15 december 2020 # Community

Online discussion “If the state fails: civiic participation in environmental policy”

On December 8, as part of the World Forum for Democracy, the Ukrainian School of Political Studies held an online discussion "if the state fails: civic participation in environmental policy".

The World Forum for Democracy is an integral event in the curriculum of Schools of Political Studies. Every year in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, there is a large-scale discussion on a particular problem. However, this time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Forum for Democracy was online. But this does not mean that discussions have stopped and problems have ended. This time, the Forum will last for the next 12 months, during which events will be held that aim at finding an answer to the question – can democracy save environment?

In the online discussion, the Ukrainian School of Political Studies was represented by civic activists who created large-scale environmental projects for Ukraine, as well as government representatives. Together, they tried to decide how our state and people should interact to solve environmental problems. Denis Kazansky, a journalist and environmental activist, moderated the conversation.

Experts agreed that today, unfortunately, environmental initiatives in Ukraine replace the functions of the state.

It is not the business of a civic organisation to deal with disposal of toxic waste. A civic organisation should not monitor air quality, as well as deal with disposal of any, even solid household waste. However, these initiatives exist in Ukraine.

According to the speaker, environmental initiatives in Ukraine are a kind of startups. Their goal is to create a certain public good. And our society must decide how to support these organisations to ensure their sustainability.

Then, Maxim Borodin, Environmental activist and deputy of Mariupol City Council, shared his experience of environmental protests, fighting for clean air against industrial enterprises in Mariupol. Due to pressure, residents of Mariupol managed to reach concessions from large industrial facilities and force them to start upgrading equipment. However, the speaker is sure that protests are a temporary means of influence.

Civic organisations cannot constantly replace the state system of monitoring and control because activists do not have authority to do so. We are monitoring and see excess of pollution but as activists, there is nothing we can do about it. There is no chance for environmental changes until they change legislation and have political will.

The next speaker, Artem Romanyukov, is a 2018 USPS alumnus and co-founder of ecological chat-bot Saveecobot, which already has more than 1 million active users. After several years of working to make it easier to breathe in his hometown, Dnipro, the speaker is sure that environmental activities should start with education.

We have created a demand for data on quality of atmospheric air in Ukraine. But now, the state must intervene in this process. Monitoring emission sources should be the most logical step of the state. The state can be our partner here. So far, it is not. But state monitoring is an important next step. We are ready to help the state in this.

Lyubov Kolosovska, co-founder and director of organisation “Batteries, give up!” (a project that collects batteries and organises their recycling) and 2015 USPS alumna, spoke about the importance of a financial component of environmental activism.

Someone should pay for environmental and sustainable solutions and changes. So that we don't have to pay even more for the quality of our lives later. However, many people don't understand this. This idea in Europe is that the state takes money from pollutants and uses it to change the situation for better. However, this idea is outdated.

According to the expert, if a polluter can simply pay off, this is avoiding responsibility, and then it is entirely a state which is responsible. Instead, a state should delegate responsibility and authority to other structures, such as businesses that produce garbage, so that they can participate in solving the problem on their own. A state should control this process and not just perform economic functions. This is a certain level of maturity to be reached by society and business.

Yehor Firsov, Chairman of the state environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine (2019-2020), head of political party Ecological Alternative, on the contrary, is sure that neither democracy nor activism can solve environmental issues.

It is impossible to rely on activists both in solving and speaking up about environmental problems. Activism is like an antibiotic. It only works when there is a glaring problem. Non-governmental institutions that are professionally engaged in environmental activities could help. Environmental agenda in the world and Ukraine is now very complex, especially if it is synchronised with European legislation. This task also covers economy, electric power industry and infrastructure. Just energy and activism are not enough to solve these problems. We need professional people.

Lesia Vasylenko, member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and environmental management, USPS parliamentary programme alumna, noted that synergy, coordination and cooperation are necessary to solve environmental problems.

Our task is to always use opportunities that we have in a specific period of time. There are tasks for the government, the parliament and civil society. In addition, you should include local governments, media and business representatives. The latter earn money by using resources, and therefore, it also depends on them whether solutions will be implemented or they will remain only on paper. Roles must be clearly assigned. We must play these roles to the end and ensure, within our capabilities and responsibilities, those rules and compliance that will allow us to live in a safe environment.

Her colleague in the Parliament – Oleksandr Marikovsky, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and nature management and a 2014 USPS alumnus, also participated in the discussion. According to him, a fight against environmental problems lies in the area of values.

A call to protect environment is based on values. Through activism and civic organisations, it is possible to revive these values among people. This is exactly what is happening in Ukraine. Participation of people in environmental policy, with a critical mass of those who share these values, is a powerful force.

Then, Olexiy Riabchyn, Adviser to the minister of environment, adviser to the deputy prime minister for European integration and a 2014 USPS alumnus, shared his experience of cooperation between civil society and the state on environmental issues.

Civic organisations do not always know how to properly incorporate their initiatives into the state mechanism. But if you cooperate with civic organisations, you can get cool things. However, some aspects, such as environmental externalities from the use of European number plates, should be strictly controlled by the state. Such questions should not be left without control.

Participants of the discussion concluded that it is necessary to find new points of interaction between environmental activists and the state in order to achieve results not only through pressure, protests, demands and crowd-funding initiatives. The state should provide support to civic environmental organisations and take over the functions of monitoring and controlling the environmental situation in Ukraine because no one else in the country has the authority to do this.

The state should be a partner for civic initiatives. This is not happening yet, but we should strive to share responsibility for pollution of the environment, not avoid it. Representatives of civic organisations expressed their readiness to assist the state on environmental issues.