The Eurasian Climate Brief
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast covering climate and environmental news across Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It features expert voices and journalists who help make sense of a part of the world where environmental stories are seriously underreported. Launched in October 2021 around COP26 in Glasgow, the show returned after a hiatus just ahead of COP29 in Baku. Listeners are encouraged to follow the show in their podcast app.
Episodes
Melting giants: the history of glaciology across Central Asia
Melting glaciers are often regarded as icons of climate change. But how were they viewed in the early days of glaciology and, more specifically, climate change research? When and how did scientific research of the Central Asian glaciers begin? And why is this still relevant for us today?Angelina speaks to environmental historian and a historian of science Dr. Katja Doose about the history of glaci
Breathless in Bishkek: the struggle for clean air in a city contested by geography, urban development and climate change
The Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek ranks among the largest cities in all of Central Asia. Located close to the country's border with Kazakhstan, it lies just off the northern fringe of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range. While contributing to a scenic panorama, these geographic factors also challenge the city's urbanistic ambitions.A largely fossil-based energy generation, a seemingly opaque urban spra
Saving Balkhash: Kazakhstan's largest lake under threat from extractivism and climate change
Lake Balkhash is the 14th largest lake in the world and one of the largest in Asia. Its ecological importance is matched by the number of threats it has been facing for decades: copper mining, hydropower, agricultural development – and now a nuclear power plant.How to reach local communities and experts, scientists and policy-makers, cultural institutions, businesses, and the wider public in order
From Central Asia to the Amazon: preparing for COP30
Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. Already today, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are facing various climate consequences: from droughts to landslides, from glacier melts to flash floods. At the same time, this region's energy landscape contains almost all energy sources from fossil to renewables; to a varying degr
From coal to clean? Renewable energy pioneers in Central Asia
Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. And while some of the Central Asian countries are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, there is potential for renewable energy across this entire part of the world. Let's have a closer look at electricity today.Who are the main drivers of the energy transition? Is cross-border cooperation happening? Are the grids re
Of trolleybuses and mountains: struggling for clean air in Kyrgyzstan and community empowerment in Tajikistan
Today, we are introducing you to two people at the forefront of activism and resistance to very concrete environmental issues in their home countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.Boris talks to Bermet Borubaeva, urban environment analyst, artist and founder of the initiative #BishkekSmog, on her struggle for clean air in the Kyrgyz capital, the preservation of public transport infrastructure and edu
Critical Raw Materials in Central Asia
The green transition aims to overcome fossil dependencies. But what about the materials required for renewable energy? And why are the EU and others actors so interested in Central Asia?Join Angelina and Boris as they explore with Almaty-based political scientist Asel Doolotkeldieva, Dmitry Kalmykov from the Kazakh NGO Karaganda Ecological Museum, and Cecilia Mattea of IRMA (Initiative for Resposi
After COP29: what's next for climate action?
The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) ended in late November in Baku. Two weeks of intense climate negotiations unveiled deep divides—particularly between the Global North and South over climate finance and contentious debates on the right wording of transitioning away from fossil fuels.In this episode Angelina Davydova and Boris Schneider dissect the outcomes of the conference, offering i
From Central Asia to COP29
This year's UN Climate Change Conference (COP29 in Baku) is just a few days away. Against armed conflicts around the world, geopolitical uncertainty and an accelerating climate crisis, the podcast returns from its year-long hiatus to look at what COP29 will be all about, focusing on the Central Asian delegations. Angelina and Boris also speak to Aliya Wedelich, media coordinator for CAN EECCA
How one Bulgarian tycoon could get away with gaming the EU's carbon market
This week, the Eurasian Climate Brief team heads to the Balkans, Bulgaria, to look into the cracks of the European Union's carbon market (a.k.a., EU ETS). In July 2021, an investigation by Eleonora Vio and Daniela Sala for the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found that two Bulgarian power plants appeared to have under-declared their carbon emissions. If true, this wou
Displaced: climate migration in Central Asia and beyond
Climate change affects almost all sectors of human societies and life. One underrated and underreported consequence of the climate crisis is taking so-called climate migration - displacement due to climate change. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) predicts the number of "environmental migrants" in 2050 to be between 25 million and 1 billion.To find out more about this to
After the ban: which way forward for Russia's climate activists?
