*[Enwl-eng] 🌏CAN EECCA Newsletter: Story contest by CAN EECCA, farce of plastic industry and lithium in Kazakhstan
enwl
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Mon Feb 19 18:35:56 MSK 2024
CAN EECCA ENGLISH DIGEST
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Climate Action Network
Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
Digest of news on climate change, energy
issues
www.caneecca.org
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Regional Climate News
#WorldWeWant: Climate activist story contest
within EECCA region
Activists from the Eastern Europe, Caucasus
and Central Asia region are invited to participate in the Climate Activism
Story Contest. To participate, share your story on social media with the
hashtag #WorldWeWantEECCA and tag the page @caneecca. The winner will
receive an Ebook and the other two places will receive solar powerbanks.
Perspectives | Clock is ticking as Central
Asia confronts water calamity
Central Asia faces a water crisis marked by
inefficient usage and mismanagement, with only half of the water designated
for agriculture being effectively utilized due to poor infrastructure and
wasteful practices. This has dire consequences, as millions lack access to
safe water, and the region's population is set to grow, exacerbating the
strain on water resources. Urgent action, including establishing a
consortium for water and energy management, involving Afghanistan in
regional water discussions, and adopting modern water usage practices, is
necessary to avert economic and humanitarian crises projected by experts.
Europe's largest station is a "dubious idea"
(belarusian)
Ukraine plans to expand the Khmelnitsky
nuclear power plant by adding four new reactors, starting work in 2024. This
is aimed at compensating for the loss of power capacity due to hostilities
with Russia. However, there are significant uncertainties and risks related
to the safety of building new power units under war conditions, which raises
serious concerns among experts.
Accountability for environmental crimes:
European Commissioner in Ukraine to discuss Environmental Compact
European Environment Commissioner Virginijus
Sinkevičius visited Ukraine to discuss the Environmental Compact, which
addresses environmental consequences of the war, with President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy. This Compact focuses on assessing damages, facilitating green
recovery, and ensuring legal accountability for environmental war crimes.
Sinkevičius also engaged in bilateral discussions on Ukraine's environmental
challenges and opportunities and planned to visit areas including Chernobyl
and its surrounding forests to assess the damage firsthand.
Applications open for the Energy Community
Summer School 2024
The 2024 Energy Community Summer School is
accepting applications until March 31st, offering postgraduate students,
researchers, and young professionals the chance to enhance their knowledge
of the energy transition. Taking place from July 20th to 27th at the
Technical University Moldova in Chisinau, Moldova, the program covers
various energy-related topics and provides valuable networking
opportunities. Organized by the Energy Community Secretariat in
collaboration with several partners, the Summer School aims to cultivate a
diverse learning environment and shape the future of the energy sector.
Participation in the program is free for
citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
German companies will produce lithium in
Kazakhstan
German companies Knauf Gruppe, GP Günter
Papenburg AG, and Roxtec have formed a consortium, along with the German
Institute for Technologies and Economics of Lithium (ITEL), to explore and
produce lithium in Kazakhstan. This initiative comes after HMS Bergbau AG,
another German company, agreed to invest $200 million in lithium exploration
and $500 million in building a mining complex in East Kazakhstan in June
2023. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's directive to intensify exploration
and development efforts in Kazakhstan's six potential lithium fields
underscores the country's ambition to tap into rare metals crucial for
high-tech products, despite challenges such as low profitability and limited
domestic demand for lithium.
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World Climate News
Demanding reparations: voices from the
People’s Health Tribunal against Shell and TotalEnergies
Communities from South Africa, Nigeria,
Mozambique, and Uganda came together in May 2023 to testify against Shell
and TotalEnergies at the People’s Tribunal, demanding reparations for health
crises caused by extractive projects. Their voices highlighted oppression,
displacement, and environmental devastation, underscoring the urgent need
for climate justice. Organized by Greenpeace International and the People’s
Health Tribunal, this initiative seeks to amplify community demands and
reshape narratives around reparative justice beyond conventional legal
systems.
Why is Latin America on fire? It’s not just
climate change, scientists say
Wildfires have wreaked havoc across Chile,
Colombia, and Argentina, claiming lives and devastating landscapes, with
climate change exacerbating the infernos. Human actions, such as planting
non-native trees like eucalyptus, have also contributed to the intensity of
the blazes. Experts emphasize the urgent need for preventive measures,
including reducing fuel loads and promoting biodiverse landscapes, to
mitigate future fire risks in Latin America.
Plastic industry knew recycling was a farce
for decades yet deceived the public, report reveals
A new report by the Center for Climate
Integrity Research (CCI) calls for plastic producers to be held accountable
for decades of deception regarding recycling as a solution to plastic waste
management. The report reveals that despite knowing recycling was not a
viable solution, big oil companies and the plastics industry promoted it
through fraudulent marketing campaigns. The authors suggest that this
deception could constitute a violation of consumer protection and
environmental laws, potentially leading to legal action against these
companies.
Amazon tipping point: Up to 47% forest
threatened by climate change and deforestation, study warns
New research from the Potsdam Institute for
Climate Impact research (PIK) warns that the Amazon rainforest is on the
brink of a tipping point, with up to 47% of its area threatened by rising
temperatures, droughts, deforestation, and fires by 2050. Already, parts of
the southeastern Amazon in Brazil have transitioned from being carbon sinks
to carbon sources due to human pressure, indicating an unsustainable
situation. If critical thresholds like mean annual rainfall drop below
certain levels, the rainforest could undergo abrupt transitions to
Savanna-like vegetation, with devastating consequences for global climate
systems and regional ecosystems.
Return to sender: Why Africa doesn’t need
any more of your clothes
Ghana is grappling with the detrimental
impacts of imported second-hand clothes, primarily from Western countries,
which are choking water bodies, toxifying land, and overwhelming local
markets. Despite their historical importance to Ghana's economy, the influx
of fast fashion has inundated markets like Kantamanto with poor-quality
garments, totaling around 152,600 tonnes annually. Greenpeace Africa and
Greenpeace Germany collaborated on a research trip to document the
situation, aiming to intervene by returning a fraction of these clothes to
Europe and highlighting the environmental and social costs of fashion
industry overconsumption.
Disappearing eels and the fight for a
centuries-old livelihood
Gerard McCourt, a fisherman from Lough
Neagh, Northern Ireland, faces a precarious fishing season due to dwindling
eel numbers and declining water quality in the lake. With a family legacy of
fishing spanning six generations, McCourt's livelihood is at stake, as he
struggles to cope with last year's devastating season and uncertain
prospects for the future. The decline in eel populations, compounded by
environmental degradation, threatens not only the local ecosystem but also
the economic viability of commercial fishing in the area, casting a shadow
over the future of McCourt and his fellow fishermen.
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Sent: Monday, February 19, 2024 4:00 PM
Subject: 🌏CAN EECCA Newsletter: Story contest by CAN EECCA, farce of
plastic industry and lithium in Kazakhstan
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