Eco-activists from the public organization SaveDnipro proposed 6 principles of post-war restoration of the nature of Ukraine, which are inextricably linked with the goals of sustainable development.
Such principles are designed to build a completely new natural resource management system based on the value and integrity of the environment, reports SaveDnipro.
The authors emphasized that the Russian war has already caused damage to the environment of over 1,600 billion hryvnias, which will increase until victory itself. Ukraine needs systemic changes in many sectors of the state and society.
Changing the paradigm of thinking
Eco-activists emphasized that since Soviet times, people have developed an egocentric attitude towards nature, in which a person can use resources without limitation and carry out his activities without assessing the impact on the environment. This affected a person's personal attitude to the environment, as something secondary, the influence of which should not be thought about.
They believe that one of the principles of the future reconstruction of the country should be systematic work on changing the way of thinking, increasing the eco-awareness of citizens. Then all further administrative, economic, social changes will take into account the ecological aspect and will be perceived positively by society.
Green recovery
It is noted that green restoration should create a balance between the interests of the public, business and the environment, which is based on:
- the ubiquity and cross-cutting nature of environmental and climate policy in all sectors;
- restoration, which should serve the needs of society and promote sustainable development;
- development of the green economy;
- implementation and strict observance of environmental standards at all levels;
- involvement of the public and communities in environmental decision-making.
Innovations
Eco-activists emphasized that during the recovery of Ukraine, it is necessary to actively attract new opportunities. When restoring industrial facilities, it is worth implementing climate-neutral technologies, installing modern filters, and changing production lines. Safe industrial and demolition waste can also be used to restore infrastructure. In addition, cities can be regenerated with vertical greening, rain gardens and alternative energy sources.
Scientifically based restoration of ecosystems
The authors said that the consequences of the "hot" war for the natural sciences is an almost unexplored field. Restoration of the Ukrainian environment can become a unique scientific challenge and an ambitious project for scientists around the world. It is impossible to return the environment to its pre-war state, but it is possible to activate all human scientific potential to improve the situation and allow ecosystems to gradually balance.
Open ecological data
"Increasing the ecological consciousness of Ukrainians and their understanding of themselves as an inseparable part of nature will definitely lead to increased interest in the state of the environment in the country. Open environmental data is a general societal necessity," explained the ecoactivists.
They added that the demand for environmental information will cause not only the opening of eco-data sets, but also the activation of the public in decision-making processes in the field of the environment.
Integration into global green programs
The authors noted that before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was oriented towards the European green course, but in reality it was virtually impossible to achieve its goals. As the need for renovations is critical, this goal becomes more realistic.
"Having formed a new vision and principles of reconstruction, we are able to create an ecologically friendly country in which the needs of society will take into account the possibilities of the environment," they said. So all that remains is to draw up an action plan and relentlessly stick to it. We believe that by joining forces, everything will succeed!"
Earlier, EcoPolitic wro6te, that the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, stated that the Russian occupiers inflicted environmental damage in the amount of 35.3 billion dollars.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission on climate issues, said that the European Union is ready to provide Ukraine with the necessary support to strengthen legislative requirements in the field of climate and environment on the way to joining the EU, transition to a green economy, entering new markets and improving security.
