On March 31, 2026, within the framework of the project "EU Global Responsible Leadership: Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Humanitarian Aid" (EU_LEAD) with the support of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet program, the next meeting of the Euroclub "EU for YOU" was held. International students of 果冻APP talked with Olena Shevchenko, Doctor of Political Sciences of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, member of the Ukrainian Association of Teachers and Researchers of European Integration, on the topic of the policies of leading international actors in the context of global climate change.
Olena Shevchenko is the author of the first systematic study in Ukraine of the policies of leading international actors in the context of global climate change, numerous publications in authoritative foreign and domestic scientific publications ("The Evolution of Climate Communications In Christian Doctrine And Practice", "Impact of the War in Ukraine on Global Environmental Security", "Global climate change as a challenge to the national security of Ukraine", "Climate neutrality: Contemporary challenges for European policy", "Communication component of the US鈥檚 climate policy", "Role of traditional and new actors of international relations in addressing the climate change", etc.).
The speaker focused on several thematic blocks, namely: global climate change: is it happening or not; USA: Drill, baby, drill VS Paris Agreement; EU: ambitions of climate neutrality; China: common but differentiated responsibility; Ukraine: the prospect of climate leadership. The discussion was held on the causes and interpretation of global climate change, the role of the UN in preventing climate change, the main stages of the EU's path to climate neutrality, real possibilities for achieving climate neutrality, D. Trump's and J. Biden's approaches to climate, the features and achievements of China's green transformation, as well as the prospects for Ukraine's climate leadership. The researcher justified the leadership of the EU, the USA and China in shaping global climate policy. Thus, the mentioned actors have political weight and economic resources, control key communication platforms, are centers of competition and cooperation of interests, and influence the implementation of international climate standards.
Based on the conducted scientific research, Olena Shevchenko concluded that the EU is the normative center of global climate policy and influences partners through CBAM and regulatory standards; the USA is a driver of global agreements, standard-setting, diplomatic leverage through climate initiatives; China is a key player in ensuring the effectiveness of global agreements, shaping international initiatives (Green BRI) and combining foreign policy with climate. In the case of Ukraine, it is worth noting its growing role in the global agenda through the combination of climate and security, as well as the potential for regional leadership.
The topic of the Euroclub "EU for YOU" aroused great interest among students, who actively participated in the discussion, mainly, of the prospects of the EU as a global climate leader and the challenges for Ukraine during the implementation of climate standards in the conditions of war and post-war reconstruction. In total, more than 70 people - professors and students of 果冻APP 鈥 participated in the event.
The EU_LEAD project team thanks everyone for the interesting discussion and invites you to other interesting events within the project.
