While Ukraine is perhaps best known for its natural beauty and famously rich farmlands, it has a long way to go to become a “green nation.”
Ukraine faces a number of serious environmental threats that require a steadfast and robust response. Yet the reaction — both by the government and the people — to many of the country’s environmental issues is not nearly strong enough. That’s in part due to an overall lack of awareness, and because humans have thus far proven to be particularly bad at changing current behaviors to prevent future ecological problems. But the future never arrives as the future, and Ukraine is now facing many environmental challenges.
Air pollution is one of many concerns impacting Ukraine today.
In the coming weeks and months, it’s highly likely that thick clouds of smog will darken the blue skies over Kyiv, making the capital one of Europe’s most polluted cities, and depriving the local population of clean air, an essential component for a healthy life, especially at a time when a compromised repertory system could mean the difference between life and death.
Agricultural burning makes autumn a particularly bad time for air pollution in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine. The common practice of burning leaves and dry grass in rural areas is a primary reason for the spike in air pollution. To make matters worse, it also increases the risk of wild fires, which have seen a rise in frequency and intensity as hotter temperatures linked to climate change dry up the land.
In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new bill toughening fines on unauthorized burning of leaves and dry grass. The bill came after a series of wildfires devastated Chornobyl and surrounding regions, causing Kyiv to suffer the worst air quality in the world. Though the bill is a step in the right direction, enforcement will be difficult, and it’s ultimately unlikely to stop farmers from burning. With 2020 being a particularly dry year, Kyiv could be looking at a potential air apocalypse this fall, just when experts predict an upsurge in COVID‑19 cases and accompanying symptoms, including difficulty breathing.
Unfortunately, Ukraine’s ecological problems go far beyond air pollution. In fact, Ukraine is on the brink of multiple environmental disasters.
The 10-part video series ‘Ukraine on the Brink’ will investigate Ukraine’s most polluted areas, discuss how the country’s hardest hit regions adapt to climate change, reveal the damage caused by the illegal logging sector and examine the legacy of industrial pollution throughout the country. That’s in addition to highlighting Ukrainian environmental activists and their ground-breaking projects. With the support of the Transition Promotion Program of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the 10-part online video series will be released by the Kyiv Post. The first two episodes — “Climate Change. Lake Svitiaz” and “Fighting for a Greener Ukraine” have been published.
