The President, who spoke immediately after Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, expressed Lithuania’s solidarity with those world countries that placed special focus on environmental protection and climate change. He emphasized the importance of maintaining sustainable natural processes and shared Lithuania’s experience in effectively addressing climate change issues and successfully implementing the EU’s commitment to go climate neutral.
The President introduced Lithuania’s global initiative “Transition to Sustainable Heating” aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels in centralized district heating and at delivering climate neutrality. The initiative is supported by Sweden, Austria, Ukraine, Georgia, and Latvia, with other countries where central heating is indispensable on the way to join it.
Gitanas Nausėda presented Lithuania’s decision to substitute fossil fuels for biomass and eventually to switch completely to biomass in district heating. “In Lithuania, the share of biomass in residential district heating has increased from 30 to 70 percent over the last five years, while at the same time average heating prices have fallen by 30 to 40 percent,” the President said.
In his speech, the President highlighted five priorities that should be immediately included in the world leaders’ agenda to preserve priceless natural beauty and diversity for future generations. They include climate neutrality and minimized fossil-fuel energy production, promotion of innovation, development of circular economy, increased cooperation between public and private sectors, and unique country-specific tools to fight climate change.
The President underlined that Lithuania fully supported transition to renewables. He urged energy consumers to become energy prosumers.
On September 24, the President will attend the opening of the 74th General Debate. On September 25, he will address the General Assembly – his first speech as president to a multilateral audience. A meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also scheduled.
The President and the First Lady will attend a celebratory reception hosted by President Donald Trump for heads of state and government. They will also meet with the Lithuanian community in New York. Gitanas Nausėda will attend two major business community events: the Concordia Annual Summit and the Bloomberg Global Business Forum. He will visit the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and meet with the widow of the prominent post-WWII Lithuanian freedom fighter, Juozas Lukša-Daumantas.
