30,000+ Evacuated In Siberian Flooding, In A Country That Will Never Move On Climate

With the devastating flood that has ravished the Irkutsk region in Siberia, Russia is experiencing one of its worst natural catastrophes in decades. More than 20 deaths have already been reported, and more than 33,000 people have been affected. For most, that means much more than flooded basements or ground floors filled with mud; rather, it's the loss of their very livelihood. Their wooden houses were swept away by floodwaters, their animals perished and their fields were destroyed.

Researchers at Irkutsk State University say the flood was caused by "anomalous atmospheric processes taking place amid global and regional climate change." They warn that global warming will lead to increasingly frequent periods of drought and heavy rainfall in Siberia.

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Will the catastrophe in the Irkutsk region lead to a change in Russia's skeptical stance on climate change? Has the flooding convinced the people of Siberia and Russia that increasingly extreme weather is a consequence of global warming? Will they demand their government take action to protect the environment, as so many young people across Europe have done this year? The answer: No — most definitely not!

For an observer who has followed the German climate debate, it's perplexing to take stock of how news reports and social media discussions in Russia are dealing with the flood. No one wants to listen to what experts have to say about the links between global warming and the catastrophe in Siberia. People brush off such talk as "stupid," as a "hoax." At most, they are convinced that any talk of connections is simply a lame attempt by local and national government agencies to divert attention away from their own failings and responsibilities.

The discussion generally focuses (with a certain amount of merit) on supposed government failures to prevent and fight the effects of natural catastrophes. For instance, there is much talk of shoddy dam construction. Conspiracy theories are also making the rounds, such as the claim that water levels at dams were intentionally kept high to allow hydroelectric power plants to provide cheaper energy to an oligarch with factories in the region. Even the massive deforestation that has taken place in the region is not really considered a negative environmental development. Rather, it's seen as evidence the country is being "sold off" to China.

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https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-russia-frozen-on-climate-change/a-49499528