News about Ecology

The Paks Nuclear Power Plant had to be shut down due to record-low water levels in the Danube, whose water is used to cool the reactors. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Mádor warned of the threat of an energy crisis—the Paks plant generates nearly half of the country’s electricity.

The forest fire warning alert (“yellow code”) has been extended for another week across the entire territory of the Republic of Moldova—the second time this July. Concurrently with this measure, the Meteorological and Environmental Monitoring Agency has issued a “yellow alert” for the period from August 1 to August 3 due to abnormal heat.

Following the meeting of the Moldovan-Ukrainian Commission on the Dniester, a decision was made to reduce the water discharge from the Novodnestrovsk Reservoir downstream from 100 to 85 cubic meters per second. This is a compromise solution. Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian side proposed reducing the discharge to 70 cubic meters per second.

The Chisinau City Council today approved the Local Action Plan for creating a more environmentally friendly transportation system.

The Moldovan government has approved health regulations to ensure the quality of bathing water.

Water resource management on the Dniester River, in light of the current hydrological situation, was one of the topics discussed at the meeting between Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan and Paun Rogovei, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.

The Moldovan government today declared a 30-day state of alert (high readiness) in the field of hydrology.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), as part of the “Sustainable Communities through Women’s Empowerment” project, funded by Sweden and Norway, will provide 40 women entrepreneurs in Moldova’s agricultural sector with financial support to develop climate-resilient businesses.

The number of wildfires in Europe has increased by 57% over the past four years, and this trend is expected to intensify in the coming years due to climate change. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued this warning.

Termoelectrica acknowledged that the water in Chisinau’s rivers had temporarily turned green due to repair and testing work on the heating networks carried out in the Ryshkanovka sector.

New details and assessments are emerging regarding the water supply situation in the Republic of Moldova’s settlements in general and in the capital in particular, and these fall well short of a “good” rating.

This morning, photos and videos of the Byk River appeared on social media, showing that the waters of the Bîc River, which flows through the capital, have become murky along its entire length.

The issue of potential water supply problems in Chisinau due to a critical deterioration in “the water quality of the Dniester River and the Novodnestrovsk Reservoir” has garnered attention in the official media and on social media. In some cases, the response was not what the person who initiated the discussion had expected.

By 2030, Moldova plans to recycle at least 50% of its municipal waste; by 2035, 55%; by 2040, 60%; and by 2045, 65%. A separate target has been set for construction waste: at least 70% reuse by 2035.

On July 17, Moldova and Ukraine held an emergency meeting of the Dniester Commission and agreed to maintain the water discharge rate from the Dniester Reservoir at 100 cubic meters per second through the end of July.

It is proposed to completely ban plastic cutlery, plates, straws, and drink stirrers, cotton swabs, balloon sticks, food containers, cups, and beverage containers, as well as funeral wreaths and funeral accessories.

The RE-MAP project, which aims to restore forests, pastures, and wetlands in the Dniester River basin, has entered the implementation phase. The Steering Committee has approved the 2026 work plan, which covers 15 districts in Moldova.

Opportunities for the development and financing of decarbonization projects in the Republic of Moldova were discussed during an official meeting between Carolina Novac, State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy (ME), the head of the Department of Renewable Energy and Green Mobility, Nicolae Magdil, and representatives of SDG Impact Japan, a company specializing in the creation and development of new enterprises aimed at addressing sustainable development challenges.

Yesterday, the global temperature record for 2026 was broken. The epicenter of the disaster (in this sense as well) is Iran.