Rebuilding Ukraine. Principles for a Green Post-War Reconstruction

Ukraine is currently engaged in an existential war, suffering enormous human and economic losses. While it may seem premature to plan for post-war reconstruction and to set additional requirements for it to be “green,” there are strong arguments for doing so now. Reconstruction is already underway in the regions liberated by Ukraine.

Making the reconstruction green will allow Ukraine to achieve its core social, economic, and geopolitical goals, secure energy independence from Russian fossil fuels, accelerate and facilitate integration with the European Union (EU), and reap the social and environmental co-benefits of green reconstruction while opening up new economic opportunities.

Both the Ukrainian government and its international partners have recognized the urgency and importance of Ukraine’s green reconstruction, emphasizing the need for the reconstruction plan to be synchronized with the European green agenda and aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement. However, due to the many trade-offs and the need to overcome the heavy dependence on the past, greening the reconstruction will not be easy and will require careful planning and implementation. To make the green reconstruction of Ukraine a reality, the reconstruction plan should be aligned with the goals of the European Green Deal (EGD) to clearly define the direction of development and avoid measures and investments that could impede the transition.

Source: https://adelphi.de/en/projects/principles-of-green-post-war-reconstruction-in-ukraine-policy-report