TOP-7 environmental problems in Kyiv. How to survive in the capital

Viktoriia Hubareva

Local elections are approaching in Ukraine, which means that the candidates will talk about the city problems, put playgrounds in the city yards and distribute free buckwheat packets among apartments. But, what are the actual problems the Kyiv residents face? We deconstructed the issue on our own and selected the seven most acute environmental problems that require an immediate solution.

In the latest ranking of the Global Alliance for Health and Pollution (GAHP), Ukraine ranked fourth in Europe in the number of deaths because of a poor environment. It means that environmental pollution causes 128 deaths to every 100,000 citizens. Thus, according to GAHP, over 57 thousand deaths in 2019 were due to environmental problems. About 50 thousand of them were because of air pollution, 4 thousand and 3 thousand were due to high levels of lead in the environment and for occupational reasons, respectively.

The fact that Ukraine had no strategy for environmental development since Ukraine's independence until last year can explain such high rates. In early 2019, the Verkhovna Rada approved the Law on the basic principles (strategy) of environmental policy of Ukraine until 2030, which involves 5 main areas of work: air (mobile and stationary sources of air pollution), water (water objects of Kyiv), waste (all garbage types), green areas and biodiversity (green areas, livestock), environmental safety (technological accidents, emergencies, hazardous production facilities). We will walk through each of the points and show what problems exist in each of the categories, and what solutions the government offers.

Looking ahead, we state that a point solution to problems, such as forest moss modules on the embankment or self-sorting of waste, has a very local effect. Problems need systematic solving at the local level, experts say. Yegor Firsov, head of the Ecological Alternative organization and former head of the State Ecological Inspectorate, named the 7 most neglected environmental problems in the capital.