The Eurasian Climate Brief
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast focusing on climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe, Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia. It aims to give a voice to the best experts and journalists, enabling them to make sense of a part of the world where environmental news is seriously underreported.
The podcast was launched in in October 2021, coinciding with COP26 in Glasgow. After a year-long hiatus, the podcast finally returns - just ahead of COP29 in Baku. Make sure to follow the show in you podcast app of choice!
Episodes
35 episodes
Critical Raw Materials in Central Asia
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...
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1:00:00
After COP29: what's next for climate action?
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 ri...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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46:33
From Central Asia to COP29
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 wh...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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35:54
How one Bulgarian tycoon could get away with gaming the EU's carbon market
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,
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28:53
Displaced: climate migration in Central Asia and beyond
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...
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37:21
After the ban: which way forward for Russia's climate activists?
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 o...
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34:47
Not a breath of fresh air: Pollution in Serbia
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 ...
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30:17
One year of full-scale war in Ukraine
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...
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20:34
2022's top Eurasian climate stories in review
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 gl...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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31:11
COP27 wrap-up & the power of Ukrainian climate activism
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 co...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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32:58
COP27: what's left of Russian climate action?
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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43:12
Countdown to COP27: the Eurasian delegations
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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25:54
The state of renewables in Albania (and beyond)
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 L...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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27:01
Nord Stream leaks: discussing new climate security threats
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, De...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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21:46
War in Ukraine: the knock-on effects on the minerals necessary for the green transition
Energy prices were rocked by the Russian invasion, with Aluminium and Nickel prices increasing sharply in the first two weeks after the conflict began with the latter up by more than 100 percent. Fears around the disruption to supply and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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26:13
War in Ukraine: the fallout on Russian climate action
In September 2019, Russia formally joined the Paris Agreement, raising hopes the world's fourth emitter would finally throw its weight behind global decarbonisation efforts. The move followed years of lobbying from European governments, i...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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24:48
War in Ukraine: the impact on climate diplomacy
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast dedicated to climate issues in the region stretching from Eastern Europe to Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia.In this episode, we're speaking with Bill Hare, a physicist and climate scie...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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30:09
War in Ukraine: can energy transition and security reinforce each other?
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast dedicated to climate issues in the region stretching from Eastern Europe to Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia.In this episode, we're speaking with one of the world’s top Russian energy e...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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27:01
Ukraine: The risk of a nuclear site attack
One and a half months have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine from the South, the East and Belarus. This is the second episode in our special series on the environmental impacts of the war. On this episode we discuss the nuclear risks and haza...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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24:32
Ukraine: the environmental impacts of the war
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has changed everything. At the time of writing, there have been more than 900 Ukrainian civilians and 1300 soldiers killed since the start of the invasion on 24 February. At least 7,000 Russian ha...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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37:40
Outsourcing emissions: China's oil and gas ventures in Central Asia
In this episode the Eurasian Climate Brief team are looking into the impact of China’s oil and gas ventures in Central Asia. “What?” I hear you ask? “I thought China was going green and aiming to reach net-zero before 2060.”
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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35:31
Crypto's carbon costs: Eurasia feels the heat
On 25 January, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan suffered from a mysterious series of electricity power outages, plunging the region into chaos. For several hours, skiers lay perched on lifts and planes grounded while traffic lights, heatin...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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36:08
Russia's Foreign Agents' Law: Outlawed but not silenced
The Eurasian Climate Brief is a new podcast dedicated to climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe and Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia. This episode is dedicated to the crackdown on environmental activis...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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32:45
Coal of contention: Europe's fight over the Turów mine
It is one of the fiercest environmental disputes on European soil in decades: Warsaw and the Prague have spent the last year sparring over the future of a lignite coal mine located in Turów, southwest Poland, at the frontier with the Czech Repu...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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29:02
2021 wrap-up & the story behind the Eurasian Climate Brief
In this special New Year episode, we take you behind the scenes of the production of the Eurasian Climate Brief and brief you on the biggest climate stories of the year for our region. Natalie Sauer unpacks Eastern European climate politics, di...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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36:15