News today that the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee (SOC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be hosting a forum over the course of the next four days to discuss environmental issues surrounding the preparations for the Games. Outside of 'resettling' Sochi residents to make way for Olympic progress, the environmental impact of the numerous building projects is probably the hot-button international issue as Russia prepares to host the Games.
Let's backtrack for a bit: Interestingly, the only parallel in terms of building costs for an Olympic Games is Beijing in 2008. Chinese officials have always maintained that they spent around $15 billion on the Games, while independent observers estimate that the cost could be closer to $40 billion (remember: Russia is planning to spend $30 billion). I'll say this: cost estimates for the Games are notoriously tricky to estimate. By that I mean that Russia, as with China, counts a lot of the cost as 'infrastructure improvements.' Russia wants you to read 'infrastructure improvements' as 'we are improving your lives and would have spent this money anyway, Games or no Games.' This is dubious, of course; it is hard to justify even $15 billion in 'infrastructure improvements' in a sleepy, Black Sea resort like Sochi.
But I digress. Let's regroup and remember that all of this building means for Russia that 1) people are being displaced and 2) the natural environment is arguably irreparably being altered. Ergo, the involvement of UNEP.
Around this time last year, UNEP released a report on the environmental conditions in Sochi, which arrived at such critical conclusions as "the Sochi Games present both challenges and opportunities." This will be their 4th visit to meet with the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, while the World Wildlife Fund's Russian-language site laments that neither they, nor Greenpeace, have been invited. The Russian version of the WWF is critical of the building process, noting the destruction of the Sochi National Forest, local rivers and fear that this entire process is merely 'green pr,' as opposed to actually finding solutions to environmental problems. Oh, and did I mention proposed building in the West Caucasus, an area designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site?
Prime Minister Putin has gotten involved, of course, blasting some of these construction firms for some of the sites they chose for certain events, even getting some projects stopped and relocated, stating that 'in setting our priorities and choosing between money and the environment, we're choosing the environment.' Now it's easy for Putin to take this position; he is a major reason why these firms have access to these projects, so he can afford to take some shots at them here and there, all the while coming off as the good guy to the local and international media. Of course, these construction firms, and the project in general, is bankrolled by the government, so it will be quick to blame supposedly independent firms for any failures but take credit for any success. It is the nature of the beast.
Sadly, I am also reminded of the story of former SOC consultant, Dr. Sergei Volkov. The doctor, who has since fled Russia for Ukraine out of fear of being arrested, was an environmental consultant to the SOC and repeatedly warned the Russian government to step back and further research the complex geology and ecology of the region. He warned of of possible landslides, the presence of Mercury and Uranium on some sites and that the weather patterns in Sochi were not properly studied. Tragically, 3 Russian construction workers lost their lives and millions of dollars were washed away when a storm destroyed a port being built in Sochi - in a location Dr. Volkov warned had unpredictable weather. And now, after what he claims were repeated threats, Dr. Volkov is in hiding. Is this starting to sound familiar?
I'll continue to do my best to follow the news, if there is any, that comes out of these public forums, whether in English or in Russian. Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment