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On April 26, the
anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, CAN EECCA
published its
position on nuclear energy. In
addition, we sent letters to the three
governments of the countries – Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – where nuclear power
plants are planned. We were interested in
whether the governments of these countries
really fully realize all the risks associated
with the possible construction of nuclear power
plants on their territories. According to our
observations, public discussions and media
debates on nuclear energy are often accompanied
by many stereotypes and inaccuracies. Therefore,
in our position we provided enough facts to
enable decision-makers and the public to
familiarize themselves with the situation and
understand that the development of nuclear power
in the EECCA region creates more problems than
solutions.
Hydropower controversy
in Georgia
The
electricity generated by at least ninety-four
hydropower plants covers 80% of Georgian demand.
Still, the ruling party Georgian Dream is
pushing for more investment. At the end of 2022,
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced the
reactivation of hydropower projects that had
come to a standstill due to the protests and the
start of new projects. “We can sell some
electricity to the European Union. We are
talking about millions of dollars in revenue for
the country," Garibashvili stated in a speech."
A little earlier, on December the 17th, the
president of the European Commission signed a
memorandum on the construction of an energy
cable under the Black Sea. Ursula von der Leyen
assured that the project "could bring great
benefits to Georgia: the country could become an
electricity hub and the Georgian electricity
market could integrate with the EU
market."
In March 2022, the
self-proclaimed Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
set in motion an ambitious plan for the Qosh
Tepa irrigation canal, a potential lifeline for
drought-ridden Afghanistan. However, its
construction casts a looming shadow over
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan downstream,
exacerbating water scarcity threats. Central
Asian nations can no longer afford to overlook
Afghanistan’s water concerns. Amid the growing
influence of climate change in the region,
strategic preparations are essential to tackle
the imminent challenges posed by the water
crisis. The Qosh Tepa Canal stands as a
remarkable irrigation endeavour, marking a
decade of ambitious projects in Central Asia.
Spearheaded by Afghanistan’s
National Development Company and funded by
public resources, the canal’s reach spans an
impressive 285 kilometres, boasting a width of
100 meters and a depth of 8
meters.
CAN
EECCA organized a workshop focused on the
registration process for the UNFCCC. The
workshop aimed to equip NGOs and media members
with the necessary knowledge and tools to
navigate the registration process effectively.
Attendees had the opportunity to learn from
experienced speakers who provided valuable
insights and guidance. The workshop specifically
addressed the registration process for NGOs,
emphasizing the importance of timely and
accurate submission of required documents.
Participants received detailed instructions on
the various steps involved, including the
documentation required for accreditation and the
selection of focal points for their respective
organizations.
The Biden
administration is poised to increase outreach to
western trading houses, insurers and tanker
owners to remind them to abide by the Group of
Seven's price
cap on
Russian oil as the crude trades over that level,
sources and experts said. The approach reflects
a desire by Washington to encourage buyers to
adhere to the $60 per barrel cap imposed last
December on sea-borne exports of Russian crude
by the G7, the European Union and Australia in
retaliation for Russia’s war on Ukraine. The
administration is expected to use "soft"
tactics, instead of widespread threats of harsh
enforcement on potential violators as that could
upend energy markets, they said. "The initial
inclination on the part of Treasury is to be
soft on it, not to come down like a hammer on
tankers and tanker owners, to enforce, but
enforce quietly with letters, phone calls," said
a source familiar with the administration's
thinking on the matter.
Like everything else in
the South Caucasus, discourse around Armenia’s
nuclear power plant — labeled “one of the most
dangerous” in the world — is
entangled in a mosaic of geopolitical complexity
and conflicting regional interests. As the only
country producing nuclear energy in the Caucasus
region, Armenia has relied heavily on
nuclear power since 1976. The
Metsamor nuclear power plant, located about 35
kilometers from the capital city of Yerevan,
generates roughly 40% of the country’s
electricity. From its inception as a Soviet-era
plant to its current-day operation, the history
of the Metsamor power plant is riddled with
Russian presence — a presence that tiptoes the
fine line of colonization in every chapter it is
found. Today, Russia seems to have taken the
long-uncertain future
of Armenia’s power plant into its own
hands.
On 6-7 July 2023, the
UNESCO Almaty Cluster
Office
in cooperation with the Intergovernmental
Hydrological Programme organized an inception
workshop on "Strengthening the resilience of
Central Asian countries by enabling regional
cooperation to assess high altitude glacio-nival
systems to develop integrated methods for
sustainable development and adaptation to
climate change" project at UNESCO Headquarters
in Paris, France. The project aims to strengthen
the adaptation capacity of five Central Asian
countries: Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to
climate change impacts on the cryosphere through
assessment, promotion of regional cooperation,
and stakeholder engagement.
Ukraine
has been defending itself against full-scale
Russian aggression for over a year. However, in
this war, not only are people starving, but
nature is also being destroyed. Ukraine's
landscape is scarred by shells, charred by
fires, and poisoned by chemical compounds that
are incompatible with life. Unfortunately, many
unique natural areas may be impossible to
restore. What damage has the Russian invasion
caused to the ecosystem of Ukraine? How many
years will it take to demine the entire mined
territory? And why do we in Ukraine believe that
we will be able to restore what was
destroyed?
Resource
scarcity has severely disrupted daily life
across Central Asia this summer. Electricity
failures have compelled Kyrgyzstan to declare a
three-year energy emergency, starting on August
1. Additionally, much of the region is grappling
with water shortages, which scientists say is
the latest sign that Central Asia will be one of
the regions hardest hit by climate
change.
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