{"id":115414,"date":"2024-11-26T12:31:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T09:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/115414\/"},"modified":"2024-11-26T12:31:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T09:31:32","slug":"belarus-environmental-failure-politics-over-progress","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/115414\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus&#8217; environmental failure: politics over progress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Earlier this month, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka criticized Western nations while portraying Belarus as a role model for environmental protection. However, the country remains isolated from international aid and cooperation, resulting in a lack of investment in environmental conservation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ekologiya_1128_sofie-vanborm_pexels-com.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ekologiya_1128_sofie-vanborm_pexels-com.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ekologiya_1128_sofie-vanborm_pexels-com-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ekologiya_1128_sofie-vanborm_pexels-com-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ekologiya_1128_sofie-vanborm_pexels-com-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ekologiya_1128_sofie-vanborm_pexels-com-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n    <figcaption>\n        \n                    <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                                <span>(Sofie Vanborm \/ pexels.com)<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Political maneuvering and neglect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Authoritarian regimes often neglect environmental protection, stifle public initiatives and limit access to international funding, all while domestic resources are insufficient. Belarus is no different, facing an environmental impasse. Meanwhile, authoritarian leaders like \u0141uka\u0161enka use global forums, such as UN climate summits, to advance political agendas rather than address environmental challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Belarus has long struggled with the aftereffects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which left vast areas uninhabitable and millions of survivors in need of medical care. In addition to this ongoing legacy, the country faces common environmental issues such as soil degradation, water pollution, and the negative impact of urbanization. However, environmental protection remains severely underfunded due to financial constraints, while many environmental programs require long-term investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, environmentalists face significant challenges competing for resources with law enforcement agencies and business figures with ties to \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Belarus loses external aid, faces environmental burden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past, Belarus received international aid for environmental programs, primarily through state-run organizations. However, after the 2020 protests and the subsequent government crackdown on NGOs, the country lost access to much-needed external funding. This has resulted in an even greater financial burden on the state budget, forcing the government to look inward for solutions to environmental issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/20339731\/embed#?secret=3mGR0mRzQn\" data-secret=\"3mGR0mRzQn\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"500\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dismantling environmental NGOs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of its broader effort to consolidate political control, the Belarusian government shut down many environmental NGOs, cutting off access to international funding. Before 2020, these NGOs raised funds and implemented best practices that benefited the environment, the public and even the state. Now, however, these groups have been replaced by government-controlled organizations that attempt to mimic the work of NGOs but often lack the competence or capacity to effectively solve environmental problems or build meaningful partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attempts to promote regime-loyal organizations on the international stage have largely failed due to their poor reputation, superficial formalism and lack of intrinsic motivation\u2014traits that are crucial to the success of social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u0141uka\u0161enka seizes opportunity to attack West<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of using global environmental challenges as an opportunity to advance Belarus\u2019 development, the country continues to stagnate or move backward. Isolation from NGOs and international partners only exacerbates its vulnerability to environmental disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The climate summit in Baku could have been an opportunity for Minsk to improve its international image. Instead, Belarusian officials used the forum to criticize the West. \u0141uka\u0161enka publicly attacked Polish President Andrzej Duda for refusing to be photographed together, a move that only highlighted Belarus&#8217; increasing isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While other nations work toward a sustainable future, Minsk is squandering time, resources and international trust. The government\u2019s policies have placed Belarus in a vicious cycle: environmental initiatives are stifled, while the state, grappling with financial shortages and a tarnished reputation, is unable to respond effectively to mounting environmental challenges. As a result, environmental degradation continues unchecked, and problems are indefinitely postponed for future generations to resolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lukashenko_aliev_baku_1128_20241111_president_az-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lukashenko_aliev_baku_1128_20241111_president_az-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lukashenko_aliev_baku_1128_20241111_president_az-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lukashenko_aliev_baku_1128_20241111_president_az-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lukashenko_aliev_baku_1128_20241111_president_az-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/lukashenko_aliev_baku_1128_20241111_president_az.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> \u0410\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">\u0410\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">\u0141uka\u0161enka sees Aliyev as his role model<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">At this week&#039;s climate summit in Baku, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka met with his long-time friend, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who had recently secured a new seven-year term with 92.12 percent of the vote, following his victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. \u0141uka\u0161enka, preparing for &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/longreads\/113887\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier this month, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka criticized Western nations while portraying Belarus as a role model for environmental protection. However, the country remains isolated from international aid and cooperation, resulting in a lack of investment in environmental conservation. Political maneuvering and neglect Authoritarian regimes often neglect environmental protection, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":114743,"template":"","rubric":[22],"class_list":["post-115414","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Belarus&#039; environmental failure: politics over progress | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Earlier this month, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka criticized Western nations while portraying Belarus as a role model\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/115414\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Belarus&#039; 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