Term Paper on "Environmental Problems"

Term Paper 6 pages (1854 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Environmental Problems: The Caspian Region

There has been a considerable growth in the interest and concern about the global environment during the past decade. Governments, policy makers and environmental bodies are becoming more involved in the way that problems such as pollution and unmanaged ecosystems affect the environment in the world. This concern has been recently increased by the acceptance in the scientific community of the reality of global warming and climate change, which has been almost certainly linked to human causative factors such as carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. These concerns have refocused attention on various problems areas around the world.

There are numerous environmental problems that could be mentioned. Among these is the importance of ozone emissions. For example, as one study indicates, "Such issues could be global in cause (the burning of fossil fuels) or they could be global in effect (again, fossil fuel burning, ozone depletion) or both" (Glantz, 1999). There are a wide range of issues that affect the global environment. These include desertification, acid rain, water and air pollution, biodiversity loss, coral bleaching, and tropical deforestation; all of which have global ramifications. However, there are world regions that are more affected by environmental problems than others, and which have long-term global implications for the planet. One of these areas is the Caspian Region.

2. The Caspian Region

This region is an area that that is affected by a number of serious environmental issues. Like so many localized and regional problems, although they are confined to a certain area they have the potential to affect global issues. The Caspian is described as the "...largest inland body of water on the planet, with a surface area of 384,400 km2, a volume of 78,700 km3, and a coastline nearly 7,000 km long. It measures 1200 km from north to south and 200-450 km from east to west" (Glantz, 2000). Today, five countries border the Caspian: the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakstan. Much of the sea is fed by the Volga which is situated in territory belonging to the Russian Federation. This river also creates one of the central problems in the area as a result pollution that is carried into the sea by the Volga.

The problem of pollution in the sea has further environmental implications in that the sea is major breeding ground for sturgeon fish. (Glantz, 1999) This and other related problems have caused the Caspian region to be described as an "ecocatastrophe."

Political problems also play a role in this area. Smirnov (2001) states that, "The Caspian Sea is an example of an ongoing large-scale ecocatastrophe (partly a result of natural causes) as well as an example of political disagreements and a temporary legal vacuum, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union"(Smirnov N. 2001). Before the collapse of the Soviet Union the Caspian Sea was shared between the Soviet Union and Iran -- in accordance with the 1921 Treaty of Moscow. (Glantz, 1999) However, when the communist system broke down in 1991, this changed the political landscape and three more counties were added to the list of Caspian littoral states. These were Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakstan. (Glantz, 1999)

Another study also notes that "...the Caspian coastal zone of the Russian Federation belongs to areas with heavily disturbed ecosystems" (ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS of the CASPIAN REGION, 1998). This view also refers to another related problem that has exacerbated environmental issues. The complex political situation in the region has hampered any concerted effort to solve the environmental issues in the region. Coupled with this is the added factor of oil in the region. In essence the political situation has resulted from disagreement about rights and ownership on the part of the countries bordering the sea; which has complicated the restoration of the environmental imbalances in the area.

The problems in this region therefore serve as an example of many other regions where political influences retard or complicate the environmental issue in those areas. At the same time, "...this region contains the most valuable special protected natural land and water areas that are necessary to maintain the species diversity and to preserve Caspian bio-resources, and can serve as nuclei of natural regeneration of the degraded ecosystems" (ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS of the CASPIAN REGION, 1998).

Central to the various environmental problems in the area, and particularly in the sea itself, is pollution. An analysis of the situation from the point-of-view of Kazakhstan suggests how the waterways have become polluted. This refers to the basic waterways of Kazakhstan, including the basins of Irtysh, Ili, Nura, Syr-Darya rivers that are being polluted by the mining, metallurgical and chemical industries. (Kazakhstan ? environment issues and policy) This concurs with other findings that; "The main pollutants are the non-ferrous metals industries (enrichment and melting of lead, copper, zinc) and those not complying with the modern ecological requirements" (Kazakhstan ? environment issues and policy). Furthermore there is increasing evidence that the soil and air in many of the countries surrounding the Caspian Sea have become polluted. This is a result of long-term neglect of the problem. There are also related environmental concerns that are a result of oil, gas, and chemical industries. Other aspects that increase the environmental problems are the use of toxic agricultural pesticides and the dumping of "...untreated sewage and industrial wastes into the Caspian...." Glantz M"(1999).

A serious issue is the effect that this continued pollution may have on the wider ecosystem. A report by the Kazakhstan embassy states that pollution levels can lead to more severe problems in the reduction of arable land and an effect on agriculture and food production in the region.

Our country depends by more than 50% on water supplies coming from the neighbouring countries and is vulnerable to global climate change. According to scientific forecasts during the next 15-20 years present pastures and arable lands can fall into the category of desert and semi-desert lands and our water-security can be reduced by a third.

Kazakhstan ? environment issues and policy)

More general surveys of the region have indicated that there is a very high level of pesticides in the water, especially off the coasts of Azerbaijan and Iran. (Experts debate ailing Caspian Sea) Other environmental concerns include the high demand for caviar which has resulted in the reduction of the number of sturgeon and oil leakage into the water. (Experts debate ailing Caspian Sea)

There are a number of comparisons or analogues with other regions of the world. For example a similar situation has existed in the North American Great Lakes. The lakes had been polluted for many years and were "...the repository for all kinds of effluents and emissions from industrial activities in their watersheds "(Glantz M. 1999). However after the fires that occurred on the Cayuhoga River and Lake Erie in the late 1960s as a result of high levels of industrial pollution, efforts were made to reduce pollution levels. (Glantz M. 1999). An assessment of the situation was organized under the International Joint Commission (IJC) of the United States and Canada; and in 1987 a number of areas of concern were isolated. Central to this assessment was the threat of hazardous chemicals in the water. A number of remedial action plans were implemented and the pollution was reduced in an integrated and organized way.

Solutions

The most threatening environmental concern in the Caspian region is water pollution and its concomitant effects and negative consequences for the related ecosystems. What is obviously needed is an organized and integrated remedial plan similar to the one that implemented by the United States and Canada with regard to the North American Great Lakes. There needs to be a concerted and unified investigation of the problems in this area. However, as has already been referred to, the situation in the Caspian region differs from others similar regions where large-scale water pollution is evident, in that the politics is much more complex and unsettled. As Glantz (1999) states, "A key difference in responses to pollution between these regions is that the level of cooperation among the riparian countries, provinces, states, and municipalities is quite high in the Great Lakes basin and quite low in the Caspian region" (Glantz M. 1999).

On the other hand there have been efforts made by governments in the region to deal with the problem. In 1995, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Environment Programme in tandem with Caspian governments, worked to develop a the idea of a Caspian Sea Environment Program (CSEP). The program's outline was based on similar plans for other regional seas programs. (Glantz M. 1999)

However, the central political problem still remains and is continuing to hamper efforts to deal adequately with the pollution levels. As Smirnov states: "At present, the exploitation and conservation of the Caspian Sea's resources depend on whether the adjacent independent states find reliable and efficient ways to solve these problems" Smirnov N. 2001). Today the situation with regard to the conflict of interests has not… READ MORE

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