Issue: № 11, 2025
Doi: https://doi.org/10.37634/efp.2025.11.8
In today's world, the development of wind energy in Ukraine is becoming strategically important for ensuring energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but at the same time it is accompanied by a number of environmental and legal challenges. Wind energy is often positioned as ‘green,’ but alongside its advantages - reducing harmful emissions and diversifying energy sources – it can cause significant damage to natural ecosystems, especially in high-altitude and nature conservation areas. The analysis of Ukrainian legislation, the provisions of the Aarhus and Bern Conventions, environmental impact assessment (EIA) practices and public participation mechanisms has revealed a number of key problems: the formal nature of EIA procedures, the lack of control over the reliability of reports, the disregard of cumulative effects and environmental risks, and violations of international environmental standards. Particular attention is paid to the Carpathian region (Polonyna Rivna, Borzhava, Svidovets), where the implementation of wind energy projects is accompanied by conflicts with local communities and violations of environmental legislation. In this regard, ways to improve legal regulation are proposed: introducing mandatory cumulative impact assessments, raising report quality standards, strengthening post-project monitoring, creating national ‘opportunity maps’ for wind farm siting, and ensuring meaningful public participation in decision-making. The sustainable development of wind energy requires cumulative impact assessments, enhanced control, public participation and a balanced combination of state support with environmental oversight and spatial planning.
Keywords : Wind energy, Carpathian region, environmental safety, land legislation, renewable energy sources
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