Iryna Stavchuk, 38, has been involved in climate policy work in Ukraine for more than 12 years. From 2006 to 2017 she worked at the National Ecological Center of Ukraine and from 2008 to 2019, she worked as the Coordinator of the Climate Action Network in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. She is the founder and prior chairman of the NGO “Kyiv Cyclists Association”. From 2017 to 2019 she was an Executive Director of the NGO “Center for Environmental Initiatives”Ecoaction”.

For more than 10 years, Stavchuk worked with the authorities of the country as a member of civil l society, participated in climate working groups, lobbied for the reduction and prevention of greenhouse gas emissions, and helped build the capacity of civil society. Her efforts have resulted in Ukraine developing a national climate program.

Since 2019, Stavchuk has been working in the Ministry of Energy and Environment of Ukraine, continuing to communicate important objectives and the need for an ambitious climate policy in Ukraine.

Stavchuk has stated, “humanity is now on the verge of global change, and only we can decide which of the possible scenarios to choose. We have ten years to reduce our emissions, and there is much less time left for policy changes – to find mechanisms, for approving laws. Every country must make an ambitious commitment and realize that the future depends on each country’s decision.”

Stavchuk likes to quote Saint Francis of Assisi: “Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible and, suddenly, you are doing the impossible,” and thinks the quote is the creed of her life.

Learn more:

• Research “Water is coming: sea level rise in Ukraine caused by climate change” https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/water-is-coming.html
• Supervising development of publication – Fiscal methods for the regulation of the CO2 emissions in the transport sector of Ukraine: http://climategroup.org.ua/?p=2701
• Publication Climate Action Today Determines Our Future: Public View of Climate Policy in the Countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia:  https://infoclimate.org/eng/climate-action-today-determines-our-future/
• Supervising development of publication – Problems of Ukraine’s coal sector and greenhouse gas emissions from coal mining and consumption:  http://climategroup.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Ukraine_coal-sector_web201011.pdf;
• Supervising development of publication The Review of Studies on GHG Reduction Potential for Ukraine:  http://climategroup.org.ua/dev/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/GHG_ potential_EN_final.pdf

Thanks to her many years of active work, as well as active citizenship, Stavchuk and her colleagues have achieved changes in Ukraine. In an effort to bring changes in climate policy in Ukraine, civil society is ready to support Stavchuk by understanding the problem of climate change and working at local, regional, and national levels.