*[Enwl-eng] 🌏CAN EECCA Newsletter: Reactions to our nuclear position, Hydropower controversy in Georgia, Era of global boiling
enwl
enwl at enw.net.ru
Tue Aug 1 19:49:25 MSK 2023
<!--[if !mso]-->
<!--[endif]-->
Climate Action Network
Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
Digest of news on climate change, energy
issues
www.caneecca.org
--------------------------------------------------
Someone forwarded this digest to you?
You can subscribe using this link
--------------------------------------------------
Regional Climate News
How did the governments of Central Asia
respond to CAN EECCA’s anti-nuclear position?
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."
Water Crisis Looming: Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan’s Imperative for The Grand Afghan Canal
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.
Workshop for NGOs and Media on how to
register in the UNFCCC
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.
As Russian oil crosses G7's price cap, US
eyes soft enforcement
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.
Energy Colonization and Armenia’s Nuclear
Power Plant
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.
UNESCO launches a new regional project on
Cryosphere in Central Asia
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.
Russia-Ukraine war: Environmental Impact
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?
In The Summer Heat, Central Asia Suffers
Water, Power Shortages
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.
--------------------------------------------------
World Climate News
‘Era of global boiling has arrived,’ says UN
chief as July set to be hottest month on record
The era of global warming has ended and “the
era of global boiling has arrived”, the UN secretary general, António
Guterres, has said after scientists confirmed July was on track to be the
world’s hottest month on record. “Climate change is here. It is terrifying.
And it is just the beginning,” Guterres said. “It is still possible to limit
global temperature rise to 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels], and avoid the
very worst of climate change. But only with dramatic, immediate climate
action.” Guterres’s comments came after scientists confirmed on Thursday
that the past three weeks have been the hottest since records began and July
is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded.
2023 Hydrogen Levelized Cost Update: Green
Beats Gray
The levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH2) has
risen slightly in 2023 due to inflation and higher financing costs. Still,
green hydrogen (H2) will become competitive with existing gray H2 plants
running at marginal cost in five markets by 2030. Green H2 undercuts new
gray H2 in over 90% of markets by 2035. By 2030, building a new green H2
plant is already cheaper than continuing to run an existing gray hydrogen
plant in Brazil, China, Sweden, Spain and India. By 2050, the levelized cost
of newly-built green H2 undercuts the marginal cost of gray H2 from existing
plants in all modeled markets.
Too hot for the Olympics? Paris 2024
organizers are keeping a close eye on Europe's heatwave
France has escaped the worst of the searing
heat this summer but organisers are remaining "very vigilant" about
temperature forecasts. Organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are paying
close attention to long-term weather models, chief Tony Estanguet said on
Tuesday (18 July). Almost exactly a year away from the start of the games,
swathes of Europe are being baked again in near-record temperatures. The
heatwave engulfing the northern hemisphere is set to intensify this week,
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. Temperatures in the
Mediterranean, North America, Asia and North Africa are expected to be above
40 Celsius for a number of days.
What is carbon capture and storage and will
it cut emissions?
There are two main types of carbon capture
and storage. Point-source carbon capture and storage (CCS) which captures
CO2 produced at the source, such as a smokestack, while direct air capture
(DAC) removes carbon dioxide (CO2) that has already been released into the
atmosphere. The two new British projects to get government backing are
Acorn - developed by Storegga, Shell, Harbour Energy and North Sea Midstream
Partners - and the Viking project - led by Harbour Energy. They are both
designed to capture emissions from heavy-emitting sectors, such as oil and
gas refining and steel manufacturing, and store them underground off the
coast of Britain in depleted oil and gas fields.
A rocky path to Cop28
As wildfires ravaged southern Europe and
heatwaves gripped large swathes of Asia and North America, politicians
presented a deeply divided front on climate ambition at crunch talks this
week. Energy and climate ministers from the highly-influential G20 group
took part in back-to-back meetings in India, in what was seen as a crucial
stepping stone on the road to Cop28 in Dubai. High hopes for a broad
consensus on ambitious targets have been dashed first in Goa where energy
ministers met, and then again in Chennai where climate ministers wrapped up
talks just hours ago.
Climate Change Is Changing How We Dream
Studying dreams can be slippery. We don’t
always remember them, and interpreting them is highly subjective. But,
according to a survey of 1,009 people conducted by The Harris Poll in June
on behalf of TIME, over a third of people in the U.S. have dreamed about
climate change at least once in their lives. The imagery and sensations
evoked by these dreams vary widely, according to the survey. Most people’s
climate dreams involve extreme weather or natural disasters; fewer are about
mosquitoes and locusts or political leaders and laws. The most common
emotions reported are fear and stress, except among Millennials who seem to
have more hopeful dreams.
© Copyright, CANEECCA
This email has been sent to you, because you
are a subscriber of CANEECCA
From: CAN EECCA
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2023 5:29 PM
Subject: 🌏CAN EECCA Newsletter: Reactions to our nuclear position,
Hydropower controversy in Georgia, Era of global boiling
<!--[if mso]-->
<!--[endif]-->
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.enwl.net.ru/pipermail/enwl-eng/attachments/20230801/ea81acc3/attachment-0001.html>
More information about the Enwl-eng
mailing list