How Ukraine protects the nature: authority control in Zaporizhzhya, eco-magazine in Kharkiv, new taxes

Ukraine has been in the list of countries with the worst ecology in Europe for five consecutive years. And the level of man-made load on the natural environment is 5 times higher than the average European.

This was stated by experts during the National Environment Forum "Waste management in Ukraine: Legislation, Economics, Technology", which took place on 23 of November in Kiev.

How the state and society are trying to change this situation, journalists of informational agency EuroMedia 24 were trying to figure out this question.

Thus, during the approval of the State Budget 2019, the Verkhovna Rada increased twice the environmental tax rate for carbon emissions (CO2) caused by stationary sources from 0.41 hryvnia per tonne to 10 hryvnia. Further this rate will increase another 3 times until 2023, but even in this case it will only approach the European level.

At the same time, the eco-activist from Mariupol, one of the most polluted cities in Ukraine, Maxim Borodin, who recently won the All-Ukrainian TV show ‘New Leaders’, is convinced that the laws of the country are only of secondary importance in environmental protection.

More important is the public's request for a healthy environment and enforcing the laws by polluters. He told about this in his recent online conference.

A public figure from Zaporizhia, another city is exposed to factory emissions, is in solidarity with him – Rudolf Akopyan.

Against the background of significant environmental problems in the industrial center and the flashmob “No to Zaporizhia Ecocide!” runned by citizens, he took the initiative to develop an effective mechanism of public control over environmental authorities: “Recently, due to the inaction of eco-officials of the region, the situation with the environment is getting worse every day! Thousands of tons of harmful emissions into the atmosphere, reservoirs, soil, tree cutting of parks, forest belts for the sake of material gain, ecocide in the protected zone of the Sea of Azov, when money for clearing the canal connecting the estuary to the sea was stolen, as a result several tens of thousands of fish couldn’t get into the sea and died (and the state was suffered damage amounting to hundreds of millions) ... And, unfortunately, the officials who allowed this to happen, they continue to work".

Yesterday in Kharkiv was presented the environment magazine Eco-Life. “There are no similar publications in our region and practically no in Ukraine, while in Europe they pay much attention to this area.We will publish only high-quality materials,bring up problematic themes, make investigations so that Eco-Life becomes one of the main media platforms in Ukraine dedicated to environmental issues.

Its purpose is to raise ecological consciousness and to enhance the environmental awareness, and it is designed for a wide audience - from schoolchildren to the older generation, ”said Elena Stronova, chief editor of the Vremya media company.