hand, there are areas where we are lagging, such as unclear coal exit policies, lack of an energy strategy. On the other hand, things that are more related to entrepreneurship and business are moving very well.
That is, those who are not driven by the state?
Yes. Those not driven by the state.