In 2020, report by Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU e.V.) showed that CSOs in Ukraine have increased their presence in public discourse and policy-making and have become a strong driving force behind ongoing reforms following the Granite Revolution in 1990, the Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2013/2014. The report provides a detailed description of the legal framework, institutional structures and capacity of civil society to advocate for the decarbonisation of society.
As the full-scale invasion of Russia to Ukraine interfered, the baseline for environmental and climate change engagement in Ukraine has changed drastically. This publication update by UfU, Environment People Law (EPL) and the Center for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction” presents an overview of the environmental damage caused by the war, the changed legal framework due to martial law and challenges of activism in wartime and for green recovery.
After the first shock wore off, activities of Ukrainian civil society organisations and private engagement have multiplied. Primarily engagement is focussed on humanitarian purposes to deal with the consequence of the brutal aggression of course, but other causes of activism such as environmental and climate protection have been upheld and have been noticeable beyond the borders of Ukraine.
Joint campaigns of the movement have helped to put the narrative of energy independence and sovereignty on the political Agenda and are shaping the debate on a green recovery for Ukraine. NGOs take citizen science approaches to monitor the damages of the war, pool information and run websites with the aim of creating transparency about the environmental impact of war and preparing for a full environmental recovery of Ukraine.
The start of the war in 2022 resulted in significant and comprehensible restrictions on the right of access to environmental information and public participation, based on the arguments of defence and national security. Many electronic databases and registers containing public information were closed to the public. The Parliament also decided to limit the scope of the Environmental Impact Assessment and the Strategic Environmental Assessment, thus limiting public consultation. Martial law became the basis for numerous legislative amendments, some of which undermine full compliance with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention.
At the same time, there have been legislative attempts to approximate EU legislation, as foreseen in the Association Agreement, in the field of air protection, waste management and the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register etc. This resulted in the introduction of new provisions on public participation and access to information.
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Civic Space for Participation in Climate Policies in Ukraine – In times of war (PDF)