gesjGEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITYGEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY2071-93882542-1565Russian Geographical Society10.24057/2071-9388-2021-026gesj-2061Research ArticleRESEARCH PAPERСтатьиThe Belt and Road Initiative in North Eurasia: Changing Geographies and the UNECE Multilateral Environmental AgreementsCheremeteffFiona

Building 3, Nikoloyamskaya Street 19, Moscow 109240; 1 Wood Street, London

ShvartsEvgeny

Staromonetniy Lane 29, 119017 Moscow

SimonovEugene

Nizhny Tsasuchei, Zabaikalsky Kray

BroekhovenGuido

Belgium, 123 rue du Commerce, 1000 Brussels

TracyElena F.

Research Associate, Virtual Research Open Lab, East European and Eurasian Center

KhmelevaEkaterina

Building 3, Nikoloyamskaya Street 19, Moscow 109240

WWF Russia; Eversheds Sutherland/ Konexo, ConsultantRussian FederationHead of Center for Responsible Use of Natural Resources, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of SciencesRussian FederationDaursky Biosphere Reserve / Coordinator, Rivers without Boundaries International CoalitionRussian FederationWWF International, Head of Policy Research and Development, WWF European Policy OfficeBelgiumUniversity of IllinoisUnited StatesWWF Russia, Director of Green Economy and Governance MoscowRussian Federation20210410202114394109Copyright © Cheremeteff F., Shvarts E., Simonov E., Broekhoven G., Tracy E.F., Khmeleva E., 20212021Cheremeteff F., Shvarts E., Simonov E., Broekhoven G., Tracy E.F., Khmeleva E.Cheremeteff F., Shvarts E., Simonov E., Broekhoven G., Tracy E.F., Khmeleva E.Данная работа распространяется под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.https://ges.rgo.ru/jour/article/view/2061

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by China in 2013 to increase economic and transport connectivity along the Eurasian continent and beyond, has posed unprecedented environmental and social risks, many of which are transboundary in nature. International legal tools contained in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) can play an important role in mitigating such transboundary risks across space and time, as well as reduce the negative impacts of large infrastructure projects, such as are being developed under the auspices of the BRI. However, the adoption of MEA policy tools has been very uneven across the continent. Three conventions in particular, the 1991 Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment, the 1998 Aarhus Convention, and the 1992 Helsinki Water Convention (the UNECE MEAs) - have the least amount of ratifications by BRI countries. In this paper we discuss these three conventions and demonstrate their relevance in addressing the transboundary risks of large infrastructure projects which require complex coordination and long-term planning.

Extended ratification of these UNECE MEAs by nations along the BRI corridors should significantly assist in positively changing geographies by minimizing BRI environmental risks and threats on a transboundary and national dimension, but simultaneously (i) create a more unified approach towards sustainability across the BRI, (ii) raise involvement (and likely subsequent) support within communities for BRI projects, (iii) help to reduce related economic risks throughout Eurasia.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest present.