The Eurasian Climate Brief

Эпизоды

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  Melting giants: the history of glaciology across Central Asia 01.07.2026 27мин

  Melting glaciers are often regarded as icons of climate change. But how were they viewed in the early days of glaciology and, more specifically, climate change research? When and how did scientific research of the Central Asian glaciers begin? And why is this still relevant for us today? Angelina speaks to environmental historian and a historian of science Dr. Katja Doose about the history of glacier research in Central Asia. --- The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast dedicated to clim...
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  Breathless in Bishkek: the struggle for clean air in a city contested by geography, urban development and climate change 11.05.2026 30мин

  The Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek ranks among the largest cities in all of Central Asia. Located close to the country's border with Kazakhstan, it lies just off the northern fringe of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range. While contributing to a scenic panorama, these geographic factors also challenge the city's urbanistic ambitions. A largely fossil-based energy generation, a seemingly opaque urban sprawl and the challenges of a changing climate are thoroughly testing the city's limits. How does the challen...
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  Saving Balkhash: Kazakhstan's largest lake under threat from extractivism and climate change 18.02.2026 40мин

  Lake Balkhash is the 14th largest lake in the world and one of the largest in Asia. Its ecological importance is matched by the number of threats it has been facing for decades: copper mining, hydropower, agricultural development – and now a nuclear power plant. How to reach local communities and experts, scientists and policy-makers, cultural institutions, businesses, and the wider public in order to transmit the significance of this unique body of water? That's what we discussed with Aigeri...
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  From Central Asia to the Amazon: preparing for COP30 09.11.2025 28мин

  Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. Already today, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are facing various climate consequences: from droughts to landslides, from glacier melts to flash floods. At the same time, this region's energy landscape contains almost all energy sources from fossil to renewables; to a varying degree, the energy transition is underway, even if not at the desired pace. What are the five Central Asian del...
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  From coal to clean? Renewable energy pioneers in Central Asia 20.10.2025 43мин

  Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. And while some of the Central Asian countries are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, there is potential for renewable energy across this entire part of the world. Let's have a closer look at electricity today. Who are the main drivers of the energy transition? Is cross-border cooperation happening? Are the grids ready for the renewable transition? Which role does hydro play? And what about some countries' nuclear ambit...
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  Of trolleybuses and mountains: struggling for clean air in Kyrgyzstan and community empowerment in Tajikistan 07.09.2025 57мин

  Today, we are introducing you to two people at the forefront of activism and resistance to very concrete environmental issues in their home countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Boris talks to Bermet Borubaeva, urban environment analyst, artist and founder of the initiative #BishkekSmog, on her struggle for clean air in the Kyrgyz capital, the preservation of public transport infrastructure and educating the public on waste. Angelina speaks to Anisa Abibulloeva, project coordinator of the pub...
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  Critical Raw Materials in Central Asia 06.04.2025 1ч

  The green transition aims to overcome fossil dependencies. But what about the materials required for renewable energy? And why are the EU and others actors so interested in Central Asia? Join Angelina and Boris as they explore with Almaty-based political scientist Asel Doolotkeldieva, Dmitry Kalmykov from the Kazakh NGO Karaganda Ecological Museum, and Cecilia Mattea of IRMA (Initiative for Resposible Mining Assurance) in Brussels the significance of these materials in the context of sustaina...
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  After COP29: what's next for climate action? 27.12.2024 46мин

  The 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) ended in late November in Baku. Two weeks of intense climate negotiations unveiled deep divides—particularly between the Global North and South over climate finance and contentious debates on the right wording of transitioning away from fossil fuels. In this episode Angelina Davydova and Boris Schneider dissect the outcomes of the conference, offering insights into the broader implications for climate action, both globally and in Central Asia. Joi...
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  From Central Asia to COP29 08.11.2024 35мин

  This year's UN Climate Change Conference (COP29 in Baku) is just a few days away. Against armed conflicts around the world, geopolitical uncertainty and an accelerating climate crisis, the podcast returns from its year-long hiatus to look at what COP29 will be all about, focusing on the Central Asian delegations. Angelina and Boris also speak to Aliya Wedelich, media coordinator for CAN EECCA about her expectations for the conference. The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast dedicated to clim...
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  How one Bulgarian tycoon could get away with gaming the EU's carbon market 30.08.2023 28мин

  This week, the Eurasian Climate Brief team heads to the Balkans, Bulgaria, to look into the cracks of the European Union's carbon market (a.k.a., EU ETS). In July 2021, an investigation by Eleonora Vio and Daniela Sala for the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found that two Bulgarian power plants appeared to have under-declared their carbon emissions. If true, this would mean the EU ETS would have lost around 30 million euros in emissions tax. Months later in Februar...
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  Displaced: climate migration in Central Asia and beyond 21.08.2023 37мин

