Ukrainian Urban Forum 2025
Panel discussion. Photo credit: Karyna Novak, Cedos
Speakers:
- Diana Popfalushi, Chair of the Board of the Ukrainian Climate Network, project manager at the NGO Plato, and co-coordinator of the space for eco-education and nature therapy Rozsadnyk
- Maria Smirnova, spatial planner and ecologist
- Anastasiia Ivashyna, climate department specialist at EcoAction NGO and member of the council of the Ukrainian Climate Network
- Moderator: Vitalina Popova, urbanist and project manager at Cedos*
The event was organised with the support of SUN4Ukraine, a project under the Horizon Europe programme aimed at helping Ukrainian cities achieve climate neutrality.
The heron drooped, the heron dried,
Skin and bone — and then she died.
Ukrainian tongue twister
As part of the Ukrainian Urban Forum 2025, a discussion titled 'Looking to the Future: Climate Neutrality in Wartime' brought together environmental experts and public sector representatives to address the current state of the climate, today's environmental challenges, particularly the consequences of war, and ways to mitigate these impacts.
Environmental Challenges
Diana Popfalushi, Chair of the Ukrainian Climate Network, opened the discussion by highlighting today's dual reality.
"Two serious threats loom over us. The first is global climate change, from which it is impossible to hide. The second is the ongoing military action on Ukraine's territory. Together, they create a unique situation where existing problems reinforce each other."
Working in these two dimensions simultaneously is extremely difficult. Alongside the war, Ukraine is experiencing the direct consequences of climate change: abnormally hot summers, snowless winters, droughts, forest fires, floods, and soil degradation. These processes undermine food security, complicate community life, and require immediate action, not just post-war rebuilding, but intervention here and now.
How should we respond when there is an entirely justified redistribution of priorities and resources in wartime? Funds that in peacetime could be directed towards climate adaptation are now being spent on defence and protection. These priorities cannot simply be changed, we need to find ways to move forwards within these realities.
Anastasiia Ivashyna, a climate specialist at EcoAction, and a partner in SUN4Ukraine highlighted the intersections between war and the climate crisis, noting they share a common root cause: fossil fuels. Countries like Russia, which have turned into 'petrol stations', along with large corporations built on fossil fuels, prioritise quick profits. Russia obtains the funds to wage war against Ukraine from the sale of oil and gas.
The war's direct impact on the climate is staggering. In three years of full-scale invasion, additional emissions have reached 230 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, the same amount emitted annually by Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria combined. This calculation covers logistics, explosions, and forest fires, with substantial additional emissions anticipated from post-war reconstruction involving steel, concrete, and other materials.
Maria Smirnova, a spatial planner and ecologist, emphasised that many environmental problems in cities remain unresolved.
"If we want to achieve climate neutrality, we need to start talking about painful topics: illegal landfills, polluted rivers, and degraded ecosystems. We are willing to spend 40 hryvnias on a bottle of Mirgorodska water, but for some reason, we are not willing to invest in keeping the Styr River clean so that herons can live there."
Right now, the country's main focus is on stopping the invasion. But as the population living in these cities, we need to protect the places where veterans will return. Environmental challenges must be included in daily conversations, and when it comes to raising funds to clean up rivers, we must support such initiatives.
The fight against climate change is also about limiting consumption. The question for us is: are we ready to take this step?
Climate Neutrality
The discussion then turned to the concept of climate neutrality. Vitalina Popova, the moderator, noted that Ukraine has a framework law 'On the Basic Principles of State Climate Policy', which defines climate neutrality as a state in which the total amount of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is equal to or offset by the total amount of greenhouse gases removed. The participants discussed whether it is possible to strive for climate neutrality during wartime.
Anastasiia Ivashyna explained that climate neutrality involves restarting the economic system so its impact on the climate is neutral. This means maximising the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon, methane, and sulphur, whilst absorbing residual emissions through natural ecosystems such as wetlands, which effectively store carbon.
