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Climate
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News:
Weekly Digest by CAN
EECCA
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Dear
subscribers,
In the region — $9
billion in environmental damage in Ukraine due
to the war, climate risks for Dilijan in
Armenia, mass deforestation in Azerbaijan, waste
management discussions in Belarus, energy
efficiency legislation and solar panels in
Moldova, radioactive waste in Kazakhstan, and a
mining tragedy in Tajikistan. On the global
agenda — bananas under threat, the dairy
industry turning a blind eye to methane, and men
contributing more to climate pressure due to
meat consumption and car use. Plus — a selection
of current opportunities for activists,
researchers, and NGOs.
We’re always open to
hearing your thoughts, ideas, or stories — don’t
hesitate to get in touch.
Sincerely,
The
CAN EECCA Team
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News
from the EECCA Region
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Colonel Yuriy Sytnyk,
head of the Environmental Safety Department of
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, stated that
Russian aggression has led to massive
environmental contamination: the soil and
surrounding environment are polluted with
construction debris, toxic substances, oil
products, metals, and explosive materials. In
addition, thousands of hectares of forest have
burned.
From
May 13–15, Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) will host the
7th Central Asia Climate Change Conference
(CACCC-2025). The event is organized by the
Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia
(CAREC) together with the Government of
Turkmenistan and supported by the World Bank,
the Central Asia Water and Energy Program
(CAWEP), the RESILAND Tajikistan project, and
GIZ.
Azerbaijan: Why fines don’t stop
deforestation
In
recent years, Azerbaijan has faced a serious
environmental challenge: large-scale tree
felling by housing cooperatives. This reflects
the destructive impact of unchecked
urbanization. The fate of felled trees often
remains unknown, and the Ministry of Ecology
mainly issues fines instead of addressing the
issue systemically.
A
new national strategy aims to ensure that by
2040 at least 90% of waste is reused or
recycled, maintaining carbon neutrality during
incineration (through either zero emissions or
compensation mechanisms).
Residents of East
Kazakhstan region have for years complained
about polluted air and water, but the situation
persists. The challenge is exacerbated by the
fact that major polluting enterprises are also
key employers, making relocation or shutdowns
politically difficult.
According to Albert
Aroyan, head of the NGO EcoPolitics, the Dilijan
municipality is increasingly vulnerable to heavy
rainfall, hail, floods, and forest fires.
Dilijan is surrounded by a national park, making
biodiversity and wildlife protection a serious
concern. These threats endanger both the
environment and local livelihoods.
The
Moldovan Parliament passed the first reading of
amendments to the Law on Energy Efficiency. The
goal is to ease the implementation of energy
efficiency projects and improve the legal
framework for Moldova’s energy transition.
Notably, the bill removes the obligation for
heat energy providers to participate in
energy-saving measures, helping maintain
affordable tariffs for consumers.
Photovoltaic panels
installed by the mayor’s office in Pervomaisk
will power water pumps serving over 900
residents. The panels were funded by the
European Village program and include smart
bi-directional meters. This enables the
municipality to use solar energy during the day
and sell excess energy to the grid, while buying
cheaper electricity at night.
Ukraine signed two
commercial agreements with the U.S.
International Development Finance Corporation
(DFC) to expand the previously ratified
bilateral investment fund, with a 50/50
ownership split.
Deputy Minister of
Natural Resources and Ecology Mirsav Amanqulov
announced that rising living standards have
increased demand for air conditioners that use
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), putting strain on the
power grid and harming the
environment.
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World
Climate and Energy News
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The
French study of 15,000 people shows men emit 26%
more pollution due to eating red meat and
driving more. Cars and meat are major
factors driving a gender gap in greenhouse gas
emissions, new research suggests. Men emit 26% more
planet-heating pollution than women from
transport and food, according to a preprint
study of 15,000 people in France. The gap
shrinks to 18% after controlling for
socioeconomic factors such as income and
education. Eating red meat and
driving cars explain almost all of the 6.5-9.5%
difference in pollution that remains after also
accounting for men eating more calories and
travelling longer distances, the researchers
said. They found no gender gap from
flying.
Fourth most important
food crop in peril as Latin America and
Caribbean suffer from slow-onset climate
disaster. The climate crisis is
threatening the future of the world’s most
popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of
banana-growing areas in Latin America and the
Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing
the fruit by 2080, new research has
found.
Rising temperatures,
extreme weather and climate-related pests are
pummeling banana-growing countries such as
Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, reducing
yields and devastating rural communities across
the region, according to Christian Aid’s new
report, Going Bananas: How Climate Change
Threatens the World’s Favourite Fruit.
Bananas are
the world’s most consumed fruit – and the fourth
most important food crop globally, after wheat,
rice and maize. About 80% of bananas grown
globally are for local consumption, and more
than 400 million people rely on the fruit for
15% to 27% of their daily calories.
Assessment of leading
dairy and coffee shop chains reveals failure to
set out methane reduction targets. Big dairy companies are
“turning a blind eye” to climate-damaging
methane emissions, an assessment of the
industry’s performance has found.
Animal agriculture
accounts for 32% of global emissions of methane,
a greenhouse gas about 80 times more potent than
carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, with the
breeding of cattle for milk and meat a key
driver. Methane has been
assessed as responsible for nearly half the
total global temperature rise since 1750. But
since it is short-lived in the atmosphere
compared with carbon dioxide, cuts to emissions
have been identified as an urgent move in
tackling climate breakdown.
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Dates: August 28–31,
2025
Funding: Fully and
partially funded spots available
Deadline: May 30,
2025
Key
themes of the Summit:
- Combating climate change
and promoting sustainable development
- Global equality and
social justice
- Leveraging technology
for positive impact
- Empowering youth
leadership and international cooperation
- Supporting social
entrepreneurship and economic development
- Innovation in education
and future-ready workforce
development
Who
can apply?
Participants from any
country aged 16 and older. No diploma or
professional experience required. Open to
students, activists, young leaders,
entrepreneurs, and professionals.
Filmmakers from around
the world are invited to submit short films
addressing current environmental topics.
Participation is
free.
- Film length: up to 20
minutes
- Format: documentary,
journalistic, or narrative
- Open to all
countries
- Films commissioned or
made on behalf of companies/organizations are
not eligible
Deadline: May
25
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From: CAN EECCA <dig...@caneecca.org>Date:
ср, 14 мая 2025 г. в 19:30 Subject: 🌍 CAN EECCA Newsletter: $9 Billion
in War Damage, Radioactive Waste, and a Future Without
Bananas? |
