Miller Magazine Issue: 134 February 2021

66 MILLER / february 2021 Last year was the hottest on record in the Ukrainian capital, according to data released in Jan- uary 2021 by Ukraine’s Central Observatory. Over- all, 36 different temperature records were broken in Kyiv during 2020, including 12 in March alone. Remarkable climate data of this nature no lon- ger has the power to shock as the reality of climate change becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Indeed, 2020 was a record-breaking year of high temperatures for the whole of Europe. However, Ukraine’s role as an emerging agricultural super- power leaves the country particularly exposed to the negative impact of a changing environment. Over the last few decades, the Kyiv climate has gradually migrated southwards. Winters have be- come milder and summers are now far warmer. The weather in the Ukrainian capital increasingly resem- bles Odesa in the middle of the twentieth century, “Climate change is threatening to undermine Ukraine’s status as one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters. The country lost 570,000 hectares of winter crops due to prolonged droughts and unusually intense spring frosts. During the 2019-2020 marketing season, Ukraine shipped 57 million tons of grain to international markets, representing around 16% of global grain exports. However, exports have fallen sharply year-on-year during the current season due to smaller harvests caused by severe drought conditions. Climate change may prevent the country from playing a central role in the future of global food security.” Climate change may prevent Ukraine from becoming an agricultural superpower Anna Ackermann Board Member The Ecoaction Centre for Environmental Initiatives