Today, many Ukrainian NGOs have restructured their work to volunteering, some have partially or completely suspended their work. War has had a devastating impact on all areas of life, and it will take years to overcome the environmental consequences of hostilities. That is why it is so important now to provide all possible support. Ecohome has prepared a list of EcoNGOs that you can help.
Every war is a crime not only against humanity, development and culture but also against ecosystems. The scale of the consequences may differ depending on the weapons used and the area of operations, but many of them are irreversible. Often, in the quest for conquest, all principles of humanity are violated, and citizens living in the affected areas suffer from the environmental consequences for many years after the end of the war.
Until the war in Ukraine ends, it is difficult to assess the real scale of the damage caused to the environment, the required measures to be taken in order to restore natural objects and the amount of damage that will need to be compensated. However, now Ukrainian EcoNGOs are making great efforts both to minimize environmental damage, save natural objects and animals, and record war crimes against the environment. For 47 days of the war, the Ukrainian Ministry of Natural Resources recorded almost 150 environmental crimes through a specially created bot.
Below you can see how the work of some of our Ukrainian colleagues has changed and how we can support them now.
Center for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction
Center for Environmental Initiatives Ecoaction is a civil society organization that unites the efforts of experts and activists in a joint struggle to protect the environment. Ecoaction advocates for energy efficiency, renewable energy, countering climate change, clean air for all and sustainable development of transport and agriculture in Ukraine.
“Now it is not even possible to fully assess the impact of the war on the environment because of the lack of accurate information. There are two reasons for this: in the first place, even collecting this data is dangerous for specialists, since active hostilities continue. Second, not all information can be made public for tactical purposes.”
Now the organization records the damage to ecosystems from military operations in Ukraine and their consequences for nature and people in the future.
Resource & Analysis Center «Society and Environment»
Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment” is a think-tank non-profit organization focusing on environmental policy and law research, capacity building and implementation of innovative initiatives in Ukraine and regionally (Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia).
“Now Ukrainian EcoNGOs are just trying to survive. You can support by providing direct financial assistance to organizations and people so they can continue further work. You can help to organize new projects in the humanitarian sphere (re-profiling organizations), for example, assistance to displaced persons in western Ukraine. The biggest help is to share information at home so that people know about Russia’s aggression and its consequences.”
Subscribe to the organization’s Facebook page, where experts talk about international and national regulations related to the compensation for environmental damage caused during the war.
Environment People Law
EPL is an influential driving force that legally protects the global environment and the environmental rights of citizens in Ukraine and around the world. The organization contributes to the changes in the Ukrainian judicial and legislative systems, they are trusted by environmental protection organizations worldwide.
“Now we have been able to quickly gather our courage, reorganize our activities to daily volunteer for the army and refugees, in conjunction with our usual activities to protect the environment. The main direction was monitoring the consequences of military actions on nature, monitoring corruption schemes and attempts to worsen environmental legislation.”
Subscribe to the Facebook page
Ecoclub Rivne
Ecoclub is a public organization in the city of Rivne, which has been working to preserve the environment for 20 years. For more than 10 years they have worked in the field of energy conservation because it is energy that has the most detrimental effect on the environment. Members of the Ecoclub believe that nature is a value in itself, regardless of the practical benefits for humans.
“While Ecoclub’s environmental and energy projects are partially suspended, our team supports war-affected Ukrainian communities, doctors and volunteers. We have a valuable resource — a network of thousands of contacts of Ukrainian communities and partners abroad. Before the war, we jointly prepared energy and climate plans for these communities and looked for opportunities to develop their energy independence. But today we are looking for the most necessary for them — food, generators for hospitals, medicines, equipment necessary for the evacuation of the wounded.”
