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The recent oil spill in the Norilsk area, Russia. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Environmental activism is a thorny issue in Russia: the country’s tightened law on “foreign agents” has had a chilling effect on activists and journalists. And yet, Russia’s grassroots environmentalism is gaining momentum, along with encouraging signs of progress on climate policy.
Here, Angelina Davydova, a pioneer of Russia’s environmental journalism, shares her insights into the country’s emerging urban environmentalism, and how she navigates the often hostile terrain of investigative reporting.
Let’s start with the most recent environmental news coming out of Russia, the oil spill around the industrial city of Norilsk, in northern Siberia. The accident has caught the world’s attention not only for its magnitude but also for the reaction from President Vladimir Putin, who declared a state of emergency and called for an investigation. What was the public reaction in Russia?
For weeks, the incident was one of the major news [items] being discussed in the country. But over the past few years there have been many oil spills in the north of Russia that have received far less attention than this one. The problem is, most oil spills are taking place where no one lives, so they don’t have a direct effect on the public. Public perception is changing, and environmental issues are becoming more and more salient. I would also say it's not that the authorities are not doing anything at all. But sometimes it is hard to hold powerful companies responsible.
Observers have attributed the incident to the melting of permafrost in the region. Do you think this may reinforce the call for a clean energy transition in Russia?
The incident may also be linked to the lack of expertise in managing aging infrastructure against the backdrop of growing climate risks.
But in many respects, Russia's economy is deeply connected with revenues from oil and gas and other extraction industries. If you stop anyone on the street today and ask them about the environmental issues they most care about, they will probably say waste and recycling - issues around sustainable urban development.
Climate change is a newer and more “abstract” topic here. But we are experiencing very long winters like this one where the European part of Russia did not have any snow at all, or more catastrophic events like floods, wildfires, and melting permafrost.
The oil spill happened against the backdrop of Covid-19, at a time when policymakers in other parts of the world are grappling with the need for a green recovery. How has the pandemic affected the climate momentum in Russia?
When Russia first announced its economic recovery plans a couple of weeks ago, there were no “green”, climate-related measures in it, which has provoked criticism from environmentalists and organisations like WWF and Greenpeace. They have called for the government to integrate measures to decarbonize the economy into the recovery plans. But that remains to be seen. On the other hand, a lot of local industry groups are trying to lobby for an easing of environmental regulations and standards, especially those concerning industrial pollution.
Hopefully, once the pandemic is over, green groups and the civil society will continue to pressure our government on this front.
You wrote about the various challenges environmental journalists regularly face, such as censorship, the need to tiptoe around arbitrary political lines, as well as a lack of transparency. What kind of environmental stories do you think are most fraught with such risks? How do you go about reporting them?
It is more dangerous if you live in a smaller place like a town or village which doesn't have developed civil society networks and support structures, or where there’s only one big player, say a particularly powerful investor or company, whose interests are very much connected with the local administration. If you’re reporting from a larger city, you can still get in trouble for exposing local corruption and corporate misdeeds, but they are less prone to physical threats and tend to use indirect intimidation tactics.
As with China, Russia faces certain prejudices among Western media. How do you grapple with this problem?
There are a lot of stereotypes about Russia in the Western media that I don’t agree with, for example, that “Russia is a big polluter, but nothing is being done”, or “people don't have a voice, there's no civil society and no free media.” I believe these prejudices actually harm the people on the ground who are trying to make something happen. I often see myself as a mediator for observers outside of Russia, helping them see through these notions by saying, “look, there are people trying to do something about this problem, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're against the government in every respect.” Reality is more complex than that.
Must reads from the region
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo, as told by survivors, Lee Ying Shan, Southeast Asia Globe
A timely retrospective look at how a disaster-struck community responded and adapted to a catastrophe.
Filipino farmers, fisherfolk most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses due to climate change, Kathleen Lei Limayo, Rappler
An immersive multimedia story on how climate change is putting the most vulnerable communities in the Philippines at risk.
Thailand’s seafood slavery: Why the abuse of fishermen just won't go away, Desmond Ng, Channel News Asia
4 years after the Pulitzer-winning 'Seafood from Slaves' investigation helped free more than 2,000 slaves in Southeast Asia’s seafood industry, this sobering story explores the reason the Thai seafood industry is still rife with forced labour and human rights violations.
Lawless Ocean: The Link Between Human Rights Abuses and Overfishing, Ian Urbina, Yale Environment 360
The human rights violations in fisheries are also linked to overfishing, illegal dumping and other environmental crimes on the high seas. Supply chain traceability may be one way to address these interconnected issues of marine governance.
What else I have been reading
World’s biggest renewables firms earn abysmal scores on human rights performance, Tim Ha, Eco-business
As social equity and environmental factors are increasingly being incorporated into investment strategies, here’s a recent study revealing the alarming issue of human rights abuse fueled by the market demand for clean energy.
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Who we are
Lou Del Bello is an energy and climate journalist based in Delhi, India.
Jocelyn Timperley is a freelance climate journalist based in San José, Costa Rica.
India Bourke is an environment journalist based in London, UK.
Mat Hope is investigative journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya.