Cutting greenhouse gas emissions

It was in 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, that the Principality of Monaco acceded to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Since then, Monaco has repeatedly raised its ambitions. In 2015, on the occasion of COP21 and the Paris Agreement, a decision was taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. In 2020, the Monegasque State officially committed to reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions within its territory by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 emissions, and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

To meet these commitments, the Energy Transition Mission was established in 2016 to oversee projects aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions and developing renewable energies in Monaco. In particular, this Mission manages the National Green Fund, whose purpose is to provide the Principality with the financial resources required for long-term action to successfully achieve its energy transition.

The national action plan for the energy transition focuses primarily on the three sectors that generate the highest greenhouse gas emissions: road transport, waste treatment, and energy consumption in buildings. Together, these sectors account for approximately 90% of the country’s emissions, with around 30% attributable to each sector.

The Monaco Climate, Air and Energy Plan reflects the Principality’s ambitious objectives, structured around three main pillars: achieving carbon neutrality by 2050; improving quality of life and air quality; and ensuring the collective, exemplary and solidarity-based involvement of all stakeholders—public and private, residents and visitors alike—in Monaco’s energy and ecological transition.

In the field of mobility and transport, the State leads by example and supports changes in behavior by offering concrete solutions: public and on-demand transport, electric bicycles, escalators, and carpooling. Introduced as early as 1994, the incentive scheme for the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles has enabled Monaco to achieve a significant share of low-emission vehicles within its vehicle fleet, both for individuals and for businesses.

Alongside these policies to combat climate change and its impacts, the Principality of Monaco, under the impetus of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, is also committed to preserving its biological heritage and natural environment.

The initiative “Zero Single-Use Plastic by 2030” aims to eliminate single-use plastics by 2030 through a series of progressively more stringent measures, notably targeting plastic bags, bottles, cutlery, and packaging. To support economic stakeholders in this transition, the Principality offers programs to help retailers, restaurateurs, and consumers adopt eco-responsible practices and alternative solutions to single-use plastics.

Furthermore, environmental monitoring in urban areas seeks to preserve ecological balance and improve quality of life for all, through precise tracking of air quality, biodiversity, noise levels, and water quality.

Finally, in order to renovate and build in a manner consistent with the Mediterranean climate, the Government has developed—together with construction sector stakeholders—the BD2M framework: Sustainable Mediterranean Buildings of Monaco. Systematically applied to all public buildings and optional for private developments, this approach promotes best practices such as reducing the environmental impact of materials, lowering water and energy consumption, and adopting bioclimatic design. Its objective is to safeguard occupants’ comfort and health while taking environmental, social, and economic challenges into account.