The annual Earth Day, a celebration of the beginning of the modern environmental movement, is taking place this Saturday 22 April, 2023. This year it goes under the theme “Invest in Our Planet” and is calling for mobilization of public and private capital for investments in renewables. Using this opportunity we join our voice and call on the US and G7 to support deployment of decentralized renewable energy solutions in Ukraine as part of emergency aid.
“Russia’s fossil-fueled invasion in Ukraine is a dire threat to people and the environment globally, and is a final wake up call for world’s leaders to end addiction to oil, gas and coal and unleash full-swing energy transition”, - says Svitlana Romanko, the Ukrainian environmental lawyer and Director of Razom We Stand.
Razom We Stand along with other Ukrainian civil society organizations calls on the US, Germany and other G7 nations to support deployment of solar PV and other distributed energy resources in Ukraine as emergency aid to provide a resilient electricity supply for hospitals, water utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities throughout 2023 and 2024. This will also serve as a contribution to the wider adoption of renewable technologies in Ukraine and its post-war reconstruction.
As the whole world is facing an escalating climate crisis, governments are introducing initiatives to fight climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, this is not enough, it is crucial to stop any financing for the dirty fossil fuel energy projects, such as new pipelines and LNG terminals, already now and start investing in renewables on a massive scale, without backsliding on long-agreed climate goals and climate finance.
The ongoing war in Ukraine is a constant reminder of what can happen when the fossil fuel addiction of wealthy nations is providing funding for dictators and their brutal war crimes delivered upon innocent people.
From October 2022, Ukraine was under massive attacks by Russia that caused huge damage to the electricity system of the country, leaving millions of people without electricity for months during cold winter. Furthermore, this caused interruptions in power supply affecting the function of municipal utilities, heat and water supply and created a number of wide-spread blackouts.
To prepare for next winter, Ukraine’s cities and communities need a reconstruction based on decentralized renewable energy solutions, specifically for critical infrastructure. This would strengthen the country's energy security, while also contributing to climate action. Global leaders can help to make Ukraine the first country in the world to rely only on clean energy by investing in its green post-war reconstruction. Therefore, the phase-out from fossil fuels and a durable shift to renewable energy would benefit the future peace and stability not only of Ukraine but also of the whole of Europe and the world.
Global mobilization on April 22 is organized by the largest recruiter of the environmental movement worldwide EARTHDAY.ORG. This year's “Invest in Our Planet” international theme is concentrated on the engagement of governments and businesses to react to climate change and accelerate the green transition for a sustainable future.
By Tetiana Borokhovska
