Climate change is increasingly affecting Ukraine's regions, with droughts, floods, heatwaves, and soil degradation placing growing pressure on communities and infrastructure. The impacts of Russia's full-scale invasion have further increased regional vulnerability by damaging critical infrastructure and limiting available resources.

Against this backdrop, EU4ClimateResilience has launched the development of Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. The strategies will support climate-resilient recovery and strengthen the regions' capacity to address current and future climate risks.

Addressing regional climate challenges

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, one of Ukraine's key industrial and energy centres, faces growing risks to water supply, irrigation, and district heating following the destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir. In Sumy Oblast, damage to transport, energy, and water infrastructure, combined with potential landmine contamination in border areas, presents additional challenges for recovery and long-term development.

To support climate-informed recovery, work began in early June with the presentation of inception reports and the methodology for conducting Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (CRVAs). The assessments will identify the main climate hazards affecting both regions, including flooding, heatwaves, droughts, and increasing wildfire risks, providing the evidence base for the adaptation strategies.

The assessment findings will be validated through regional workshops involving public authorities, businesses, civil society organisations, and vulnerable groups, ensuring that the strategies reflect both technical analysis and regional priorities.

Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi highlighted the importance of the initiative:

"Adaptation to climate change is a matter of community safety, economic resilience, infrastructure reliability, and the capacity of regions to recover and develop. We must not only restore damaged infrastructure but also embed the principles of long-term resilience and security into every stage of the country's recovery."

Based on the assessment results, Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategies will be developed for both oblasts, together with implementation roadmaps for 2027-2031 and long-term planning to 2040. The strategies will identify priority adaptation measures, responsible institutions, financing options, and monitoring arrangements, while aligning with Ukraine's national legislation, EU climate policy requirements, and regional development frameworks.