Sidney Stadelmann
The most pressing issue in Siberia currently is the Ukrainian-Russian war. From a human rights perspective, the Ukrainian war has resulted in numerous human-rights violations for Russians. A series of laws were passed that effectively criminalized criticizing or reporting the war. Russian activists have been exiled, and additional laws have been enacted that criminalize anyone associated with independent groups that authorities deem “undesirable organizations.” Additionally, the war is fueling Russian Nationalist ideals. Russia’s superiority complex, motivated by ethnocentric ideals, has led the country to invade and attack Ukraine, at the cost of many many lives and the safety of multiple countries.
In addition to its negative consequences socially and politically, the war against Ukraine is also having extreme effects on the environmental stability of Siberia. Siberia consists of numerous ecological biomes that are becoming increasingly threatened by climate change. For example, tundra and taiga biomes are extremely vulnerable to climate change, but are becoming destroyed due to rising temperatures, clear cutting, and wide-spread wildfires. These are causing the permafrost layer under the tundra to melt, which harms biodiversity, threatens animal habitats, and increases sea-level rising. The Russian-Ukrainian war is only perpetrating these threats. Crucial firefighters in Siberia are being drafted away from vulnerable forests to go fight in Ukraine. As a result, extreme fires are spreading throughout Siberia essentially unaddressed. Thus, wildfires are spewing emissions and are burning out of control.The taiga forests that these fires target are carbon sinks, meaning they store old carbon, but when burned, release that carbon into the atmosphere. This creates a cycle (often referred to as a positive feedback loop). The more fires there are, the more trees burn and release carbon, increasing global temperatures, leading to more fires, etc. etc.
Action must be taken to help mitigate the effects of this war on Siberia, Russia as a whole, and the global in totality. The human-rights violations are not reserved to just Russia, there are global consequences. Additionally, the environmental destruction that is occurring due to this war is not simply a Siberian issue, but a global one. We are all responsible for promoting and protecting the safety of one another and the physical world that surrounds us.