On 31 May, the Low Carbon Ukraine team, Ecoaction and Bankwatch jointly organised an online roundtable to discuss the options for a green reconstruction of Ukraine. Around 60 participants, incl. experts from non-governmental organizations, think tanks and international companies, took part in the roundtable.
David Saha, Head of Energy and Climate at Berlin Economics, presented a LCU Policy Briefing on the economic reasons for a green reconstruction for Ukraine. Already before the war, falling costs for green technologies, an increasingly inefficient and obsolete fossil asset base, as well as international policy pressure and obligations (NDC, IED/NERP, CBAM) were pushing Ukraine towards decarbonisation. With the full-scale Russian invasion, drastically increased fossil fuel prices and price volatility, continued dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports, and the EU membership perspective all add towards the imperative of a green reconstruction in Ukraine. Green reconstruction should mean replacing destroyed or damaged assets linked to an old fossil-based economy by new technologies.
Participants were then divided into five parallel thematic working groups for five sectors: (1) industry, (2) electricity, (3) buildings and heat sector, (4) agriculture sector, and (5) environment and nature. Participants discussed the financial, economic, legal and technological perspectives for green reconstruction in the different sectors. The results of the lively discussions will be incorporated into a publication.
To conclude the event, Ievgenii Cherviachenko, Consultant at Berlin Economics, and Alona Korohod, Policy Analyst at Dixi Group, discussed the policy instruments and frameworks necessary to implement a green reconstruction.
The Low Carbon Ukraine team would like to thank Ecoaction and Bankwatch for co-organising the roundtable. Our team will further support the Ukrainian government to pursue a green reconstruction of the country. Just recently, VoxUkraine published an article from David Saha, Pavel Bilek, Rouven Stubbe and Manuel von Mettenheim on the economic reasons for a green reconstruction programme for Ukraine.