Their geographical location means that Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova occupy an important place in Europe. They are conventionally grouped into a single region, of Eastern Europe, located between the European Union and Russia and stretching from the northern coast of the Black Sea in the south (Ukraine) to the Baltic Sea basin in the north (Belarus) Its territory is 845,000 square kilometres and it has a population over 60 million people. The countries of the region have several joint borders and are located within the same water catchment basins. They are united by the similarity of their geography, a common history and culture, and economies with a similar infrastructure. After the splitting-up of the Soviet Union, the three countries inherited natural resources depleted by unsustainable usage, a huge volume of toxic waste from mining and heavy industry, radioactive waste storage, the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe, depleted chernozems (once fertile black soils), and polluted water. In addition to complicated economic conditions over recent years, the people and economies of the countries have suffered from numerous natural disasters caused partly by climate change. The signs of climate change are apparent in the region: extremes of temperature, an increase in the number of hot days, an overall reduction in atmospheric precipitation (although with a drastic rise in some areas), together with an increase in gales and rainstorms, catastrophic floods and droughts, forest fires and desertification. The consequences of these trends are having a negative impact on agriculture, forests, water and other sectors, as well as on people’s health and safety.
Gross national income current U.S. dollars per person
13,000 12,000 Belarus
10,000 8,000 Ukraine
6,000 4,000
Moldova
2,000 0
1990
1995
2000
2005
2009
2010
Note: Shown in purchasing power parity. Produced by ZOI Environment Network, 2011.
Source: World Bank, Development Indicators Database, 2010.
9