In this 10-part video series, Ukraine on the Brink examines some of the country’s most pressing ecological issues and the people fighting to protect Ukraine’s environment. The project is supported by the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ukraine.
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Climate change & Lake Svitiaz
Global warming is heating up Ukraine, putting some of the country’s most vital ecological regions on the brink of environmental disaster. As temperatures rise, some of the country’s regions are already experiencing devastating consequences. In northwestern Ukraine’s Volyn Oblast, climate change is threatening Lake Svitiaz, the country’s deepest and second-largest lake. As Lake Svitiaz’s water levels decline, experts try to determine what fate awaits this massive body of water.
Kyiv’s Radikal Threat
Once one of the largest chemical production facilities in the Soviet Union, Fabrika Radikal now sits abandoned. The one-time clandestine Soviet factory was closed in 1996, but lurking within its crumbled remains are an estimated 200 tons of mercury and other toxic chemicals. These chemicals pose a major threat to public health, and experts say that Radikal could potentially cause one of the worst environmental catastrophes in Kyiv’s history.
Fighting for a greener Ukraine
Three Ukrainian eco-activists you should know about.
Ukraine’s growing number of environmental activists fight against the country’s most pressing ecological threats. They tackle complex and diverse issues with the common goal of building a greener Ukraine.
From improving waste management systems to protecting parks and green spaces and pressing the country’s decision-makers to support eco-friendly policies, their combined efforts will ultimately determine the future of the country’s environment.
Kalush. Ecological Emergency Zone
During Soviet times, the city of Kalush in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast was a center of chemical production. Now, decades after negligent waste management, Kalush is believed to be among the most polluted cities in Europe. The chemicals, a byproduct of the oblast’s potash industry, continue to pose a grave threat to Kalush’s nearly 70,000 inhabitants. And experts worry what Kalush’s ecological disasters could mean for the rest of Ukraine, including potentially contaminating the Dniester, one of Ukraine’s most vital waterways.
Deforestation threatens fragile ecosystems
Deforestation and illegal logging are one of the major environmental problems in Ukraine.
There are various reasons for it – corruption, outdated environmental policies, incompetent green practices.
If the situation doesn’t change, the consequences will be stiff. Ukraine risks losing its forest biodiversity. Deforestation impacts local communities and aggravates the consequences of climate change.
Here are three stories that illustrate the environmental disaster unfolding across the country.
Transforming Ukraine’s nuclear cities
This episode of the Ukraine on the Brink series shares the stories of the Ukrainians who are bringing green energy to two of Ukraine’s most well-known nuclear cities – Chornobyl and Slavutych. These innovative and ambitious solar energy projects are a ray of hope for the future of sustainable energy in Ukraine.
Eco-Innovators
With Ukraine’s environmental security at risk, a growing number of bright, ambitious young activists and inventors are driving eco-friendly initiatives and robust environmental policies. Valentyn Frechka is one of those young Ukrainians. He discovered a revolutionary way to transform leaves into paper. Valentyn has now turned his discovery into the RE-leaf paper project, which has the potential to be an example of sustainable production, possibility saving millions of trees every year.
Kherson’s chemical graveyards
Lurking in the shadows of Ukraine’s rich farmlands is the haunting legacy of Soviet agricultural policies. Thousands of tons of old and obsolete pesticides, highly toxic chemicals originally intended for use in agriculture, are spread across Ukraine. In the south, Kherson Oblast struggles with some of the highest quantities of obsolete pesticides in the country. However, the region has shown the ability and willingness to clean up these toxic chemicals, but more support is needed to rid Kherson of these deadly compounds.
Kyiv's Dirty Air
Kyiv suffers from some of the worst air pollution of any capital city in Europe. Air quality monitoring platforms even occasionally place Kyiv among the world’s most polluted cities. Efforts to improve monitoring and reduce contributing factors are helping, but much more is needed to clean up Kyiv’s dirty air.
Stories from Chornobyl
The 1986 Chornobyl disaster was the largest nuclear accident in human history. Although 34 years have passed since the explosion at the nuclear plant’s fourth reactor, Ukraine and the world continue to experience the consequences of the catastrophe. Meet people living the troubling legacy of the Chornobyl tragedy.
