This essay will evaluate the environmental problems at the region of the Caspian Sea

This essay will evaluate the environmental problems at the region of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water on earth and it is fed by numerous rivers. But it is the Russian Volga River which supplies about 82% of the annual volume. It is surrounded by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. The costal wetlands of the Caspian basin include shallow and saline pools which attract a variety of birds. There are about 400 different species. Furthermore the sea is famous in the whole world for the roe it produces which accounts approximately 90% of the world’s caviar industry. The Caspian region has also big oil reserves which is a main business in Baku, Azerbaijan. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 it attracted many foreign investments especially by western energy companies which were shut out of the area.

Such big reserves of oil and gas highlight the poor environmental position in and around the Caspian Sea. Years of neglect have left the sea and the surrounding regions which have even worsened the appalling state environmentally. Petrochemical and refining complexes are the major sources of land-based pollution on the Absheron peninsula in Azerbaijan. Discharges and spills from oil have serious impacts on the environment and untreated waste from the Volga River into which half the pollution of Russia caused by industries empties directly into the Caspian Sea, while pesticides and chemicals from agricultural run-off are the main threats to the sea’s flora and fauna. Thousands of seals have died since 2000 that lived in the sea due to pollution that weakened their immune system.

However in addition to the existing problems the main aspect of pollution is the oil and gas production. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 showed the world the regime’s poor environmental record in the Caspian Sea. Rusty derricks have poisoned water and soil. Pools of oil scum and well fires resulted from the Soviets’ oil exploitation in the region of the Caspian Sea. Despite the foreign investment of billions of dollars many the Soviet-era wells still exists. Therefore the economic pressures to exploit the sea’s potential combined with the long history of contamination will mean that the pollution to the Caspian Sea and the surrounding region will continue in future for a long time. Oil and gas extraction with the transportation to consumers has been the main source of severe air, soil and water pollution in the Caspian region. Samples of water in different parts show contamination from oil products, phenols and other sources. Oil extraction and pipeline construction have resulted to the pollution of about 30000 hectares of land. Due to the use of outdated technology or malfunction equipment or just human disregard, pollution from oil fields and refineries continue to a high rate. However even normal processes of oil and gas extraction has a variety of side effects. For instance the loud sounds which result from oil and gas exploration have a negative effect on the living creatures in the sea, particularly fish. Drilling of offshore exploratory springs involves the use of various materials in the marine environment, referring to such non-toxic materials as water-based drilling mud and cuttings of rock but also potentially toxic drilling fluids. Furthermore there may be discharges from drilling rigs which include wastewater from crew facilities and also deck wash which results in lubricants such as greases, hydraulic fluids, cement slurry, drill testing fluids and incidental fluids. There is also always a chance of an accidental spill from an oil derrick where a blowout follows in an uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons for a period of time which could be even months until the well can be controlled. Although this is a rare case in offshore exploration the probability is slightly higher than for wells of production. A big amount of crude oils are tending to stay in the marine environment longer than API gravity oils. Furthermore, flickering of associated gas from oil wells results in a release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

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Azerbaijan was affected to a large extend, where ten years of oil production have resulted in acute soil degradation and contamination problems, especially on the Absheron peninsula. There has been considered to industrial and energy development in Azerbaijan, with dramatic consequences. Vast areas of wasteland stayed behind which resulted from oil production, with standing oil ponds and contaminated soil at the shore along Baku Bay which is black with oil sediment and high levels of pollution in and around the Caspian Sea. Whereas Baku was hit to the biggest extend by pollution from oil exploitation, other neighbour states were also affected. Environmental test have shown that cases of blood diseases, tuberculosis, and other similar diseases are for times more in the Caspian region than the average of the rest of the country. Water which is polluted by oil products in Kazakhstan is still used for drinking water and this is the main reason for intestinal infections at costal areas.

The main problem to solve the environmental problems is referred to the weak state of existing environmental regulation and legislation in the surrounding states. Environmental laws actually did not exist while the Soviet era and past environmental legislation and environmentalism are still in power in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. Although new laws and regulations have been created in the four states the enforcement of these is often suspect. As poverty in the Caspian region means that corruption is possible and actually happens very often and since oil and gas production are the main forces behind the economic growth of these regions the enforcement of those laws were viewed as a threat for further growth and the attraction for foreign investment that was dramatically high into the region, in particular into Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Therefore government was unwilling to issue regulations which were demanded for at least a normal condition of the environment. Thus energy companies which were directly involved in exploration and drilling in the Caspian region have complained of overlapping environmental authorities, the lack of concrete environmental laws and the distinction between the local and national authorities. For instance in Azerbaijan the subsoil law appears to be a contradiction to its energy law. Various layers of bureaucracy and the constant changes in regulation and laws complicate business to operate properly and the ability to reach environmental standards according to the western investors in the Caspian area.

However, as the economic growths go on and the environmental awareness improves in the Caspian region, the governments are taking a stronger position on environmental issues. Both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have put in new legislation requiring energy companies to utilize associated gas which is produced while oil extraction whereas before the gas typically was flared. Environmental impact assessments (EIA) have become the leading authorities for regional oil and gas export pipelines and new development projects are forced to carry environmental insurance and to conduct the EIA. Whereas before the government was not really aiming to enforce environmental laws, several incidents have shown that the governments are becoming stricter in putting new regulations in force. For example in August 2001 the ChevronTexaco-led international consortium developing the giant Tengiz oil field in western Kazakhstan, was fined around 75$ million for ecologic damage.

During the Soviet era and even afterwards in the next ten years the actions which were taken by the governments in order to improve environmental standards were overall neglected. As well, governments and businesses had a primary aim to continue to attract foreign investors and sell their product were oil and gas. Therefore both wanted to generate profit which required a negligence of the environment at the Caspian Sea. At the beginning of the 21st century governments started to take a stronger position referring the environmental issues. They enforced new laws and regulations to protect the environment. Furthermore the environmental impact assessments (EIA) became the leading authorities to control and the environment situation at the Caspian region. They started to fine industries for damaging the environment. At this stage the actions which were taken to improve the environmental standards became effective. From there on each business operating at the Caspian Sea will have started to consider the environmental issue otherwise they would have been fined. This should be the normal case in each country as the health of the community living in such areas where environmental damage takes place is affected to a high extend.

This essay will evaluate the environmental problems at the region of the Caspian Sea

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