Коллаж: Алиса Гончар / Collage by Alisa Hanchar
Since 2021, more than 100 environmental organizations have been liquidated in Belarus. There are almost no entities left capable of monitoring the state of the environment. Ecohome insists that the environmental agenda is inseparable from democratic change — it needs to be addressed right here and now. Reform.news spoke with Karina Solovei, a manager at Ecohome, about how to effectively promote green values, why environmentalists are dangerous to the regime, and why the lessons of Chernobyl have still not been learned.
«Ecohome» is the oldest environmental organization in Belarus, founded in 1996 to promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle and ideas of sustainable development. It conducts an anti-nuclear campaign called ‘Chernobyl Week’, advised residents on the construction of a battery plant in Brest, and helped protect squares and parks from deforestation in Belarusian cities. Today, Ecohome operates from Vilnius, continuing its work in environmental education, environmental monitoring, analysis, and consultations on protecting the rights of Belarusians to a favorable environment.
Despite its environmental focus, «Ecohome» has become one of the first public organizations recognized by the authorities as extremist. Karina Solovei, a manager at «Ecohome», explains that after their liquidation, their interaction with the state dwindled to zero.
— In the past, we participated in working groups on the development of environmental legislation, took part in coordination councils at ministries, public discussions, round tables with developers, government agencies, local residents, attended courts, and helped Belarusians defend their rights.
Currently, the team, as before, is engaged in supporting eco-activists, developing the community, education, and informing society. In 2022, a working group on the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine was created.
— “Ecohome” became one of the organizers of this initiative. The group studies the impact of military actions on the environment after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The goal is to disseminate verified information and, together with experts, find solutions to environmental problems arising from the war.
«Ecohome» is one of the members of the «Green Belarus» alliance. The alliance creates an environmental vision for Belarus, develops analytical documents, and roadmaps for future environmental reforms. The accumulated knowledge will be needed by Belarus during the political transformation, believes Karina.
— We continue to provide consultations and legal support within the country. On average, this is about 200 requests per year. These are not super large numbers, but they indicate that activity in the country remains. Environmental problems are not decreasing, so we try to work as safely as possible to avoid endangering people.
Since 2006, «Ecohome» has been involved in anti-nuclear activities and the popularization of renewable energy sources. In April 2024, the traditional «Chernobyl Week» took place: more than 20 events were held in various countries, with about 500 people participating offline.
Dealing with the environmental agenda while in exile is difficult but not impossible, believes Karina Solovei.
— Abroad, we can afford what people inside the country cannot. For example, disclose cases of legislation violations that may negatively affect the environment, or communicate with independent media, which are now mostly recognized as ‘extremist’. People inside the country are now afraid and avoid publicity, and we can be their voice.
According to Karina, the main challenge now is to continue effectively monitoring the environmental situation in the country.
— We do not want to expose people to the risk of interacting with us unnecessarily. Inside the country, there are almost no entities capable of monitoring what is happening on the ground. Most likely, we do not have complete information about the current situation. If previously many problems could be identified and solved at early stages, now we may learn about them at a time when it may be too late to deal with the consequences. The likelihood of such an outcome is increasing because public control over the environmental situation is decreasing.
«Ecohome» records repression and pressure on environmental activists within Belarus. According to Karina’s testimony, more than 100 environmental organizations have been liquidated or forced to self-liquidate, and among political prisoners, there are 11 people associated with environmental activism. Recently, the leader of the liquidated «Green» party, Dmitry Kuchuk, was detained.
— Despite the repression, we still see interest in green topics and environmental problems. Now our task is to maximize the preservation of this potential and ensure the safety of interaction between organizations outside the country and people inside.
The Aarhus Convention, initiated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, was signed by Belarus in 1998. This document imposes a number of obligations on member countries in the field of environmental protection, including access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice. In July 2022, Lukashenko signed a decree to withdraw from this convention. Karina Solovei explains the practical consequences of this decision:
— Belarus is no longer bound by obligations. Residents have lost the opportunity to defend their environmental rights at the international level. Previously, they could appeal, including to the Committee under the Aarhus Convention, but now they have no such opportunity. Exiting the convention unties the hands of illegitimate authorities for even greater violations of environmental legislation.
The meeting of the parties to the Aarhus Convention in 2021 required Belarus to restore the registration of «Ecohome». Thanks to this occasion, a special rapporteur on the persecution of environmental activists appeared at the convention.
— I think the withdrawal from the agreement was a reactive response. Instead of acknowledging the state’s wrongful actions against all activists and organizations, not just environmental ones, illegitimate authorities made such an impulsive decision. The most unfortunate thing is that the residents of our country suffered the most from the withdrawal from the convention. We hope that in the future, when changes come, Belarus will return to participating in this and other conventions from which it has withdrawn. We have hope for change.
Belarus’s withdrawal from the Aarhus Convention is a step towards the country’s self-isolation from the international environmental community, believes Karina.
— Previously, there was international cooperation, including financing of state projects in the field of environmental protection. And now these paths for our country are closed. Who benefits from this?
Anti-nuclear issues remain one of the most important areas of work for «Ecohome». According to Karina, the lessons of the Chernobyl disaster have not been learned. Illegitimate authorities are trying to promote and popularize the topic of peaceful atom. In 2019, the organization published a document titled «Energy Revolution in Belarus,» which discussed the prospects for sustainable development of the energy sector.
— We wanted to show that changes and a complete abandonment of nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy sources are possible. This topic is very important for us as an organization, and we continue to work on it. The Belarusian NPP is undoubtedly a dangerous facility requiring constant and increased attention.
