Ukraine presents the main elements of the updated Low Carbon Development Strategy until 2050

A high-level event organised by the Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Ukrainian pavilion presented the results of modelling the pathways to decarbonisation and climate neutrality of Ukraine’s economy, along with a set of comprehensive policies and measures for the updated long-term Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) of Ukraine until 2050.

Opening the event, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Viktoriia Kyreeva noted that the new Low Carbon Development Strategy for the period up to 2050 will fully comply with the European Union’s goals and policies and the Paris Agreement.

‘The updated NSDS will facilitate the further transformation of the domestic market environment and its effective integration with the European one, in particular, in terms of the introduction of an emissions trading scheme and the application of the European carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM),’ the Deputy Minister added.

Kurt Vandenberge, Head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA), praised Ukraine’s progressive environmental reforms despite Russian aggression and assured continued support from the European Union.

Sergiu Lazarencu, Moldova’s Minister of Environment, emphasised the common environmental challenges faced by Ukraine and Moldova and the need to coordinate cooperation between the neighbouring countries on the path to European Union integration.

More than 15 experts from the State Institution ‘Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine’ were involved in preparing the updated Strategy with UNDP’s support under the global Climate Promise initiative.

According to the results of comprehensive modelling, achieving climate neutrality by 2050 is entirely possible in an economically feasible and socially acceptable way, even considering the dramatic consequences of the war. The right choice and timely implementation of climate, economic, energy, and social policies and measures will help avoid negative impacts and reap double dividends from the green transition.

A broad public discussion of the draft Strategy will continue after the COP29 with various national and international stakeholders.