Georgian PM presents Green Economy concept
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The ‘Green Economy’ strategy presented to public by the Prime Minister of Georgia yesterday evening focuses on environmental protection to improve the ecology across the country and save natural resources for the next generations.
The government has two priorities in this strategy: neutralise the results of previously careless environmental management and preserve existing natural resources in a way to ensure that Georgia is perceived as a country with a green economy.
"I would say this is a new way of life which means we are taking care of the environment and share responsibilities while receiving fresh air, water and quality food instead,” PM Bakhtadze said adding the government is going to step by step tighten the environmental regulations to become closer to EU standards.
Improving the quality of atmospheric air is one of the top priorities.
The government of Georgia has already approved the atmospheric air standard, which will enter into force starting from August 1, 2018, allowing state bodies to measure the quality of the air in accordance with European standards. The evaluation system will be based on an already developed automatic monitoring network which is going to be widened.
At the same time a special web-portal will be launched where citizens will be able to get information about air quality in certain locations online.
PM Bakhtadze has presented his new initiative of Green Economy to public at Bioli medical wellness resort.
Another initiative by PM Bakhtadze is to appoint an environmental ombudsman and sustainable transport policy aiming to replace the faulty and deprecated public transport infrastructure.
Moreover, tighter regulations will be applied to petrol and diesel fuels in terms of measuring the contamination rate.
"As you know, diesel consumption is quite high in Georgia. Our proposal is to move to "Euro 4" from 1st of October and to "Euro 5" from 2020 meaning the sulfur content will be reduced 10 times in the fuel imported to Georgia,” PM said.
As for car imports, the government plans to introduce a taxation preference system for eco-friendly transport. For cars with large engines (more than 3,5 liters) accounting for almost 10 percent of the total number of transport vehicles in Georgia, taxes will be increased to stimulate the purchase of hybrid and electric cars.
The government of Georgia has approved the atmospheric air standard, which will enter into force starting from August 1, 2018, announces the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture.
Georgia is improving air quality monitoring to ensure that air quality throughout the country meets European standards.
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Fees for cutting green plants by construction companies might increase, says Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze. Kaladze said that the current fee for cutting down a tree is "inadequately low” and needs to be increased by several times.
Batumi City Hall and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are teaming up to create a ‘Green City’ concept’ for Batumi.
Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze has presented the government’s plans to deal with air pollution in the country.
A multifunctional green city will be built in Georgia’s Black Sea resort town of Kobuleti, bringing 500 million GEL (about $185.53m/€ 164.60m) European investments to the region.
Green Resorts has received official permission to start the construction of a multifunctional green city in Georgia’s Black Sea resort town of Kobuleti, bringing 500 million GEL (about $185.53m/€ 164.60m) in European investments to the region of Adjara.
The Georgian economy ministry has plans for developing a green growth strategy for the country, deputy minister Romeo Mikautadze announced at a “high-level dialogue” on sustainable public procurement and eco-labelling in Georgia on Tuesday.