Nowhere has the meltdown of Chernobyl as many victims as cost in Belarus. Nevertheless, the open opposition to the proposed nuclear power plant in Ostrovets is low. "We're living in a highly limited democracy", formulated with unmistakable irony Katsiarina Goncharowa from the open network.
The organization is a coalition of 18 environmental organizations and about 60 experts who want to strengthen each other in order to gain political influence at local, regional and national level. There are people of all ages who have come together here; also a few lawyers are to support the activists in processes and comment on proposed legislation. The organization is officially registered in Lithuania. "Otherwise we would be banned very quickly," so Goncharowa who works in the central office in the capital Minsk, where there are about ten Full-time.
Irina Suchij of "eco-house" belongs to the GREEN network. Immediately after the discovery of the nuclear power plant construction plans for Ostrovets drummed their organization in late 2008 scientists, NGO representatives and activists from Belarus and Russia in Kiev together. There, the White Russian anti-nuclear campaign "Bajak" was born. It is a manageable little groups, to communicate over the Internet or via Skype, meets in public places or in private homes of members.
Political discuss on the phone is not advisable in Belarus. Also Suchijs partner organizations from the open network always get clear calls the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko to stop cooperation. The threats are nebulous, the consequences of not clearly predictable: Those who protest in Belarus with leaflets, stickers at bus stops or on the Internet open to the NPP must expect repression by the secret service, still called KGB here. One to two weeks in prison and fines have very many already experienced. And as for next year, pending elections, all expect a worsening of the situation - even if there is no doubt about the winner.
Many dedicated people for the environment in Belarus explicitly deny, therefore, that their actions had anything to do with politics. Typical is Doria Chumakowa from "Centre for Environmental Solutions" (Ecoidea), which was established with financial support from Scandinavia about five years ago and dealt with energy efficiency and food safety and examines toys on poisons. Although the organization is trying to influence legislation, says the young, good English speaking woman: "We do not comment politically We focus on problems.."
The former German teacher Dmitri Burentin from the center for ecological solutions talks like a waterfall when it comes to the opportunities of energy efficiency. "If we were to put the money for the new nuclear power plant in the modernization of our gas-fired power plants, the nuclear power plant would be superfluous," he says - and then pushes dutifully for: "But I want the politically not vote."
But other facts which he enumerates, speak for themselves: in comparison to Western European countries Belarusian enterprises for the same economic performance require about twice as much energy. In particular, the deficit-ridden state enterprises waste a lot of electricity, transmission lines lose huge amounts, and because the electricity for households is highly subsidized, is barely saved there. Now trying Burentins organization to raise money for EU-four cities in the north of the country to perform there pilot projects for energy efficiency.
The Green Network seeks to promote information campaigns a greener lifestyle: There is a lack in most homes thermostats, many residents control the temperature over the window. Above all, Minsk is a very car-oriented city, almost all the roads here are four or six lanes - but thanks to the cheap gasoline, the traffic jams anyway. How much food is contaminated with pesticides or radioactivity, is hardly out; throughout the country there are just six organic farms.
In addition, the Green network is trying to get information from official sources and to influence laws and government decisions. It refers to the Aarhus Convention, with which Belarus has international obligation to inform the public about environmental issues and to involve them in decisions. "We are, however, frequently ignored," complains Goncharowa. Therefore, their organization complained regularly at international fora.
In fact, Belarusian State representatives already at substantiate simple demands on environmental issues - or they prove to be completely incompetent. Thus, the 60,000-inhabitant village Scho Dino boasts northeast of Minsk, to be a pioneer in terms of sustainability. Supposedly here have all businesses an energy savings program, and after a visit to Germany, the mayor should have introduced waste separation. The Head of the Economic Department, Tatjana Sawadstaja says: "Agenda 21 is to promote the city to attract foreign direct investment."
In fact, stand on the streets a few battered waste tons of different colors - but what happens with the sorted waste, can, or will the mayor say as little as four colleagues from other departments, who invited to a meeting with some members of the press. And which company has already saving as much energy? And what? No one here knows it. And nobody asks for properly.
Where foreign funds are involved, the Belarusian environmental organizations can schedule more effectively. So a Danish-Swedish research group has found that 95 per cent of EU aid flows to governments in Belarus and only 5 percent of civil society institutions. Now the Green network requires information about which effects the international support had each and publish the answers on the internet.
"We live in a highly limited democracy."
