|
Dear Friends!
Sanctions
are considered one effective mechanism for
countering Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
Environmental organizations around the world
support a ban on Russia’s fossil fuel exports
and also view it as a means to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. Recently, Razom We Stand drafted
an open manifesto calling for strengthened
sanctions on fossil fuel exports from Russia,
which was signed, among others, by UWEC Work
Group. How effective are these sanctions? Can
they be implemented without adopting more
ambitious energy transition plans in Ukraine's
partner countries? Read our
article:
The “grey
zones” that Russian and Western companies use to
circumvent sanctions are vast and affect various
regions. Some examples of circumvention of
sanctions mechanisms are easily observed, while
others require a more in-depth investigation.
UWEC Work Group expert Eugene Simonov describes
how an Australian coal company not only
exploited the traditional lands of the
indigenous population of Chukotka in Russia, but
also tried to circumvent sanctions mechanisms.
Ultimately, the company was forced to sell its
Russian assets. Despite that, the sale of the
Australian company to Russian oligarchs did not
make things any easier for either Chukotka’s
indigenous communities or Chukotka’s
nature.
June 6
marked the anniversary of the Kakhovka
Hydropower Plant dam explosion. The subsequent
environmental disaster once again raised the
issue of ecocide at the international level, and
the incredibly fast-growing Velyky Luh forest on
the bed of the former Kakhovka Reservoir
demonstrated the capacity of ecosystems for
self-restoration in the post-war period. Oleksiy
Vasyliuk and Eugene Simonov examined what is
known today about the consequences of this
disaster a year on and what we can prepare for
in the future.
The war
has already destroyed entire populations of
animals and plants and has put some species at
risk of extinction. Moreover, while the death of
domestic livestock and pets is well-known, many
people are unaware of the ecocide of wild
reptiles and amphibians. Ukrainian Candidate of
Sciences herpetologist Oleksii Marushchak
explains how the war is destroying Ukraine’s
“silent” inhabitants.
Ukraine’s
“green recovery” remains a key focus for UWEC
Working Group. In June 2023, this topic was
discussed at a conference in Berlin, but work on
promoting the topic of “green” and sustainable
recovery is ongoing. Meetings are held,
strategies are formed, plans are approved. Read
our May review about the latest research and
trends related to the country’s “green
recovery”.
You can
explore other stories and news related to the
consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of
Ukraine on our
website,
on
Twitter
(X), Facebook, and
Telegram.
We wish
you strength and peace!
Aleksei
Ovchinnikov, Editor, UWEC Work
Group | 
