The Caspian Sea: an uncertain future.

• Author: Kim, Oksana
• Position: EnvironmentWatch

The Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on Earth with a total surface area of 371,000 square kilometres and one of the world's smallest seas, geographically represents the intersection of Europe and Asia. This explains the uniqueness of its biodiversity and the strategical importance of its enormous oil and gas supplies, which have been the main points of concern for Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan-the countries surrounding the Sea.

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However, environmental issues have rarely been a high priority for the national governments, nor have they been a major concern for private companies operating in the region. Cooperation among States with respect to environmental issues is vitally important in order to prevent a dramatic decline of the Caspian Sea before it is too late, as has happened to the Aral Sea. (See UN Chronicle, Issue 1, 1999, page 38, "Dry Tears of the Aral".)

The area is home to 400 unique species, but the population of some of these species has been close to an unstable equilibrium, which means they will face extinction if the ecological situation does not change for the better. The reason for this threat is the agricultural run-off, saturated in chemical substances, that kills thousands of living species whose immune systems are sensitive to the changes in the water's composition. The situation has been worsened by the careless extraction of resources leading to the spills from the natural oil and gas drilling process. These by-products of commercial activity in the region have resulted in significant soil, land and water contamination. In addition, the construction of gigantic industrial refining complexes has led to the destruction of the coastal line, causing damage to many settlements surrounding the Caspian Sea.

The Volga and Ural rivers, which cross the territory of Russia and flow into the Caspian, have been the major source of untreated waste disposal into the Sea. Heavy industry has been responsible for contamination of these rivers, having disposed of sewage into the rivers for years. The financial difficulties many industrial complexes have been facing since the 1990s have made the installation of recycling devices impossible.

During the cold-war era, enormous natural resources in the Caspian basin had been the major source of economic prosperity for two surrounding countries: Iran and the Soviet Union...