The Eurasian Climate Brief

Dear listeners! We would like to thank you for having followed our podcast for almost two years, during which we managed to produce over 30 episodes on a variety of climate topics. We will be taking a break until the end of this year to reflect on what we have achieved so far and what might come after. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for any podcast-related news. Till then, we are happy to receive any feedback, criticism and suggestions regarding our work.

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 topic and, in particular, about one of the most affected regions - Central Asia - Angelina and Boris spoke to Viviane Clement, Senior Climate Change Specialist with the World Bank's Climate Change Group, Ikrom Mamadov, Director of the Youth Group on the Protection of the Environment and the National Director of the Ecological Network of Tajikistan, and Kira Virginia Vinke, Head of the Center for Climate and Foreign Policy at the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP).

Also on Spotify, Google Podcasts etc.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Displaced: climate migration in Central Asia and beyond auf Apple Podcasts ‎Sendung The Eurasian Climate Brief, Folge Displaced: climate migration in Central Asia and beyond – 20. Aug. 2023

After the Ban: Which Way Forward for Russia’s Climate Activists? - The Moscow Times Podcast |

We are back with a new episode!

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 Europa have all been declared undesirable organisations in recent months. This makes their nation-level work near to impossible.

Angelina Davydova and Boris Schneider spoke to Vitaly Servetnik, a campaigner at Russia's Friends of the Earth and the Russian Socio-Ecological Union, about the situation, as wildfires continue to engulf eastern Siberia. Unflappable, Servetnik maintains that environmentalists within the country are as defiant and creative as ever.

Also available on Spotify, Google Podcasts etc.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: After the ban: which way forward for Russia's climate activists? auf Apple Podcasts ‎Sendung The Eurasian Climate Brief, Folge After the ban: which way forward for Russia's climate activists? – 11. Aug. 2023

***New episode out***

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 Auskerry and Milivoje Misha Pantovic discuss the situation with activists, whistle-blowers and health workers in order to assess the scale of the problem. In addition, Boris speaks to Mirko Popović, the programme director of Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute (RERI), an organisation that conducts environmental and climate lawsuits in the Balkans.

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.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Not a breath of fresh air: Pollution in Serbia on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Not a breath of fresh air: Pollution in Serbia - Mar 26, 2023

This is a grim anniversary we hoped we would never commemorate.

Since we launched in October 2021, we have dedicated over a quarter of our episodes to the environmental impacts of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In 20 short minutes, Angelina Davydova and Boris Schneider tell how it is set to lastingly impact Ukrainian soils and our global commons. From military chemical pollution and emissions to nuclear threats and diminished Russian ecological movements: PTSD, injuries and deaths are tragically only one aspect of the war. One silver lining: Europe's rush to cut historic energy ties with Russia appears to have accelerated the continent's green transition: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000601363925

Happy New Year!

Our team got 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 unique analysis of the region's trends and what they might hold in store for the year ahead.

2022's Top Eurasian Climate Stories in Review - The Moscow Times Podcast |

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 Davydova and Boris Schneider speak to Baktygul Chynybaeva, a journalist and communicator with Climate Action Network - Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, the Climate Action Network in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. What are the delegations coming to this conference with? What is expected to be high on this COP’s agenda? And what about civil society?

Please listen, rate and share. Also On Spotify, Google Podcasts etc.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Countdown to COP27: the Eurasian delegations auf Apple Podcasts ‎Sendung The Eurasian Climate Brief, Folge Countdown to COP27: the Eurasian delegations – 5. Nov. 2022

We're back with a special episode, the last one before :

The six Western countries are struggling to embrace the EU’s plan on green energy. produces almost all its electricity from hydropower plants, but at what cost to the environment? The construction of 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 without thought for the environment and in protected areas. In this episode we send our reporter Arlis Alikaj to investigate.

We also spoke to Rana Adib, executive director of energy think tank REN21, about their recent report on the development of renewables worldwide. We focused specifically on Eurasia. You can find the full report in this post's comment section.

As always, you will find the episode in your favourite podcast app. Please rate our show in the respctive app and follow us on Twitter. If you can, consider supporting our work at patreon.com/EurasianClimate.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: The state of renewables in Albania (and beyond) auf Apple Podcasts ‎Sendung The Eurasian Climate Brief, Folge The state of renewables in Albania (and beyond) – 31. Okt. 2022

🥰 The delight is full shared!

Support The Moscow Times, which has fearlessly covered Russian affairs since 1992, at https://www.themoscowtimes.com/contribute

War in Ukraine: The Fallout on Russian Climate Action - The Moscow Times Podcast | Russia’s commitments under the Paris Agreement could be one of the casualties of the fighting.

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 action and international collaboration over climate science.

In our latest episode, Maria Pastukhova, a senior policy advisor at the E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism climate think tank, talks to Boris Schneider about the state of the ecological transition in the country and advises on how the West can limit the damage.
https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000574593001

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: War in Ukraine: the fallout on Russian climate action auf Apple Podcasts ‎Sendung The Eurasian Climate Brief, Folge War in Ukraine: the fallout on Russian climate action – 31. Juli 2022

New episode out!

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 Екоклуб (Ecoclub) in Rivne, Western Ukraine. An environmental engineer by background, Martynyuk been working at Ecoclub since 2003 and is intimately acquainted with the country’s nuclear situation. Following an overview of the nuclear power plants in the country, he and Boris Schneider discuss the most pressing nuclear risks tied to the war, from radioactive dust from to how attacks on spent nuclear fuel storage facilities could unleash a "dirty nuclear bomb". Also on the table is the question of the international community's response, as the two men delve into the effectiveness of bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency ( ) in the face of the conflict.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Ukraine: The risk of a nuclear site attack on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Ukraine: The risk of a nuclear site attack - Apr 5, 2022

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 November 2021. The culprit according to the government? Unregistered cryptocurrency miners.

While the exact cause of the 25 January power shortage has yet to be pinpointed, it is now established crypto-mining is piling pressure on the countries’ creaking soviet energy infrastructure.
Join us as we discuss the carbon footprint of crypto in Central Asia and the rest of Eurasia. Our reporter Stephen Bland talks to residents and experts about the industry’s impact on Kazakhstan, while Boris Schneider asks economist and campaigner Alex de Vries whether there can ever be such a thing as green crypto-mining.

We’ll also be bringing you the latest climate headlines from our region at the end of the episode.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000550508521

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Crypto's carbon costs: Eurasia feels the heat on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Crypto's carbon costs: Eurasia feels the heat - 8 Feb 2022

Our latest 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-called foreign agents' law on ecological activism in Saint Petersburg and beyond. Vitaly Servetnik, a campaigner at Russia's Friends of the Earth and the Russian Socio Ecological Union, then briefs Angelina Davydova and Natalie Sauer on the legislation and explains why environmentalists are set to be the next targets of the Putin regime after human rights activists.
As per usual, do stick until the end of the episode for the latest climate headlines from our region.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief on Apple Podcasts ‎Science · 2022

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-led cabinet claims the coal mine is essential to its energy security.

Our Polish correspondent, Bartek Sieniawski, reports live in Bogatynia over the tussle, while Natalie Sauer and Boris Schneider talk to Milan Starec, a Czech resident campaigning for the closure of the mine.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000548298208

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Coal of contention: Europe's fight over the Turów mine on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Coal of contention: Europe's fight over the Turów mine - 18 Jan 2022

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 the Czech Republic and Poland over an open-pit lignite mine on the border also gets a mention.

On Central Asia, Boris SchneiderSchneider discusses the impact of energy-hungry cryptomining in Kazakhstan as well as the water disputes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Commenting from her kitchen in St-Petersburg, Angelina Davydova closes in on Russia’s climate 2060 net-zero climate target, the country’s mounting environmental protests, and the recent coal mine explosion in Keremovo, Siberia, which left 51 dead.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: 2021 wrap-up & the story behind the Eurasian Climate Brief on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep 2021 wrap-up & the story behind the Eurasian Climate Brief - Jan 5, 2022

Our new episode on Serbia's battle over the Rio Tinto lithium mine is out now!

Our Serbian correspondents, Milica Šarić and Jelena Knežević, report live in Belgrade on the growing backlash against the project, while Natalie Sauer and Angelina Davydova talk to Savo Manojlović, the campaign director of one of the protests' organisers, Kreni Promeni. Have a listen for a fascinating tale on how green capitalism could go wrong, as the European Union turns a blind eye to the project's environmental impacts in a bid to cut down its lithium dependency on China.

