Serhiy Magera, member of the Parliament of Ukraine, member of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management

 

When the Ukrainian government announced its readiness to adhere to the European Green Deal in January 2020, it was hard to imagine how thorny the path to carbon neutrality would be. First of all, because of the aggressive, unmotivated war waged by the Russians against Ukraine.

A year of Russian military adventurism has already caused more than 46 billion dollars in damage to the Ukrainian environment. Air pollution accounted for most of this amount, at $27 billion. However, even under such circumstances, Ukraine is trying to fulfill the obligations it has assumed. After all, the European "green" course could become the basis of the post-war "green" recovery.

In 2016, Ukraine was one of the first countries that joined the Paris climate agreement. Since then, we have had an ambitious plan to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our global goal is to allow future generations to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and use safe products.

But the Green Deal for Ukraine is not just a "green" deal, it's a "green light" to the European Union. In August 2020, Ukraine submitted a document to the European Commission outlining its position on the implementation of the Green Deal. This is a clear algorithm of actions until 2030, according to which greenhouse gas emissions should be halved. In case we adopt the relevant laws and implement them.

In July 2021, the Updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Climate Agreement (NNC2) was adopted. It predicted a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the same year 2030 (compared to 1990). But the deadline for achieving climate neutrality has shifted to 2060. At the same time, it was calculated that about 102 billion euros would be needed for everything.

When the Russians went to Ukraine with a full-scale war on February 24, 2022, it seemed that the issue of environmental protection took a back seat. Actually, no. Right now, the reconstruction of Ukraine and all sectors of the economy should be planned taking into account the green strategy.

Ukraine, as an integral part of the European community, will act in unison with the European Union in matters of combating the consequences of climate change, as well as creating new opportunities for Ukrainian business.

However, it is worth considering the scale of the disaster and the damage that the Russians are causing to the Ukrainian economy and the environment. The Ukrainian green strategy was developed before a full-scale invasion.

Therefore, it is worth carefully considering the possibility of adjusting obligations and requirements to Ukraine within the framework of the Green Deal. Reasonable adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to European legislation, taking into account the consequences of full-scale, will be a guarantee of quick recovery of Ukraine with the least damage to the economy and business.

Ukraine's plans are extremely ambitious. We need to turn ruined cities into models of modern technology. New cities, new enterprises must be built "green". It is critically important to make them ecological, according to European standards, at the same time gradually - taking into account the circumstances in which Ukraine found itself.

Therefore, even now during the war, the Verkhovna Rada is considering a number of draft laws that will help Ukraine move forward in the direction of solving environmental protection issues. For example, 6004 and 8410. The first is a project of the Law on Integrated Prevention and Control of Industrial Pollution, which occurs as a result of industrial activity. The project must ensure a high level of environmental protection. The second is a project on amendments to the Law of Ukraine on Environmental Impact Assessment.

Our confident movement in the direction of achieving the aforementioned "green" goal, firstly, gives a very positive signal to investors and other businesses that it is worth investing in Ukraine even now. Secondly, this is a concrete action that shows that Ukraine is not changing its course and is clearly moving towards the EU.