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian civil society has faced increasing repression at home. The environmental movement is no exception. While they kept communication channels open before the war, feeding the outside world precious data on the state of Russia's forests, permafrost and Arctic, large mainstream NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace and Bellona have all been declared undesirab
Not a breath of fresh air: Pollution in Serbia
Air pollution has blighted Serbia for years. This is due to the country’s heavy reliance on coal, which in 2021 powered around 70% of its electricity. Old diesel-powered vehicles and authorities move to tamper with air pollution criteria have also been part of the problem. In turn, activists have taken to the streets and courts.Our correspondents Lizi Auskery and Milivoje Pantović discuss the sit
One year of full-scale war in Ukraine
It’s been a year since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The war has killed hundreds of thousands both sides included and displaced millions of Ukrainians, while plunging the rest of Europe into an energy crisis. Its environmental impacts have also been devastating, ranging from military chemical contamination and emissions to nuclear threats. In Russia, the government's swing
2022's top Eurasian climate stories in review
The Eurasian Climate Brief team gets together to look back on the top climate stories that have taken place during 2022 across Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. From to the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine for the global energy market and climate movement, to the hopeful rise of Ukrainian climate activism and low-carbon strategies in Central Asia, join us for uniqu
COP27 wrap-up & the power of Ukrainian climate activism
A little more than two weeks after the end of COP27, the Eurasian Climate Brief team takes stock on what the summit in Sharm El-Cheikh has achieved, and where it fell short: How significant is the deal on the ‘loss and damage’ fund, aimed at compensating developing countries for irreversible climate impacts? And what progress has made, if any, in the fight to phase out fossil fuels? Needless to sa
COP27: what's left of Russian climate action?
As COP27 draws to a close, we take another deep dive into the impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine on the climate negotiations and climate action at large. What were Moscow's priorities this year? How has the Russian delegation been treated by the rest of the climate community throughout the summit? Maria Pastukhova, a senior policy analyst at the climate think tank E3G, and Anna Korppoo,
Countdown to COP27: the Eurasian delegations
Just a year ago, in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow, we published the first Eurasian Climate Brief episode. With this year's COP on the doorstep - this time in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt - we are now bringing you the first installment in our special COP27 series.Angelina and Boris speak to Baktygul Chynybaeva, a journalist and communicator with CAN EECCA, the Climate Action Network in Eastern Euro
The state of renewables in Albania (and beyond)
The six Western Balkan countries are struggling to embrace the EU’s plan on green energy. Albania produces almost all its electricity from hydropower plants, but at what cost to the environment? The construction of hydroelectric plants in the Librazhd area is destroying the ecosystem of the Shebenik-Jabllanice National Park. Some of the country’s hydroelectric power plants have been established wi
Nord Stream leaks: discussing new climate security threats
In late September, four leaks were detected in the gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, Nord Stream 2 and Nord Stream 1. The incidents, were, in all likelihood, an act of sabotage. In a joint letter to the UN Security Council, Denmark and Sweden declared that they were caused by "at least two detonations" with "several hundred kilos" of explosives, causing major leaks of nat
War in Ukraine: the knock-on effects on the minerals necessary for the green transition
Energy prices were rocked by the Russian invasion, with Aluminium and Nickel prices increasing sharply in the first two weeks after the conflict began with the latter up by more than 100 percent. Fears around the disruption to supply and concerns about soaring energy prices that could halt production in Europe are being blamed for the hikes. Other metals of interest in this war include titanium,
War in Ukraine: the fallout on Russian climate action
In September 2019, Russia formally joined the Paris Agreement, raising hopes the world's fourth emitter would finally throw its weight behind global decarbonisation efforts. The move followed years of lobbying from European governments, including Germany, France and Scandinavian countries. Nearly 3 years later, the Kremlin's war on Ukraine appears to have severely undermined climate act
War in Ukraine: the impact on climate diplomacy
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast dedicated to climate issues in the region stretching from Eastern Europe to Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia.In this episode, we're speaking with Bill Hare, a physicist and climate scientist with 30 years’ experience in science, impacts and policy responses to climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion. He is a founder and CEO of Clima
War in Ukraine: can energy transition and security reinforce each other?
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast dedicated to climate issues in the region stretching from Eastern Europe to Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia.In this episode, we're speaking with one of the world’s top Russian energy experts, Thane Gustafson. How has the war in Ukraine has reshaped the global energy trade? And, could it help accelerate the energy transition?Thane is a profe
Ukraine: The risk of a nuclear site attack
One and a half months have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine from the South, the East and Belarus. This is the second episode in our special series on the environmental impacts of the war. On this episode we discuss the nuclear risks and hazards surrounding the war in Ukraine.With us today is Andriy Martynyuk, Executive Director of the NGO Ecoclub in Rivne, Western Ukraine. An environmental engi
Ukraine: the environmental impacts of the war
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has changed everything. At the time of writing, there have been more than 900 Ukrainian civilians and 1300 soldiers killed since the start of the invasion on 24 February. At least 7,000 Russian have died - a greater death toll than that of American troops over 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.The conflict carries risks for the environment, too. On 4 Mar
Outsourcing emissions: China's oil and gas ventures in Central Asia