In 2016, the reactor casing of one of the units at the Belarusian NPP fell from several meters. In 2021, the «Cyber Partisans» published information about 16 thousand defects of various scales. Lithuania’s intelligence published a report stating that the Belarusian authorities, together with «Rosatom», are hiding information about defects and incidents at the Belarusian NPP.
— The risks are quite significant. Lithuania regularly conducts exercises to respond to accidents at the Belarusian NPP. Our friendly expert, nuclear physicist Andrey Ozharevsky, shared research from the Vienna University Flex Risk. It includes maps of possible contamination in the event of the most severe accidents at nuclear power plants, including the Ostrovets NPP. Depending on the wind, the consequences can be different. According to one of these scenarios, contamination can reach Kaunas, not just Vilnius. The risks of an accident may not be as great, but its consequences can be catastrophic.
Some European countries are trying to return to nuclear energy to move away from energy dependence on Russia, although the funds invested could be directed to much safer energy sources, Karina Solovei continues.
— Nuclear energy is increasingly being called green. Sometimes it is even proposed as a means to combat global climate change. Calls to build more new NPPs and extend the service life of old, dangerous stations are increasingly heard. At the same time, Germany, for example, closed its last three NPPs last year, finally abandoning nuclear energy. In Austria, for example, a fully completed NPP was never put into operation, as the country decided to abandon nuclear energy, and the project was closed.
Karina explains that the greenhouse gas emissions from the full cycle of nuclear energy are far from zero.
— The problem of radioactive waste remains unresolved. They continue to pollute the environment due to unsafe storage and leaks, posing a threat for hundreds of thousands of years. Alternatives exist, and we hope that the future will be nuclear-free. We will make every effort to achieve this goal. We want to show that there are real solutions and scenarios for transitioning to safe energy.
Until the Belarusian NPP is fully integrated into the country’s energy system, it will be harder to abandon nuclear energy. Until that happens, we have the opportunity to roll back, says Karina Solovei.
— Environmentalists are not demanding the closure of the nuclear power plant tomorrow. It is understood that the process of restructuring the country’s energy system is complex. We want to emphasize that this is not impossible. Belarus can exist through renewable energy sources.
Belonging to various networks and coalitions, including the Green Network, the Belarusian National Youth Council «RADA», and participating in the Clean Baltic coalition and the European Ecoforum.
— «Ecohome» strives to align its environmental goals with democratic principles and sustainable development.
In today’s Belarus, staying out of politics is irresponsible. Therefore, ‘Ecohome’ seeks to interact with forces that prioritize anti-nuclear and environmental issues, explains Karina.
— Staying an environmentalist outside of politics is ineffective and not entirely gratifying. Many decisions require the involvement of political actors and must be made at the national level. Without the support of our environmental and green camp, it will not be possible to bring about future changes. Therefore, we are maximally interested in cooperation, collaboration, and the promotion of green values.
Unfortunately, politicians do not always understand environmental issues, Karina acknowledges.
— I often hear the opinion that now is not the time for ecology or gender issues and feminism. There are always justifications and circumstances under which these topics are postponed. The task of public and environmental organizations is to do everything possible to keep the green agenda in focus, including democratic forces.
Recently, public attention has been drawn to eco-activism in museums. For example, environmental activists splatter famous paintings with paint and call for a rejection of oil and gas extraction. Karina reflects on this trend:
— I believe that eco-activism in museums or other public places helps draw attention to environmental issues. Eco-activists occasionally resort to such bright provocative actions so that, for example, the issue of climate change appears on the front pages of the media.
Underneath the loud headlines and outraged comments from art lovers, it’s often overlooked that the paintings are not harmed; they are protected by special glass, Karina notes.
— Unfortunately, we all now live in the reality of the movie ‘Don’t Look Up’: experts and ecologists often cry out about problems, but they are not taken seriously. It’s considered as if it doesn’t concern us. So what if last summer was the hottest in the last few thousand years? Many think that we won’t see the consequences. However, the consequences are already here. Are all means fair in such a fight? That’s an open question. Perhaps such actions are carried out to raise the issue in society: where are the boundaries of eco-activism and activism in general?
Karina is confident that even in the most challenging conditions, there is always a chance to change the situation.
— We all bear responsibility for the state of our country’s environment, Karina believes. Refusing eco-activism means ignoring environmental problems that affect everyone. It’s much easier to influence problem-solving at the earliest stage than when a toxic plant is already built or a park is cut down for construction.
Positive cases of defending environmental rights after 2020 exist, but for safety reasons, «Ecohome» doesn’t publicly disclose them.
— We often receive questions about how to make one’s yard and city more eco-friendly. What can be done now? For example, participating in the creation and signing of petitions on various environmental issues. You can also participate in public discussions on environmental issues, such as the construction of enterprises or the expansion of factory activities.
Usually, this information is posted on executive committee websites. It’s important to delve into the documents, Karina advises. According to her, services are still operational through which you can request information and submit individual appeals: ‘Обращение.бел’, ‘115.бел’.
— It’s always possible to pass on information about environmental problems to independent media because any publicity still helps apply public pressure on what is happening in the country.
Karina points out that the experience of recent years shows that authorities view environmental issues slightly differently.
— The environmental agenda remains relatively safe for action if it doesn’t concern the Belarusian NPP or objects where the interests of the illegitimate president are particularly prominent. In general, solving the issues of arranging one’s yard or city is quite realistic. Why is it important to do this? Big changes always start with small actions. It’s important to maintain the feeling that I can change something. To keep faith in oneself, not to get lost in difficult crisis conditions.
Text: Herman Zabaronak. Photo: Reform.news
The special project «Survivors» documents the state of Belarusian civil society organizations (CSOs) in the year 2024.