Climate neutrality is a well-understood concept used in European Union countries and enshrined in the European Green Deal. This is why it has appeared in Ukrainian legislation as part of European integration commitments. However, even in European countries, implementation is not always perfect, so planning requires constant discussion and improvement.
It is important to apply a climate neutrality filter to daily activities to preserve the environment, improve living conditions, and overcome the consequences of the climate crisis. The SUN4Ukraine project, supported by the European Commission, is helping 12 Ukrainian communities plan and achieve climate neutrality goals, developing roadmaps so communities can transition from their current baseline whilst accounting for local conditions and characteristics.
Maria Smirnova added: "Climate neutrality is about realising that our resources are limited. We have a certain 'suitcase' and can only fit as much into it as its size allows."
This is based on Swedish researcher Johan Rockström's theory of planetary boundaries. His research showed that nine key systems, the biosphere, ozone layer, oceans, fresh water, forests, and others each have limits that cannot be exceeded without risking irreversible changes.
Communities face the task of ensuring development or restoration, especially in conditions of war and destruction, without exceeding these natural boundaries. For example, installing solar panels promotes energy efficiency, but if a community is simultaneously cutting down trees on a massive scale, the effect is negated trees are natural carbon sinks, and their destruction releases carbon into the atmosphere.
The situation is similar with chaotic development, which destroys natural ecosystems and requires significant building materials. The construction industry is one of the largest sources of environmental pollution. In Ukraine, proper sorting and recycling of construction waste remains unresolved even after three years of discussions, no legislative changes allowing the use of secondary raw materials have been adopted.
"In wartime, when the state is forced to use resources for defence and military actions inevitably cause large emissions, we need to be particularly responsible about our own carbon footprint. Communities should start by defining a baseline, understanding their own emission levels, in order to build development in a more balanced way and within ecological limits."
Honest prioritisation is needed: preserving and restoring ecosystems must become a main priority. They are the key to achieving climate neutrality faster. By restoring natural systems, we not only offset emissions but also create a sustainable foundation for future development.
Diana Popfalushi noted a shift in how we understand resources: "We used to operate on two planes renewable and non-renewable resources. Now there is a third intermediate category: potentially renewable resources. This means that in order for these resources to be restored, we as humanity must make an effort."
According to an EcoAction study titled 'Water is Close', if we do not change our approach and reduce emissions, by 2600, about 450 settlements in Ukraine will be underwater. Parts of Odesa, Mykolaiv, and other cities will be flooded.
"Climate neutrality is not an option. It is the ground, the base, the foundation."
Therefore, in the context of green reconstruction, decarbonisation and climate neutrality are the foundation. Whilst this may require greater financial resources now, measures implemented today will have far greater long-term benefits.
Such topics are often unattractive to politicians, as nature-based solutions take 20–30 years to show noticeable results. Natural systems have formed over thousands, sometimes millions, of years, so it is impossible to restore them in 'turbo mode'.
That is why implementation is usually initiated by civil society organisations or responsible businesses. It is at the local level where support can best be built, involving communities in real action and long-term change.
When it comes to international projects, another challenge arises: European legislation sets out clear requirements, but Ukraine does not yet have equivalents at the local level. We must balance between different systems whilst implementing solutions here and now, because we simply cannot wait.
Anastasiia Ivashyna cited data from a sociological study conducted last year by the Resource and Analytical Centre 'Society and Environment', which surveyed Ukrainians about their attitudes towards climate change in the context of war. Over 35% consider climate change an extremely serious problem, and over 50% consider it a serious problem. Accordingly, over 80% of people are concerned about climate change and what is happening to the environment.
Diana Popfalushi concluded: "'The right to the city' now means, first and foremost, breathing clean air, having shade overhead, coolness in summer, and safe streets and spaces that belong to all of us. Our future depends on our willingness to engage in these changes and our determination to abandon the root cause fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are like a 'toxic ex'. We are grateful for the experience, but in the future, we will work with stable and reliable partners: renewable energy sources, climate neutrality, and nature-oriented solutions."
