The world’s largest country by land area, Russia, faces a disproportionate impact from climate change, with some regions warming significantly faster than the global average. However, environmental stories have rarely been prominent in the news agenda. One of the reasons for this is the obstacles faced by journalists eager to investigate environmental issues. “The main challenge for journalists covering environmental issues has been the obstruction of their professional activities by both companies that violate environmental laws and by government authorities. They often work against journalists simultaneously, as they are connected,” says a Russian environmental journalist, who asked to remain anonymous.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent military censorship laws have made it increasingly difficult to report on local stories that diverge from the government’s propaganda. Kedr (“cedar”), a media initiative that to this day operates within Russia, known for its extensive reporting about the country’s environmental policies and regulations, animal rights, and landfill management, has been labelled a “foreign agent” for “spreading fake news about the government’s environmental policies” soon after its launch in spring 2022. The “foreign agent” status makes it nearly impossible to obtain comments from state officials; it also makes the person or organisation subject to rigorous labelling and auditing and makes you ineligible to earn money from advertising in Russia.

Additionally, the Russian government has banned international environmental organisations, such as Greenpeace and Bellona, from operating within its territories, as they allegedly pose “a threat to the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order and security”, further limiting independent research and advocacy related to environmental matters. Ksenia Vakhrusheva, Bellona’s Project Manager, notes that these factors led to fewer publications that provided a broader perspective on environmental issues related to Russia and how they are connected to state policies and legislation. If local media reports about environmental stories, it tends to be in the form of short news articles, she adds.

Environmental issues have also moved to the background for most Russian independent media outlets that left the country. According to Greenpeace International, the reporting on environmental topics by these exiled media outlets has dropped by two-thirds between 2022 and 2023. When they do cover environmental stories, the focus is on reporting environmental damage related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such as the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines, the Kakhovka dam, and nuclear concerns. Bellona’s Vakhrusheva notes that coverage of domestic Russian environmental issues has also decreased in international media – a trend that reflects a waning interest in Russia’s internal affairs and the halt of international environmental cooperation with Russia.

Monitoring sanctions

Environmentalists agree that, when Russia’s government is engaged in a full-scale war, the most appropriate approach is to focus on reporting on environmental impacts that are linked to the invasion. “The most important topic now is how to stop the war and make Russia withdraw its military from Ukrainian territory. If the knowledge about the environmental consequences of the war will give people in Russia another reason to be against the war, then it’s worth writing about,” says Bellona’s Vakhrusheva.

When reporting on environmental stories related to the region, what should Russian and international journalists focus on?

Greenpeace International’s spokesperson points to Russia’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels and how it “created a power structure that led to the war in Ukraine in the first place”. Meanwhile, Vladimir Slivyak, co-chairman of Ecodefense, one of Russia’s oldest environmental groups, suggests that the media should focus on the effectiveness and environmental impact of sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, as well as highlight actions taken by Russian environmental activists against the war. These actions are mostly not welcomed by the Russian regime, and they lead to persecution. However, the latter shouldn’t become the core of an environmental story, Greenpeace International’s spokesperson points out. “Some activists are persecuted for their environmental activities, and sometimes the focus in such stories shifts to repression. It’s important not to forget the environment,” they say.

Going beyond what’s lying on your front door

When addressing Russian audiences, there’s one issue: they’re mostly interested in local environmental problems – what they see with their own eyes and what makes their lives worse every day, says Vakhrusheva. Garbage, for instance. “We have huge landfills that periodically burn and poison the life of large cities,” says the environmental journalist. “Recycling is poorly developed, but the worse the situation with landfills becomes, the more people think the problem needs to be solved.” Climate change, unless framed within the context of heatwaves or storms, seems too distant or abstract to resonate with most Russians. The invasion of Ukraine (for which the Russian government still claims is “only” a “special operation”) and its environmental consequences for Russia can also feel very distant due to all the censorship and the suppression of freedom of speech.

Within Russia, it’s impossible to report anything that doesn’t align with the government’s stance; you can’t report or debate about sanctions without being in constant danger of being accused of calling for sanctions and thus being against the Russian state. Environmental reporting linked to the war, especially for Russians who are still in the country, thus remains a major challenge.

Source of the cover photo: Nick Sorockin via Unsplash

How should media report on Russia’s environmental issues during the war?

Veronica Snoj

Monitoring sanctions against Russia and their impact on the environment should be the main focus right now, eco-activists suggest

Author

Veronica Snoj

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