COP29 highlights Ukraine's green recovery plans amid ongoing conflict Exclusive interview with Ukrainian minister

In an exclusive interview with Caliber.Az, Svitlana Hrynchuk, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, reflects on the significance of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) held in Baku. She discusses Ukraine's strategic goals at the conference, its ongoing environmental challenges due to the war, and the country's efforts to secure climate financing and international cooperation for recovery. Minister Hrynchuk also highlights Ukraine’s participation in global climate initiatives and the progress made in strengthening ties with Azerbaijan through a new Memorandum of Cooperation.

— The UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) was held in Baku. How do you assess its significance and success?

— For Ukraine, as well as for all participating countries, this was a busy and quite complex conference that concluded with an agreement among countries on climate financing amounting to $300 billion per year. The financial support will primarily be directed towards the implementation of activities, projects, and policies that will become part of the new nationally determined contributions, adaptation plans, and climate change mitigation efforts. As noted at the closing ceremony by the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Simon Stiell, the new financing goal adopted at the UN Climate Conference in Baku is a kind of "insurance policy for humanity." "But like any insurance policy – it only works – if premiums are paid in full, and on time. Promises must be kept, to protect billions of lives. This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing, helping all countries to share in its huge benefits: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all. We needed this to be an enabling COP - one which helped translate the pledges of COP28 into real-world outcomes to protect people, prosperity, and the planet," he rightly emphasized.

However, at present, Ukraine, as a country listed in Annex I of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, transitioning to a market economy, does not have access to the Adaptation Fund or the Green Climate Fund. The status of our country under the Paris Agreement remains unclear. Many countries believe that Ukraine should be considered a developed nation. Therefore, the question of whether Ukraine will be eligible for funding under the new collective climate financing goal remains open, but our task is to unlock this potential and opportunity for Ukraine.

At COP29, we also succeeded in finalizing negotiations on the full operationalization of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which concerns market and non-market mechanisms for bilateral and multilateral cooperation on greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It is worth noting that these negotiations lasted nearly seven years. The decisions made will enable Ukraine to move forward with the practical implementation of cooperation agreements with Japan and Switzerland under the market mechanism of "cooperative approaches" of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. International carbon markets are crucial for the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement for many countries, including Ukraine, and will eventually allow for the enhancement of ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What will this bring to Ukraine? We will receive funding to implement our climate plans and projects. We will be able to attract additional investments under Article 6, as well as participate in financing from international financial institutions for green energy, green recovery, and climate change adaptation.

— How well-represented was Ukraine at COP29? Were all the set goals achieved?

— Ukraine was represented at the Climate Conference by the government, business sector, civil society, and youth. Ukraine's participation in COP29 can be divided into several components: intergovernmental negotiations on the approved agendas, activities in the Ukrainian pavilion and the pavilions of other countries and international organizations, as well as side events on the sidelines of the conference related to the climate agenda.

For Ukraine, the Climate Summit was primarily an opportunity to agree on balanced solutions for a fair and sustainable world, secure funding from climate funds, and use another platform to actively advocate for the principles of environmental and energy security. It was extremely important for Ukraine to be present at this summit. There are at least three significant reasons for our participation in the conference.

First, it is an opportunity to remind the world of the events taking place in Ukraine. It is a chance to attract new partners for the implementation of the eighth point of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula — "Environmental Security."

Second, today, everyone understands that Ukraine's green recovery is impossible without considering the climate agenda. Only in this way can we attract long-term investments. Ukraine recently adopted its Climate Law, which sets a goal for the next 25 years — to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 alongside the European Union. We are already developing a low-carbon development strategy and working on our third Nationally Determined Contribution, which we will present in 2025. We are demonstrating that, despite the war, Ukraine is fulfilling and strengthening its commitments. Ukraine is an active participant in negotiations. We will defend our position: our country must have access to all sources of climate financing, including the Green Climate Fund. Today, Ukraine is spending enormous resources to stop the aggressor, and therefore, for its recovery, it primarily needs assistance.

The third strategic task is not to allow Russia to force the world to recognize Ukrainian territories as Russian. Since 2014, the Russian Federation has been including greenhouse gas emissions from the territory of Crimea in its reports. Under the Paris Agreement, it plans to report on emissions from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions as well. Ukraine has blocked and will continue to block the consideration of such documents. We are monitoring the situation and will provide information about greenhouse gas emissions from Crimea and all temporarily occupied territories as emissions of Ukraine. This is fundamental. This is important.

— What was presented at the Ukrainian pavilion at COP29, and what kind of information could those who approached it receive?

— This is Ukraine's third time presenting its pavilion at COP:

• 2022 — We showcased the impact of the war on the world. The main element of the pavilion was a three-meter crater made from 16 types of Ukrainian soils, including black soil, which is losing its fertility due to explosions.

• 2023 — The theme of the pavilion was the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam by the Russians. The centrepiece of the exhibition was the roof of a house from the Kherson region, symbolizing the tragedy of losing homes due to the massive flooding.

• 2024 — The main theme of the pavilion was recovery. The concept was built around the idea of collective efforts that lead to significant changes.

This year, the walls of the pavilion were made from special ecological paper with live seeds. They featured 50 key environmental initiatives from the state, business, and civil society of Ukraine:

• Digital agriculture technologies; • Developments in renewable energy and demining; • Startups creating paper from fallen leaves; • Carbon dioxide traps; • Eco-friendly alternatives to styrofoam; • Mobile factory printers; • Other Ukrainian innovations already used in the USA, the UK, and Japan.

