*[Enwl-eng] CAN EECCA Newsletter: Concerns over COP29, water shortages in Central Asia and innovation in battery storage

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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








                                Host Country Agreement with Azerbaijan for 
COP29 must guarantee human rights and be publicly available
                                Amnesty International has called for the 
Host Country Agreement (HCA) for the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan to 
include human rights safeguards and be made publicly accessible immediately 
after signing. This follows concerns over the inadequacies in the HCA for 
last year's COP in the UAE, which lacked comprehensive rights protections. 
Amnesty emphasizes the importance of transparency and the protection of 
freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, given Azerbaijan's history of 
human rights violations and the recent crackdown on dissent.

                                COP29 Preview: Kazakh Ecology Ministry 
Shares Goals and Expectations at Bonn UN Climate Meetings
                                During the June UN Climate Meetings in Bonn, 
the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources discussed key topics 
such as climate financing, greenhouse gas mitigation, Kazakhstan's role in 
the Global Methane Pledge, and the loss and damage fund. The meetings 
highlighted the urgency of increased climate finance, with UN Climate Change 
Executive Secretary Simon Stiell emphasizing the need to limit global 
temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Kazakhstan also outlined its 
efforts to reduce CO2 and methane emissions, highlighting regional 
cooperation and international partnerships to achieve climate goals.

                                Central Asian Farmers Face Drastic, Growing 
Water Shortages
                                Farmers in three Central Asian countries who 
rely on the Ferghana Valley watershed have been forced to cut irrigation to 
a minimum and many have abandoned thirsty crops as they struggle to keep 
fruit trees alive. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan all count on the 
same threatened water source for agriculture and their economies. They are 
now forced to compete and adapt to the chronic water shortages.

                                Kyrgyzstan’s Hot (Mess) Transport Summer
                                Bishkek, despite its manageable size and 
grid layout, faces significant transportation issues, with traffic jams 
causing severe delays and contributing to pollution. The city's reliance on 
minibuses (marshrutkas) is declining due to financial difficulties and 
policy changes, with the city shifting focus to buses, though the transition 
has faced challenges such as a lack of air conditioning in the new vehicles. 
Despite efforts to improve public transportation, the city's "transportation 
collapse" continues to impact residents' daily lives and environmental 
health.

                                Fifty travels for civil society 
organisations from six Eastern Partner countries and you can use it for 
participation in COP29
                                The EU-funded project ‘Enhancing the 
Resilience of Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership’ (ERICS-EaP) has 
announced a call for proposals for individual travel grants to support 
networking and cooperation among civil society representatives from the six 
Eastern Partnership countries. Led by the Transatlantic Foundation and in 
collaboration with the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, the project 
will provide 50 travel grants, each up to €1,500, over the next two and a 
half years. The grants are open to CSO representatives, civic activists, and 
informal group representatives, with proposals accepted continuously without 
a specific deadline.

                                Uzbekistan continues to run up big deficits 
with leading trade partners
                                Kazakhstan will present its program to 
reduce methane emissions at the UN climate conference in Baku in November, 
following its commitment to the Global Methane Pledge to cut emissions by at 
least 30% by 2030. The plan includes measures across various industries, 
with significant investment expected, including $1.4 billion by 2030 for the 
oil and gas sector and additional funds for coalbed infrastructure and 
methane management. Recent events, such as a major methane leak in the 
Mangystau region, have underscored the urgency of these efforts





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                                World Climate News








                                France’s short-haul flight ban one year on: 
Has it encouraged more people to take the train?
                                France implemented a ban on domestic 
short-haul flights over a year ago, aiming to reduce carbon emissions, 
despite initial criticisms regarding its limited scope and effectiveness. 
While exact emission reductions directly attributable to the ban remain 
unspecified, overall domestic flight emissions decreased by 3.4% in 2023 
compared to 2022, suggesting a partial influence from the ban. The measure, 
seen as a symbolic political move, has sparked broader discussions in Europe 
about the feasibility and impact of similar regulations, with Spain 
considering a comparable ban on short-haul flights with viable rail 
alternatives.

                                Leaflet Series: Japan’s Dangerous 
Distractions
                                Japan's promotion of a fossil fuel-based 
energy strategy in Asia, under the guise of the "Asia Zero Emission 
Community," prioritizes corporate profits over environmental and public 
health. This strategy, involving technologies like LNG, CCS/CCUS, and 
ammonia-hydrogen co-firing, prolongs dependence on fossil fuels and delays 
the transition to renewable energy. By pushing these costly and unproven 
technologies, Japan's initiative threatens to exacerbate climate change and 
economic burdens, hindering Asia's progress toward sustainable energy 
solutions.

                                Beyond lithium: how a Swedish battery 
company wants to power Europe’s green transition with salt
                                Northvolt’s research facility in Västerås, 
Sweden, is Europe's largest battery research campus and recently achieved a 
breakthrough by developing sodium-based batteries, which replace critical 
minerals like lithium and cobalt with more abundant elements such as sodium, 
iron, nitrogen, and carbon. This innovation, which was expected closer to 
2030, aims to reduce dependence on China for battery materials and build a 
European supply chain for cleaner tech. Northvolt’s sodium batteries are 
designed to store renewable energy efficiently and could play a significant 
role in meeting the global energy storage capacity needed to triple 
renewable capacity by 2030.

                                Cool, Green Infrastructure Can Beat Urban 
Heat and Drought, Experts Say
                                The World Resources Institute (WRI) 
emphasizes the urgent need for reflective and green infrastructure to 
counteract rising temperatures and drought, particularly affecting millions 
in urban areas, especially those in developing countries. Transitioning 
urban landscapes from heat-absorbing surfaces to cooling greenery like trees 
can significantly reduce temperatures by as much as 5.5°C, as observed in 
Mumbai. These efforts are crucial for mitigating the urban heat island 
effect and improving living conditions, especially in low-income 
neighborhoods and informal settlements where residents are most vulnerable.

                                ‘We are the first impacted by climate change’: 
Why Europe’s rural farmers support green policies
                                Young farmers across Europe, represented by 
Jean Matthieu Thévenot of European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), are 
advocating for systemic change in agriculture to combat climate change. They 
emphasize the need for fair revenue for farmers, challenging agribusiness 
influence and pushing for environmental policies that prioritize ecological 
standards. Thévenot argues against lowering standards to compete globally, 
advocating instead for import regulations aligned with European norms and 
fair pricing mechanisms to support local agriculture and combat the impacts 
of climate change.









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      From: CAN EECCA
      Sent: Monday, July 08, 2024 4:00 PM
      Subject: CAN EECCA Newsletter: Concerns over COP29, water shortages in 
Central Asia and innovation in battery storage



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