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Climate
Change and Energy
News:
Weekly Digest by CAN
EECCA
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Dear
subscribers,
This is the first issue
of our newsletter in 2026. We hope the new year
will bring more positive climate developments —
and, more importantly, real progress toward a
sustainable future.
Instead, the year
begins with worrying signals. The United States
has announced its withdrawal from 66
international organizations, including key UN
climate bodies. In this issue, we share the
position of the Climate Action Network in
response to this decision.
Our
regional section looks at how nuclear energy is
increasingly used as a geopolitical tool, the
unresolved risks of uranium legacy sites in
Central Asia, and the growing vulnerability of
energy systems dependent on external
actors.
As
always, we close the digest with current
opportunities for activists, researchers, and
experts.
Best
regards,
CAN
EECCA Communications
Manager
Aizirek
Almazbekova
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News
from the EECCA Region
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President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy has declared a state of emergency in
Ukraine’s energy sector following renewed
Russian strikes on critical infrastructure and
severe weather conditions. Thousands of homes in
Kyiv were left without electricity and heating.
The situation highlights how climate extremes
and war are reinforcing each other, pushing
already fragile energy systems to the
brink.
Four of the seven most
hazardous Soviet-era uranium sites in Central
Asia have been fully rehabilitated. However,
cleanup efforts in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are
stalled due to critical funding shortages. The
International Atomic Energy Agency warns that
without urgent investment, these sites could
pose serious environmental and health
risks.
Nuclear
Power as a Weapon: How Russia Uses the “Peaceful
Atom”
Why
have sanctions failed to free Europe from
dependence on Russia’s nuclear industry? And how
is Rosatom directly involved in Russia’s war
efforts? Environmental activist Vladimir Slivyak
explains how nuclear energy has become a
strategic geopolitical tool rather than a
neutral energy source.
As
2026 begins, Belarus still has no new gas
contract with Russia, after the previous
agreement expired on December 31. The lack of
transparency raises serious concerns about the
country’s energy security. Belarus’s heavy
dependence on a single external supplier could
quickly turn into a full-blown
crisis.
Armenia and Georgia
have signed an agreement on joint water
monitoring in the Khrami–Debed river basin. The
region faces shared challenges, including
untreated wastewater, mining pollution with
heavy metals, agricultural runoff, and illegal
dumping. The agreement aims to better protect
the Debed River and the communities that depend
on it.
Over the past seven
decades, Kyrgyzstan’s glacier area has shrunk by
16 percent. Globally, more than 3.6 billion
people already face water scarcity — a number
expected to exceed 5 billion by 2050. Rising
temperatures, declining precipitation, and
growing drought risks make glacier loss a direct
threat to water security across Central
Asia.
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World
Climate and Energy News
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The
United States has announced its withdrawal from
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC). The decision, signed by
President Donald Trump, affects a total of 66
international organizations and agreements. The
White House said these bodies no longer align
with US national interests.
Climate Action Network,
representing over 2,000 organizations in more
than 140 countries, strongly condemned the US
decision. CAN emphasized the responsibility of
the United States for worsening global crises —
including climate change, conflicts, and the
erosion of international law. The network warned
that disengagement undermines collective efforts
to address shared global threats.
A
landmark UN treaty on the protection of the high
seas has officially entered into force. Areas
beyond national jurisdiction cover nearly half
of the planet and have long lacked effective
governance. For the first time, the treaty
provides a legal framework to protect marine
biodiversity and ensure fairer sharing of
benefits from ocean resources.
Humanity is rapidly
approaching an ecological “point of no return,”
according to a new report by the UN Environment
Programme. The report stresses that collapse is
not inevitable — but only if governments commit
to deep transformations across key systems, from
the economy to food production. Delay, it warns,
will dramatically raise the cost of
action.
While global
temperatures reached new highs, political
responses lagged behind the scale of the crisis.
Throughout 2025, climate impacts intensified,
but decisive action remained elusive. The year
exposed the growing gap between scientific
warnings and political will.
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Remote positions are
open to EECCA-based experts at organizations
including IPRG, UN Global Compact, GCCM, and the
Agroecology Fund. Opportunities span climate
research, innovation, operations, and strategic
grantmaking. Applications are also open for the
Global Fund for Community Foundations, offering
direct support for grassroots environmental
initiatives.
The
OSCE, in partnership with GWNET, is accepting
applications for a 12-month mentorship program
aimed at strengthening women’s leadership in the
energy sector. Women with 2–8 years of
professional experience will receive mentoring,
training sessions, and a study visit to Vienna.
Deadline: January 24,
2026.
An
8-week remote internship from National
Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy
offers hands-on experience in freshwater
protection and community engagement. Ideal for
those committed to safeguarding water resources.
Deadline: January 25, 2026.
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From: CAN
EECCA <dig...@caneecca.org>Date:
ср, 21 янв. 2026 г. в 15:00 Subject: 🌍 CAN
EECCA Newsletter: US Exit from UN Climate Bodies
and Ukraine’s Energy
Crisis | | | |
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