Parliament adopts Ukraine's Environmental Strategy until 2030

The Verkhovna Rada on Thursday, Feb 28, adopted a government-submitted law "Basic principles (strategies) of the state environmental policy of Ukraine for the period until 2030" (No. 8328).

The strategy envisages the introduction of eco-friendly, resource- and energy-saving technologies, and the development of renewable energy sources.

In the field of security and defense, the issue of access shall be resolved to defense industry sites to exercise appropriate supervision and control over compliance with environmental protection laws at these facilities, prevent contamination of surface and ground waters with petroleum products, destruction of natural landscapes, etc. to minimize the negative impact of industrial operations, which will contribute to security and defense reform and the implementation of NATO standards.

Read alsoNew environmental disaster threatening Crimea

Air pollution is recognized one of the most acute environmental problems in Ukraine: in fact, two thirds of the country's population lives in areas with polluted air, which affects the overall morbidity of the population.

The strategy also states that the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine are industry, energy companies, and transport.

About 57% of the territory of Ukraine is affected by water and wind erosion, while more than 12% of the state’s territory is subject to flooding.

According to various criteria, about 20% of Ukrainian lands are polluted.

Almost 23,000 landslides are recorded annually. As a result of abrasion, up to 60% of the coast of the Azov and Black Seas and 41% of the coastline of the Dnipro reservoirs are being destroyed.

The strategy notes that the transition to resource-saving technologies, full implementation of environmental impact assessment, the need for remediation, and the inevitability of responsibility for violation of environmental legislation shall become the main directions for the balanced use of Ukraine's subsoil.

Read alsoEnvironmental hazard: Donbas militants burying Russian radioactive waste

It is also noted that a high risk remains of emergency situations of natural and man-made nature.

In addition, in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, the ecological balance has been disturbed, which led to dangerous changes in local environment, caused harm to health and impaired safety for 5 million people in an area of about 30,000 square kilometers.

The law defines the stages of implementation of the state environmental policy, as well as the expected results from the measures planned.

Thus, by 2030, Ukraine should introduce a system of effective management to ensure balanced use of natural resources, taking into account the need to ensure their use by future generations.

It is planned to create a legal framework and conditions for implementing state policy on climate change, preventing further land degradation and desertification, in particular, through saving water resources and the introduction of scientifically, environmentally, and economically sound approaches to soil reclamation.

The strategy also envisages creating conditions for decarbonizing the energy sector, actively introducing energy saving and energy efficient technologies, increasing energy production through renewable and alternative sources, introducing the best low-carbon, resource-saving production technologies available, as well as modern construction technologies for heat and energy saving, which will allow significantly reducing greenhouse gas and pollutants emissions, as well as discharge of pollutants into water bodies.

The problem of accumulation of solid municipal waste shall be addressed by minimizing its generation, ensuring maximum use of resource-intensive waste, while the problem of hazardous waste disposal shall be solved by enhancing technological processes and building high-tech complexes for their disposal.

The Final Provisions of the Law state that it will come into force on January 1, 2020.