  Climate change affects almost all sectors of human societies and life. One underrated and underreported consequence of the climate crisis is taking so-called climate migration - displacement due to climate change. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) predicts the number of "environmental migrants" in 2050 to be between 25 million and 1 billion. To find out more about this topic and, in particular, about one of the most affected regions - Central Asia - Angelina and Boris spoke ...
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  After the ban: which way forward for Russia's climate activists? 12.08.2023 34мин

  Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian civil society has faced increasing repression at home. The environmental movement is no exception. While they kept communication channels open before the war, feeding the outside world precious data on the state of Russia's forests, permafrost and Arctic, large mainstream NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace and Bellona have all been declared undesirable organisations in recent months. This makes their nation-level work near to impossible. Angelina Da...
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  Not a breath of fresh air: Pollution in Serbia 27.03.2023 30мин

  Air pollution has blighted Serbia for years. This is due to the country’s heavy reliance on coal, which in 2021 powered around 70% of its electricity. Old diesel-powered vehicles and authorities move to tamper with air pollution criteria have also been part of the problem. In turn, activists have taken to the streets and courts. Our correspondents Lizi Auskery and Milivoje Pantović discuss the situation with activists, whistle-blowers and health workers in order to assess the scale of t...
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  One year of full-scale war in Ukraine 24.02.2023 20мин

  It’s been a year since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has killed hundreds of thousands both sides included and displaced millions of Ukrainians, while plunging the rest of Europe into an energy crisis. Its environmental impacts have also been devastating, ranging from military chemical contamination and emissions to nuclear threats. In Russia, the government's swing towards totalitarianism has taken a severe toll on the climate and environmental movements. One...
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  2022's top Eurasian climate stories in review 02.01.2023 31мин

  The Eurasian Climate Brief team gets together to look back on the top climate stories that have taken place during 2022 across Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. From to the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine for the global energy market and climate movement, to the hopeful rise of Ukrainian climate activism and low-carbon strategies in Central Asia, join us for unique analysis of the region's trends and what they might hold in store for the year ahead. The Eurasian ...
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  COP27 wrap-up & the power of Ukrainian climate activism 05.12.2022 32мин

  A little more than two weeks after the end of COP27, the Eurasian Climate Brief team takes stock on what the summit in Sharm El-Cheikh has achieved, and where it fell short: How significant is the deal on the ‘loss and damage’ fund, aimed at compensating developing countries for irreversible climate impacts? And what progress has made, if any, in the fight to phase out fossil fuels? Needless to say that all of this is to be read against the background of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the ter...
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  COP27: what's left of Russian climate action? 18.11.2022 43мин

  As COP27 draws to a close, we take another deep dive into the impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine on the climate negotiations and climate action at large. What were Moscow's priorities this year? How has the Russian delegation been treated by the rest of the climate community throughout the summit? Maria Pastukhova, a senior policy analyst at the climate think tank E3G, and Anna Korppoo, a research professor from the Fridtjof Nansens Institute in Norway, discuss these questions, and much ...
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  Countdown to COP27: the Eurasian delegations 06.11.2022 25мин

  Just a year ago, in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow, we published the first Eurasian Climate Brief episode. With this year's COP on the doorstep - this time in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt - we are now bringing you the first installment in our special COP27 series. Angelina and Boris speak to Baktygul Chynybaeva, a journalist and communicator with CAN EECCA, the Climate Action Network in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. What are the delegations coming...
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  The state of renewables in Albania (and beyond) 31.10.2022 27мин

  The six Western Balkan countries are struggling to embrace the EU’s plan on green energy. Albania produces almost all its electricity from hydropower plants, but at what cost to the environment? The construction of hydroelectric plants in the Librazhd area is destroying the ecosystem of the Shebenik-Jabllanice National Park. Some of the country’s hydroelectric power plants have been established without thought for the environment and in protected areas. Arlis Alikaj investigated the story in ...
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  Nord Stream leaks: discussing new climate security threats 03.10.2022 21мин

  In late September, four leaks were detected in the gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, Nord Stream 2 and Nord Stream 1. The incidents, were, in all likelihood, an act of sabotage. In a joint letter to the UN Security Council, Denmark and Sweden declared that they were caused by "at least two detonations" with "several hundred kilos" of explosives, causing major leaks of natural gas into the Baltic Sea. In this episode, we discuss the leaks’ environmental and geopolitical impa...