The Fiji Government has become the 11th country to submit its long-term strategy (LTS) for low emission development 2018-2050 to the UNFCCC Secretariat. Fiji’s Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) sets as a priority the long-term emission reductions and also sets long-term sustainable and resilient economy-wide mitigation pathways until 2050.
Specifically, Leila Mead, Thematic Expert for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy (US), stated that the LEDS focuses on sector-specific targets and measures; social, economic and environmental dimensions; education, capacity building and awareness raising; and a framework for monitoring and evaluating the LEDS.
In the meantime, Fiji’s strategy is one of the first LEDS globally that addresses the Blue Carbon Sector and focuses on the area’s ecosystem.
Also, the strategy boosts mitigation and adaptation actions in Fiji and will also raise awareness in Fiji’s future Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The LEDS details four potential low emission scenarios for Fiji to achieve this:
- A ‘Business-as-Usual (BAU) Unconditional Scenario,’ which refers to policies, targets and technologies that would be implemented and financed without reliance on external or international financing;
- A ‘BAU Conditional Scenario,’ which is conditional on external or international financing to implement mitigation actions;
- A ‘High-Ambition Scenario,’ which projects ambitions beyond those already specified, and achieves significant emission reductions by 2050 compared with the BAU scenarios; and
- A ‘Very High Ambition Scenario,’ which projects ambitions well beyond those already specified, and in which most sectors achieve net-zero or negative emissions by 2050.
The four scenarios were elaborated for each sector, including: electricity and other energy use; land transport; domestic maritime transport; domestic air transport; agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU); and waste.
According to LEDS, the Very High Ambition Scenario can be achieved in 2041, resulting to nee negative emissions, due to, inter alia, a transformation of the country’s energy sector to one based on on- and off-grid renewable energy generation.
Moreover, this scenario sees the energy sector free of emissions by 2050 and waste sector emissions would be nearly zero due to methane capture and utilization of organic waste, and extensive waste reduction and recycling programmes.
Meanwhile, afforestation, reduced deforestation and increased use of sustainable forest plantations would help Fiji achieve net negative emissions.
The LEDS aspires that Fiji’s emissions are to more than double under the BAU Unconditional Scenario, grow incrementally under the BAU Conditional Scenario, and drop by nearly 31% under the High Ambition Scenario.
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Generally, the strategy aims to decarbonize the economy without being a threat to the county’s long-term development aims and will help Fiji meet the SDGs at a national level.
Concluding, the LEDS strategy acknowledges the importance of achieving SDG 5, meaning gender equality, and will promote women’s empowerment and participation in decision making procedures.
The LEDS was developed under the guidance of the Ministry of Economy with support from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Fiji joins Benin, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, the US, the UKand Ukraine who have already submitted their LTSs.