In this episode the Eurasian Climate Brief team are looking into the impact of China’s oil and gas ventures in Central Asia. “What?” I hear you ask? “I thought China was going green and aiming to reach net-zero before 2060.”Take a listen to find out more about this huge story and hear the latest on the impact that China National Petroleum Corporation’s is having on Kazakhstan.We’ll also be bringin
Crypto's carbon costs: Eurasia feels the heat
On 25 January, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan suffered from a mysterious series of electricity power outages, plunging the region into chaos. For several hours, skiers lay perched on lifts and planes grounded while traffic lights, heating district and tap water pumps ran idle. The incident comes after Kazakhstan, the world’s second largest bitcoin producer, faced a similar outage in Novembe
Russia's Foreign Agents' Law: Outlawed but not silenced
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a new podcast dedicated to climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe and Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia. This episode is dedicated to the crackdown on environmental activism, almost one month after Russia’s oldest human rights group, Memorial, was liquidated.Our correspondents Anastasia and Ivan Shteynert report on the impact of the so-ca
Coal of contention: Europe's fight over the Turów mine
It is one of the fiercest environmental disputes on European soil in decades: Warsaw and the Prague have spent the last year sparring over the future of a lignite coal mine located in Turów, southwest Poland, at the frontier with the Czech Republic and Germany. The Czech government argues the recently expanded mine is affecting local groundwater levels and polluting its environment, while the PiS-
2021 wrap-up & the story behind the Eurasian Climate Brief
In this special New Year episode, we take you behind the scenes of the production of the Eurasian Climate Brief and brief you on the biggest climate stories of the year for our region. Natalie Sauer unpacks Eastern European climate politics, discussing how Poland and other Visegrad countries have locked horns with the EU over climate legislation and forest conservation measures. The spat between t
Not in my backyard: The battle over Rio Tinto's Serbian lithium mine
Rio Tinto, the world's second biggest mining company, has spent the last years coveting a lithium mining project in Serbia. Exploratory drills have already produced leaks, soiling crops and underground water in their wake. Meanwhile, president Aleksander Vučić has been one of the mine's most fervent cheerleaders, attempting to force through a law facilitating expropriations and weakening
Climate projects in Georgia and their pitfalls: an interview with Mariam Devidze
On this edition of the podcast we are joined by Mariam Devidze from the Green Alternative to talk about climate finance in Georgia. We discuss projects by the Adaptation Fund in particular and we’ll hear about one carried out between 2012 and 2017 to prevent flash floods in the country’s second largest river basin, located on the river Rioni - the main river in Western Georgia. The project equippe
COP26 wrap-up: what has Eurasia achieved? An interview with Olha Boiko
We're reviewing COP26 and asking whether the 1.5 degree target has been kept alive, which would avert catastrophic climate change. What are the conclusions of this COP for Eurasia? And were activists and NGOs from the region capable of being represented at this historic climate summit? Our guest to discuss this is Olha Boiko, coordinator of CAN EECCA (Climate Action Network focusing on Easter
Who is going to pay? Climate finance at COP26 with Alexey Kokorin
This time we are discussing another important COP26 topic; climate finance. Our guest is the head of the climate and energy programme at WWF Russia, Alexey Kokorin. Developing countries have hit out at the OECD definition of climate finance, which includes grants, loans, and export finance credits from both private and public sources. We asked Alexey, amongst other things, what exactly counts as c
Article 6 Unpacked: demystifying carbon offsets with Gilles Dufrasne at COP26
This time we are joined by a top carbon offset expert to guide us through this complex topic. Gilles Dufrasne is a policy officer at Carbon Market Watch. Joining us from a busy COP26 conference centre, Gilles explains what carbon offsetting is and looks at some of the pitfalls with the carbon market system. The Eurasian Climate Brief is a new podcast dedicated to climate news in the region stretch
COP26: Protest Day featuring an interview with Arshak Makychian
Today we’ve been in the heart of the city, meeting activists who are taking part in protests across Glasgow. We met up with 25 year old student violinist, Arshak Makychian from Fridays for Future Russia. It’s an organisation which urges governments to listen to scientists and meet the commitments they made in the Paris agreement. Arshak has been described as the most lonely protestor after he stag
We need to talk about forests: an interview with Paola Deda from COP26
This time we’re discussing deforestation. We’re in Glasgow again continuing our special COP26 series, recording this episode a day after more than one hundred countries committed to end and reverse deforestation. Among the signatories were many of the states of our region: some of the big guns - Russia, Poland, Ukraine. Joining them are also Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Latvi
Own coal goal: phasing out the fossil fuel in Russia. An interview with Anna Korppoo
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a new podcast dedicated to climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe and Russia down to Caucasia and Central Asia. Join us in Glasgow for our special COP26 series. The talks have been billed as the last-chance summit to prevent catastrophic climate change.In this episode we’re focussing on Russia's current reliance on coal, less than a day after G
Countdown to COP26: an interview with Georgy Safonov
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a new podcast dedicated to climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe and Russia down to Caucasia and Central Asia. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be taking you to Glasgow for a special series during COP26. This international conference has been billed as the last-chance summit to prevent catastrophic climate change.We’re kickstarting our special COP26
Series Trailer - The Eurasian Climate Brief
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a new podcast focussing on climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe, Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia. It aims to give a voice to the best experts and journalists, enabling them to make sense of a part of the world where environmental news is seriously underreported. The podcast is set to launch in late October when we'll be releasing
