Nationally determined contribution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NDC) for the period 2020-2030.

The present document Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina was prepared in accordance with the Decision 1/CP.21 of the Paris Agreement and it is a revision of the first Intended Nationally Determined Contribution – INDC submitted by Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2015. Compared to the INDC, the NDC of Bosnia and Herzegovina includes a section on climate change adaptation and the updated section related to contribution to climate change mitigation which now includes more ambitious targets for reducing GHG emissions. The key challenge in the process of climate change mitigation is to use the transition to a low-carbon (low-emission) economy for achieving the sustainable economic development and social cohesion goals, while taking account of the existing structure of the economy and the time required for its transition. Through investing in GHG emission reduction projects and programmes, there is a great potential for economic growth, employment opportunities and business risk reduction. When setting GHG emission reduction targets, it should be taken into account that BiH is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and a member of the Energy Community. Under the Paris Agreement, emission reduction targets are set on a voluntary basis. This means that it is up to each country to consider its own situation and assess which level of emission reductions is in line with its sustainable development. Thereby, it can be expected for the level of international assistance on reducing GHG emissions to be commensurate with the ambition of the targets. As a member of the Energy Community, Bosnia and Herzegovina has an obligation to harmonize its energy sector with the acquis communautaire and to base its climate targets on those of the EU, but it also has the possibility to set its own target with an adequate explanation of the ambitiousness of such target. When setting the target for reducing GHG emissions by 2030, the commitments of BiH deriving from both treaties/agreements were taken into account. In setting GHG emission reduction target, the following sectors are covered: power sector, district heating, building, transport, industry, agriculture, forestry (through increased sinks), waste and the cross-cutting5 sector. The following GHGs were considered: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and hydrofluorocarbons. The period for which the reduction target is defined is by 2030 and by 2050, with the indication of the target for 2025. In order to achieve the defined targets, it is necessary to implement measures that are demanding both in terms of planning and finances. In order to achieve the targets in both options (unconditional and conditional target), Bosnia and Herzegovina will need a strong international assistance for capacity building, training, technology transfer, establishment of financial mechanisms to encourage decarbonisation, preparation of necessary research and project documentation, as well as project financing itself. In case of the option that defines the conditional target due to faster decarbonisation of the power sector (which requires a higher level of effort on decarbonisation of mining areas), international assistance should be more intensive.