About two-thirds of Ukraine’s territory may suffer from heavy rains and flooding by 2050 due to climate change, according to Svitlana Krakovska, head of the Applied Climatology Laboratory at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
"If we look at the territory of Ukraine, by 2050 two-thirds of the country’s territory will suffer from heavy rains and flooding. Some areas will simultaneously suffer from both droughts and heavy rains," she said during the international Grain Ukraine 2026 conference on Thursday.
According to Krakovska, climate change is already creating real risks for the agricultural sector, related not only to rising average temperatures but primarily to the increasing number of extreme weather events.
She noted that heat waves pose a particular danger to agriculture. Air temperatures above 35°C negatively affect the yields of many crops, including sunflower and soybeans, reducing their productivity and quality.
The climatologist also drew attention to the consequences of warmer winters. According to her, the reduction in the number of frost days disrupts plant dormancy periods and contributes to the spread of pests and diseases into more northern territories.
Krakovska said that the greatest climate risks are expected in southern Ukraine, where the effects of heat, droughts, heavy rains, and flooding will combine.
At the same time, according to her, agricultural producers already have tools to adapt to new climate conditions. These include minimizing soil cultivation to preserve moisture, diversifying crop rotation, developing irrigation systems, implementing precision farming, early warning systems, and using climate-resilient crop varieties.
"Climate change is no longer a whim or a fashion trend. It is a factor that can determine an agricultural producer’s competitiveness and ability to protect itself from risks. Monocultures will no longer be as profitable. There must be risk diversification," the scientist concluded.