At the time of recording Rio Tinto had not returned our requests for comment.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000545087759

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Not in my backyard: The battle over Rio Tinto's Serbian lithium mine on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Not in my backyard: The battle over Rio Tinto's Serbian lithium mine - 15 Dec 2021

We are back with a post-COP, regular series, airing every fortnight on Wednesdays.

In our latest episode we speak to Georgian environmental researcher Mariam Devidze from the Green Alternative about the impacts of international climate projects in her country. While international funding from institutions such as The Adaptation Fund has helped mitigate climate impacts such as flooding, she stresses global institutions have yet to learn how to genuinely take local communities with them. Devidze is also critical of mega-dams in Georgia, which she says support investors, rather than people and planet.

PLUS our Angelina Davydova tells us about the current proliferation of climate initiatives in Russia, including Russia's first environmental theatre festival in St-Petersburg.

https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000543624524

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Climate projects in Georgia and their pitfalls: an interview with Mariam Devidze auf Apple Podcasts ‎Sendung The Eurasian Climate Brief, Folge Climate projects in Georgia and their pitfalls: an interview with Mariam Devidze – 1. Dez. 2021

What are the take-aways of for Eurasia? In our wrap-up episode,
CAN International's Olha Boiko is sceptical the summit has secured 1.5C target, but sees hope in rising climate activism in Central Asia and the region’s pledges to phase out coal.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000542459315

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: COP26 wrap-up: what has Eurasia achieved? An interview with Olha Boiko on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep COP26 wrap-up: what has Eurasia achieved? An interview with Olha Boiko - 19 Nov 2021

The latest episode of looks at the movers and shakers of climate finance in the region with Alexey Kokorin of WWF России. 🎤 Plus the team gives its concluding thoughts on the summit live from Glasgow as it enters its final hours. 🌍

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Who is going to pay? Climate finance at COP26 with Alexey Kokorin on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Who is going to pay? Climate finance at COP26 with Alexey Kokorin - Nov 12, 2021

As negotiators face each other off over rules governing carbon offsets and markets, we thought we'd ask Gilles Dufrasne from Carbon Market Watch to unpack this highly technical, but vital issue. In effect, the final shape of the part of the Paris Agreement containing those rules - so-called Article 6 - could either alleviate or worsen the climate crisis. Our guest also reveals how Russia and Poland are pushing for lax rules.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/article-6-unpacked-demystifying-carbon-offsets-with/id1592655490?i=1000541374651

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: Article 6 Unpacked: demystifying carbon offsets with Gilles Dufrasne at COP26 on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep Article 6 Unpacked: demystifying carbon offsets with Gilles Dufrasne at COP26 - 10 Nov 2021

Our new episode on Saturday's climate protests is out! Facing persecution for their work, Russian eco-activists Arshak Makichyan (Fridays For Future Russia )and Eugene Simonov (International Rivers ) told us of their determination to continue raising the alarm over the climate crisis in Russia, even as the Kremlin moves to crack down on civil society.

The two activists also voiced their concerns over the region's climate policy. Arshak Makichyan views the Kremlin's latest 2060 net-zero pledge as little more than greenwash, while Eugene Simonov fears the Paris Agreement's emphasis on carbon offsets could finance unsustainable hydropower dams, which are currently recognised as renewable energy by many of the world's international institutions.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490 =Buzzsprout-9506855

ps: our apologies for only featuring male Russian activists on this count. For want of time, it was extremely difficult to source women activists from elsewhere in the bloc. This is something we are intent on changing in future.

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief on Apple Podcasts ‎Science · 2021

🎙 New episode alert! 🎙 In this third COP26 episode we ask top UN forestry expert, Paola Deda, what she makes of this week's pledge by more than 100 countries - many of them Eurasian - to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. Taking us through the region's forests, Deda explains why she draws hope from the target.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-climate-brief/id1592655490?i=1000540815237

‎The Eurasian Climate Brief: We need to talk about forests: an interview with Paola Deda on Apple Podcasts ‎Show The Eurasian Climate Brief, Ep We need to talk about forests: an interview with Paola Deda - 4 Nov 2021