*[Enwl-eng] Examining international green agreements during the Ukraine war

[enwl]

Examining international green agreements during the Ukraine warPerhaps the 
most serious systemic environmental problem caused by the war is the 
disruption and weakening of international cooperation.



                              Dear Friends!

                              Perhaps the most serious systemic 
environmental problem caused by the war is the disruption and weakening of 
international cooperation. In Russia, ideas about a “hostile” West are 
gaining strength, while in Ukraine there are calls for the exclusion of the 
aggressor country from all international initiatives. Since the invasion, 
almost all intergovernmental treaties are perceived as invalid.

                              Taking place in Egypt this November, the 
upcoming COP-27 (United Nations Climate Change conference or Conference of 
the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 
Change) will demonstrate how the conflict’s escalation will affect global 
climate policy. We will cover that topic on our website in the weeks ahead. 
Today, however, attention must be paid to the weakening of a number of 
international agreements, stemming not only from the Russian invasion, but 
also by the political events that preceded it.

                              One of the most complex issues is the shared 
use of transboundary natural sites, such as rivers. Ukraine has taken the 
path of European integration at the level of values and law. However, 
roughly 70% of the shared water resource use is with Russia and Belarus, 
countries that have shown direct or indirect aggression. UWEC experts 
Valeriia Kolodezhna and Oleksiy Vasyliuk discuss approaches to systematic 
international cooperation with those countries.

                                a.. Will river basins be torn apart by war?
                              Another article by Oleksiy Vasyliuk is 
dedicated to the management of shared borderlands. This is a serious issue, 
given that significant areas of Europe’s Emerald Network are located along 
Ukraine’s border. These are unique biotopes where scientists seek to 
preserve valuable ecosystems and rare species. These same landscapes are the 
first to suffer as a result of military invasion. It is obvious that only 
joint work among these countries’ scientific communities enables us to 
preserve the region’s nature in the form in which we know it.

                                a.. Protected areas and border zones in 
Ukraine: How to harmonize them?
                              Learn more about how Ukraine’s most important 
protected areas fit into European conservation programs in an explainer 
infographic prepared specially for UWEC Work Group by Valeriia Kolodezhna.

                                a.. Emerald Network infographic
                              Withdrawal from international treaties will 
also have a negative impact on environmental practices in Russia. We invited 
Dinara Ziganshina, Director of the Research Center of the International 
Water Commission for the Aral Sea Basin and Deputy Chairperson of the 
Committee for the Implementation of the UNECE Convention on the Protection 
and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes to discuss how 
weakening international agreements could affect environmental activities 
both in Russia and neighboring countries.

                                a.. International law and exceptional 
circumstances
                              In the future, Russia may choose a path of 
isolationism and withdrawal from international agreements. Populist 
political forces are the voices behind that sort of rhetoric. Another 
country in the region has already started moving along this path. Belarus, 
or rather, its authoritarian regime, has been waging a lengthy war against 
its civil society while also trying to conceal its participation in the 
invasion of Ukraine.

                              In 2021, almost all environmental 
organizations were liquidated by the government, including one of the oldest 
such organizations – Ecodom. That organization protected the environmental 
rights of Belarusian citizens and used the Aarhus Convention to document and 
report violations of environmental rights. The Aarhus Convention protects 
the rights of people to a healthy environment.

                              In response, the Aarhus Committee called on 
Belarus to restore liquidated environmental organizations and end the 
political persecution of environmental activists. Belarus’ government 
reacted to this not only by issuing a refusal but announcing its intent to 
withdraw from the convention. We spoke with Ecodom representative Marina 
Dubina about the organization, political persecution of eco-activists, and 
the consequences for Belarus of withdrawing from international conventions.

                                a.. Belarus eliminates independent 
environmental organizations and exits the Aarhus Convention: an interview 
with Ecodom’s Marina Dubina
                              Persecution of environmental activists for 
their anti-war stance continues in both Belarus and Russia. One of those 
under pressure today is Russian physicist and nuclear power expert Andrey 
Ozharovsky. It was Belarusian persecution of Ozharovsky and other activists 
belonging to the Belarusian Anti-Nuclear Campaign in the 2010s that prompted 
Ecodom’s report of Aarhus Convention violations.

                                a.. Russia prosecutes activist for citing 
IAEA report
                              Most international agreements affect the 
environment in one way or another. Our expert Eugene Simonov continues his 
analytical reporting by examining “military agreements.” In this issue, 
Simonov examines how the Black Sea Grain Initiative has the potential to 
affect food security and environmental protection using the example of the 
Danube Delta.

                                a.. First wartime agreement in jeopardy?
                              At UWEC Work Group, we analyze the 
transformation of international agreements caused by Russia’s invasion of 
Ukraine. You can find more analysis of the war’s environmental consequences 
on our website, and join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.


                              Peace and strength be with you,
                              Aleksei Ovchinnikov
                              Editor-in-Chief
                              UWEC Work Group








            From: UWEC Work Group
            Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2022 10:13 AM
            Subject: Examining international green agreements during the 
Ukraine war




 
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