Ukraine’s first climate change adaptation strategies presented in Kyiv today
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, together with APENA 3 project experts and regional environmental departments, presented the results of several years of work on Ukraine’s first climate change adaptation strategies for three pilot regions: Mykolaiv, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Svitlana Grinchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, opened the event. Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Victoria Kireeva took part in the discussion.
In developing the strategies, scientists studied the current state of the climate in each region, obtained climate forecasts until the end of the century, assessed the vulnerability and risks for various sectors of the economy, and finally developed a set of recommendations on what adaptation measures are needed for a particular industry.
‘Despite the war, climate policy remains among the main priorities of environmental reforms, and Ukraine’s post-war recovery should take into account climate goals and implement climate change adaptation measures. This year, we have many climate achievements – the National Climate Strategy until 2035 and the Action Plan until 2026 have been approved, and we are awaiting the adoption of the climate framework law. Adaptation is also one of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, which Ukraine has committed to implement. And we are pleased that the Ukrainian delegation will be able to present climate strategies developed with the support of the APENA3 project at the COP29 climate summit in Baku,’ said Svitlana Hrynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
In addition, the project experts were able to calculate the required number and cost of adaptation measures for three pilot regions – early warning systems, protective engineering structures, irrigation and drainage systems, smart grids, etc. The total cost of 168 climate change adaptation measures for Lviv region is €273.7 million, 171 measures worth €155.7 million are recommended for Mykolaiv region, and 158 measures worth €152.650 million are required for Ivano-Frankivsk region.
‘We are all feeling the impact of climate change now. In Ukraine, we are also witnessing additional pressure on the environment and climate caused by Russia’s armed aggression. In addition to reducing emissions, adaptation to climate change is one of the aspects that Ukraine has a chance to take into account when planning its post-war reconstruction. Adaptation is a critical component of a long-term response to climate change at the global level to protect people, economies and ecosystems. We are grateful to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for its close cooperation with the APENA 3 project, which has allowed us to continue working on climate change adaptation. We are also pleased to see the willingness to implement the principles of the Green Deal at the local level, which is crucial for success,’ said Torsten Voelert, Minister-Counsellor for Energy, Climate and Environmental Protection, EU Delegation to Ukraine.
‘The development of climate change adaptation strategies for the three pilot oblasts is an important and necessary step towards climate-resilient development of the country. Now we can see how the climate will change in the south and west of the country and how much money is needed for adaptation. But other regions of Ukraine obviously need to develop strategies as well. At the very least, we should now select at least one region each in the north, east and centre of the country, so that we can get a more complete picture of climate change throughout Ukraine. And while the development of documents for the first pilot regions took about three years, as it required updating the methodology to reflect progress in international and European science and practice, the preparation of documents for other regions can be done much faster – in a few months,’ said Svitlana Krakovska, a climatologist and key expert of the APENA 3 project.
The results were presented by climatologist Svitlana Krakovska and project expert Antonis Sakalis.
The event also featured discussion panels on ‘Ukraine’s National and Regional Climate Change Adaptation Policy on the Way to the EU’ and ‘Climate Change Adaptation in Cities’ with representatives of international institutions and CBAs, as well as mayors of the pilot regions.
