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. Joining the conversation is Kyrgyz journalist Anastasia Bengard, who attended COP29 as a fellow of the Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) programme. She shares her firsthand observations from the conference, shedding light on the positions and statements of her home country and Central Asia at large, as detailed in her reporting for 24.kg.
Tune in as we delve into the complex narratives and challenges that will define the future of climate action across Central Asia - and beyond.
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.

This episode is supported by n-ost & eurasianet and made by:

• Angelina Davydova, environmental/climate journalist. Editor of the magazine "Environment and Rights", co-host of the podcast The Day After Tomorrow ("Posle Zavtra"). Environmental projects coordinator with the Dialogue for Understanding e. V (Berlin). Fellow with the Institute for Global Reconstitution (Berlin). Observer of the UN climate negotiations (UNFCCC) since 2008. Expert/editor of the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group.
• Boris Schneider, political economist. European Programme Manager at Clean Energy Wire CLEW (Berlin). Has worked as a specialist on Eastern European climate and energy topics, amongst others for n-ost and the German Economic Team.

Reports cited in the episode:

• Open Letter on COP reform
• After a disappointing COP29, here’s how to design global climate talks that might actually work
• We are not so naive anymore (Anastasia Bengard's interview with Edil Baisalov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan)

Jingle: Natallia Kunitskaya alias Mustelide
Sound editing & mixing: Angelo Tripkovsky

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 climate issues in the region stretching from Eastern Europe to Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia.

This episode is supported by n-ost & eurasianet and made by:

• Angelina Davydova, environmental/climate journalist. Editor of the magazine "Environment and Rights", co-host of the podcast The Day After Tomorrow ("Posle Zavtra"). Environmental projects coordinator with the Dialogue for Understanding e. V (Berlin). Fellow with the Institute for Global Reconstitution (Berlin). Observer of the UN climate negotiations (UNFCCC) since 2008. Expert/editor of the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group.
• Boris Schneider, political economist. European Programme Manager at Clean Energy Wire CLEW (Berlin). Has worked as a specialist on Eastern European climate and energy topics, amongst others for n-ost and the German Economic Team.

Reports cited in the episode:

• 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2024/25
• Carbon Inequality Kills
• 2024 NDC Synthesis Report
• Emissions Gap Report

Jingle: Natallia Kunitskaya alias Mustelide
Sound editing & mixing: Angelo Tripkovsky

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 February, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) raided dozens of offices within the country.

Key to the investigation is the company tasked with verifying the emission reports, which appears to be connected to Hristo Kovachki, the country's secretive energy tycoon and alleged owner of the coal power plants.

Kovachki, whose empire almost crumbled in February, now appears to be off the hook, while the EPPO investigation has ground to a halt. So, is this the justice that awaits Europe's carbon fraudsters? And could it be that others are gaming the system as you read these lines?

To answer these questions, energy journalist Evgeni Ahmadzai reports from Sofia and the Bobov Dol thermal power plant. Natalie Sauer then talks ETS corruption with him and senior investigative journalist Atanas Tchobanov.

The EPPO has not responded to our requests for comment.

For more on Eleonora Vio's work, visit her website and Twitter account @elevio64. Daniela Sala's own portfolio can be consulted here and Twitter channel found @alasaleinad. Ivaylo Stanchev, a staff journalist at Kapital.bg, also contributed to the investigation.

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.

This episode is supported by n-ost, The Moscow Times and the European Climate Foundation, and made by:

• Natalie Sauer, a French British environmental journalist and English-language editor for The Conversation. A former reporter for Climate Home News, her words have also appeared in international media such as Le Monde Diplomatique, Politico Europe, Open Democracy, Euractiv and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
• Evgeni Ahmadzai is an energy journalist for Kapital.bg.
• Atanas Chobanov is the co-founder of Bivol.bg, an investigative outlet exposing the state-mafia nexus in Bulgaria. A veteran expert in corruption, Tchobanov has contributed to many cross-border investigation cases concerning hidden assets in Bulgaria and abuse of EU money.

Production by the www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk