Ecology

JOINT SOLUTION TO CASPIAN ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

By Sevinj Heydarova Azernews Contributor

A separate Caspian nation is not capable of preserving the ecological system of the Caspian, viewing the current international situation, a low level of ecological cognizance in the region and a weak financial support and legal framework of the newly independent littoral states.

Almost all the problems in the Caspian are regional and should be resolved with cooperation of all the coastal nations. Needing an international monitoring is not just water contamination, but also uncontrolled air pollution resulting from production, storage, refining, and transportation of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian nations, a member of the International Academy for Steady Development, Doctor of Chemistry Islam Mustafayev told Azernews.

Oil contamination plays a major role in harming the Caspian ecology. We conducted analytical researches of the ecological situation in various sectors and shelves of the Caspian and developed draft for internationalization of Caspian ecological problems as part of the "Internationalization of the environmental problems in the development of Caspian oil reserves" project, he said.

According to various US sources (State Department, Department of Commerce, Center for Strategic and International Researches), oil reserves in the Caspian shelf fluctuate between 6 and 20 billion tons. Transnational companies are active in all Caspian states but Iran, with their investments amounting to hundreds of million dollars made in each littoral nation, as an average yearly investment volume in the Turkmen sector is $400 million. Some 40 companies are operating in Azerbaijan, over 10 in Turkmenistan and some 10 in Kazakhstan.

Million tons of harmful substances are dumped into the Caspian atmosphere in the course of development, storage and transportation of hydrocarbon researches. Pollution comes after chemical, oil, municipal, industrial dumping and the increase of the Caspian level.

- What do you propose to internationalize the environmental problems in the Caspian?

- First of all, international regulatory ecological acts on joint action of the coastal nations should be devised to protect the Caspian environment from the impacts of oil development. Secondly, a common system of standards for a permissible concentration level of hazardous substances should be developed and thirdly, a common ecological expertise should be in effect to scrutinize the ecological projects as part of the oil contracts signed. It is extremely vital that an international service for prompt response to accidents operate in the Caspian. We also need a Caspian ecological fund, as no protection could be in question without cash.

It is also important for the littoral states to maintain information exchange on discharges and other contamination cases. To put all these and many other undertakings, all the Caspian nations should sign a joint convention on the protection of the Caspian. Yet, all these problems would be facilitated by a clear-cut status of the Caspian.

Uncontrolled cross-border contamination could ultimately lead to ecological stresses and inter-state and interethnic clashes.

- But all that is intended to do for internationalization of the ecology problems pinpoints the protection of the sea not only from contamination stemming from the development of oil resources, but also from any pollution of the Caspian environment, doesn't it?

- That is correct. We should coordinate our actions, joint public, scientific, international, and other potentials to preserve the Caspian.