GABORONE, March 26 -- Botswana is determined and on track to meet its commitments at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi made the remarks Tuesday during the groundbreaking ceremony for the 50-MW solar cluster project in Francistown, the country's second-largest city.

"The project is a major milestone toward realizing our national commitment to climate change and global warming," said Masisi.

During the World Climate Action Summit at COP28 late last year, Masisi announced in his speech that Botswana has decided to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix from 2 percent to 30 percent by 2030.

According to Masisi, Botswana has also committed to reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2030, based on the 2010 emission levels.

"This is our voluntary nationally determined contribution which Botswana made during COP21 in 2015," Masisi said, adding that Botswana must play its role in achieving the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Current projections regarding achieving this goal suggest that there is a chance of more than 50 percent that global temperature rise will reach, if not surpass, 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2021 and 2040, said Botswanan Minister of Environment and Tourism Dumezweni Mthimkhulu at the same event.

  - Xinhua