Green reconstruction roundtable with Ukrainian civil society
On May 31st, Berlin Economics, in the framework of Low Carbon Ukraine, together with Ecoaction and Bankwatch, hosted an online-roundtable on the climate-neutral reconstruction of Ukraine. The event had a total of around 60 participants, including experts from non-governmental organisations, think tanks and international companies.
David Saha, Head of Energy and Climate at Berlin Economics, presented a policy briefing on the economic case for a climate-neutral reconstruction plan. The Russian invasion, and the accompanying destruction of economic infrastructure, will make an ambitious post-war reconstruction programme one of the most urgent tasks. However, this cannot merely be a matter of reconstructing pre-war structures. Against the backdrop of drastically increased prices for fossil fuels, continued dependence on Russian energy imports, as well as the prospect of Ukrainian EU membership and the associated efficiency and environmental requirements, this would not be a promising strategy. Even before the war, falling costs of green technologies, an increasingly inefficient and aging fossil resource base, and international political pressure and commitments (NDC, IED/NERP, CBAM) were pushing Ukraine towards decarbonisation.
Hereafter, participants were divided into five working groups, each focusing on industry, electricity, the building and heat sector, agriculture, and environment and nature. In each working group, the financial, economic, legal and technological framework conditions of a climate-neutral reconstruction programme in the respective sector were discussed. The results of the working groups will be included in a publication.
Finally, Ievgenii Cherviachenko, consultant at Berlin Economics, and Alona Korohod, policy analyst at Dixi Group, discussed the policy instruments and necessary conditions for the implementation of a green transition programme.
We would like to thank our partners Ecoaction and Bankwatch, as well as all participants for the successful event.