Ukraine’s Climate Dialogue in Berlin: Key insights

Watch full recording of the event

Kyiv, June 13 – “Climate change is not waiting for the end of the war. We must integrate climate into all aspects of recovery”, Fabien Porcher from DG Clima stated in a side event during URC2024 week, jointly organized by the Ukrainian Climate Office/C4CA and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine (MEPR).

Business representatives are keen on ambitious nationally determined contribution (NDC) as they are the precondition for investments, so explained Philipp Behrens, Head of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

The event covered a wide range of topics, including national policymaking, EU integration, local challenges, carbon pricing, and the Emission Trading System. Discussions also highlighted cooperation with Germany, reforestation, agriculture, protected areas, and the pressing need for environmental experts who often work with little or no financial support, all amidst constant attacks. The impact of these attacks on the environment were presented by Lennard de Klerk from the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War, informing that GHG grows and after the 2 years amounts to 175 million tons of CO2.

Despite the ongoing full-scale invasion by russia, Ukraine showcased remarkable advancements in climate policy. Recently the Climate Policy Strategy 2035 and the draft law “On the Principles of the State Climate Policy of Ukraine” were developed by the Ministry of Environment with support of the Ukrainian Climate Office/C4CA. Deputy Minister Viktoriia Kyreieva noted that the Climate Policy Strategy has already been adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and it is currently being prepared for further discussions in the relevant Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Besides, in 2025, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources is also set to announce an “ambitious target” to increase the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Therefore, in addition to the Strategy and the draft law, which meet the standards and requirements of the European Union, the Ministry of Environment shared that its experts are working on several other areas in parallel.

“There are several priority areas: The draft law on climate, the Climate Strategy, and the ETS in the context of the CBAM. We have also already started working on a low-carbon strategy. We understand that the global community wants to see how Ukraine will move towards decarbonization, what commitments we will make in the future”, – said Deputy Minister Viktoriia Kyreieva.

During the event the EU and Germany representatives have also recognized and honoured Ukraine’s efforts, emphasizing strong cooperation and once again reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. First Deputy Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi emphasized the value of cooperation with Germany in climate policy, saying, “This cooperation brings us closer to the European community and confirms that Germany sees Ukraine as a strategic partner.” He highlighted Germany’s support in conservation, pollution prevention, and effective climate policy.

Examples of the support are the climate club and the Ukrainian Climate Office “With the Climate Office we want to support Ukraine in coordinating a green, climate-friendly reconstruction and accelerate the EU accession in order to promote a functioning economic environment, as Berthold Goeke Director General, Climate Protection Department at the (BMWK) stated, while Philipp Behrens explained the climate club provides a forum where countries who are agreeing on ambitious targets come together to discuss  aspects like policy mix, carbon pricing carbon intensity.

“We are on the initial path to fulfill the commitments that Ukraine wants to take on by 2050. Special thanks to Germany for supporting all of Ukraine’s climate goals,” said Oleh Bondarenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management.

The event marked all the efforts Ukraine puts into advancing environmental and climate topics even during the war, which as Margot Wallström, former Foreign Minister of Sweden, in her opening speech stressed “Some people see as a luxury, an abstract notion, an add-on which can be dealt with after the war. But it’s not; it’s important for the survival of people and for Ukraine’s economy.”

The event was jointly organized by Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine and Ukrainian Climate Office within Capacities for Climate Action project (C4CA) Project implemented by GIZ and commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and co-funded by the EU.