The Environment

Ukraine suffers from environmental problems. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster triggered the release of substantial amounts of radiation into the atmosphere in the form of both particle and gaseous radiotopes and is the world’s most significant unintentional release of radiation into the environment to date. The disaster also affected health and agriculture in other European countries.

One-tenth of Ukraine’s land area was affected by the radiation. According to UN reports, approximately one million people were exposed to unsafe levels of radiation through the consumption of food. Approximately 3.5 million ha (8.6 million acres) of agricultural land and 1.5 million ha (3.7 million acres) of forest were also contaminated. Bans on grain and other forms of farming are now only restricted to the area of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the north-east of the country.

None of the 15 currently operating reactors in Ukraine, which generate about half of the country’s electricity, is of the Chernobyl design.

Pollution from other sources also poses a threat to the environment. Ukrainian industry releases polluted water, heavy metal, organic compounds, and oil-related pollutants into the Black Sea. The environmental degradation of the Black Sea and its main contributing rivers is the subject of a programme initiated by the EU; the Environmental Collaboration for the Black Sea in Georgia, Russian Federation, Ukraine and Moldova.

This 30-month, Euro 2.2 million project was launched in March 2007, is funded by the European Union and sought to improve regional co-operation and regional agreements for protection of the Black Sea, most importantly the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (the Bucharest Convention).

Ukraine has established a Ministry of Environment and has introduced a pollution fee system, which levies taxes on air and water emissions and solid waste disposal. The resulting revenues are channelled to environmental protection activities, but enforcement of this pollution fee system is lax. Ukraine ratified the Kyoto Protocol in April 2004.

Conservation of natural resources in Ukraine is a stated high priority, although implementation suffers from a lack of financial resources. Ukraine established its first nature preserve, Askania-Nova, in 1921 and has a program to breed endangered species.

ESV Group companies are aware of their responsibilities in caring for the environment and fully subscribe to Government and International initiatives to reduce pollution in the country.