The pavilion fully justified its mission. The concept of our space at the UN Climate Summit in Baku generated significant resonance. We presented Ukraine as a hub for green innovations, environmental solutions, and digital transformations, where unique projects are born. The pavilion featured virtual reality zones where visitors could witness the destruction of Ukrainian forests and fields caused by Russia, fly over the site of the largest environmental disaster — the Kakhovka Reservoir, and also witness the miracle of its natural restoration.

The VR zone of the pavilion attracted around 1,000 viewers, who were deeply impressed by what they saw. The virtual reality content immersed visitors in the reality of nature in Ukraine, scarred by war:

• The death of dolphins in the Black Sea; • Forest fires caused by shelling; • The death of animals due to mined territories.

The exhibit also showcased the consequences of the Kakhovka Dam explosion, attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and pollution of the atmosphere, which knows no boundaries. Special 3D footage of the former Kakhovka Reservoir was created for the pavilion, allowing visitors to see the process of nature’s recovery — a willow forest now growing in its place.

— Yes, unfortunately, the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war has now lasted over 1,000 days. Do you have any data on the kind of damage caused to Ukraine's environment by Russia?

— Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 6,600 environmental crimes have been recorded. These relate to severe consequences for nature and material losses to ecosystems. Over these 1,000 days, the environmental damage caused by military actions is estimated at $71 billion. This figure is not final.

The territories that have been de-occupied cannot be investigated by national and international experts due to the landmines. A total of 139,000 square kilometres of our territory are mined — three times the size of Switzerland.

$26 billion — the losses incurred by Ukraine’s forest resources. The carbon dioxide absorption potential in the war-affected forests has been lost. Due to ongoing fires, the capacity of Ukrainian forests to absorb greenhouse gases has decreased by 1.7 million tons of CO2 over nearly three years of war.

During this war, Ukraine experienced the largest man-made disaster since World War II — the Russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam. The reservoir lost 70% of its volume. This catastrophe affected 600,000 hectares of land. The environmental damage caused by the terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Dam is estimated at $3.6 billion. More than 300 settlements have lost access to safe drinking water due to this war.

The Black Sea is suffering from the consequences of this horrific war, as are its inhabitants, marine flora and fauna, and the coastline. We continue to collaborate with our partners to assess the scale of the damage and its long-term effects. Currently, the losses for Ukraine alone are estimated at $360 billion.

— Is Ukraine preparing lawsuits in international courts to seek compensation from Russia for this damage?

— As part of the process of preparing a solid evidence base for Russian crimes against the environment, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine and the State Environmental Inspectorate are working closely with the Office of the Prosecutor General. Ukraine is open to cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in terms of transferring collected evidence of environmental harm caused by Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

For example, on June 6, 2023, the day Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine informed ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan about this act of ecocide by the Russian occupying forces. A document was sent containing all the necessary information on this matter.

The chances of success in this case depend on the unity of the international community. If a practice of holding individuals accountable for environmental war crimes is not established now, it could lead to further conflicts. Impunity, as we know, breeds permissiveness. Regarding the categorization of some military crimes as crimes against the environment, as noted by the Office of the Prosecutor General, a list has already been formed of cases that fall into this category and grossly violate the norms of international humanitarian law that protect the environment from destruction during wartime.

In such cases, national law enforcement agencies conduct thorough investigations and evidence collection. This includes the destruction and attacks on dams and reservoirs that led to catastrophic consequences for nature and people; the destruction of national parks with rare species of animals and plants; and the creation of conditions under which endangered species lose their chance for survival.

Currently, the Office of the Prosecutor General is conducting investigations within the framework of 222 criminal cases concerning environmental war crimes, 14 of which have been preliminarily classified as "ecocide" (Article 441 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). In February of this year, Ukrainian prosecutors issued suspicion charges of committing ecocide against a Russian lieutenant general and four of his subordinates. According to expert conclusions in this criminal case, the environmental damage amounts to nearly 15 billion hryvnias.

The suspected Russian commanders ordered attacks on the nuclear research facility "Neutron Source" in Kharkiv. At least 74 strikes were carried out on this nuclear facility with various types of weapons, including air bombs and cluster munitions. The area of potential radioactive contamination could have reached 10 km, which would undoubtedly have led to an ecological catastrophe in the region.

— Are you planning to implement any projects with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan?

— During my visit to the Climate Conference COP29, together with my counterpart, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, Mukhtar Babayev, we signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between our ministries.

We preliminarily discussed the main areas of our cooperation, which cover a wide range of issues. We will deepen our collaboration in developing environmental technologies, waste management, biodiversity conservation, restoring polluted areas, preventing industrial pollution, and other areas. We look forward to close and productive cooperation between our countries in the future.

— Do you agree that, unfortunately, in Ukraine, there is generally too little knowledge about what modern Azerbaijan is all about?

— I cannot agree with this statement. Azerbaijan and Ukraine have had diplomatic relations since 1992, which over time have evolved into a strategic partnership. As post-Soviet countries, we have much in common and share a clear understanding of Russia's true nature. Ukraine is grateful to Azerbaijan for its significant support since February 24, 2022. We have received assistance from Azerbaijan in the fields of energy and healthcare, in the implementation of projects for the restoration of social infrastructure, and in humanitarian mine clearance. Baku is actively helping Ukrainian children by implementing a program for their health and psychological rehabilitation after the trauma of war. More than 200 Ukrainian children have already visited Azerbaijan, where they received medical and socio-psychological assistance. We expect Azerbaijan to continue the rehabilitation and wellness program for Ukrainian children in 2025. We are grateful to Azerbaijan for its support projects for Ukraine and count on the strengthening of this policy.