![Show Menu](styles/mobile-menu.png)
![Page Background](./../common/page-substrates/page0042.png)
Environment and Security
42
Of all the economic activities in the eastern
Caspian region, oil and gas exploration and
extraction are probably causing the greatest
concern among the local population and au-
thorities regarding the current and future en-
vironmental situation and potential risks. The
problems related to poor environmental prac-
tice in the past, as well as several mass fish
and seal die-offs in recent years, have been
on the agenda of governments, experts, mass
media and public organisations addressing
the energy sector’s present and future.
Lack of knowledge about the actual state of
marine ecosystems and their vulnerability to
pollution, coupled with inadequate environ-
mental monitoring, also fuel concern and
uncertainty for the future.
During the Soviet period, oil and gas develop-
ment in the region was often conducted using
environmentally unsound practices and out-
dated technologies. Many cases of pollution
of sea water, air and soil in the Caspian region
have been reported. An area covering asmuch
as half a million hectares is now affected by
desertification, soil compaction and pollution
due to oil extraction and transportation activi-
ties (CEP 2006 b). Severe land degradation,
caused by lakes of oil waste and spills, affect
up to 5 000 hectares in Atyrau and Mangys-
tau provinces (CEP 2006 b; NESSD 2006;
Akhmetov 2006; Ministry of Environment Pro-
tection of the Republic of Kazakhstan 2007).
Information about land pollution in Turkmeni-
stan is limited, but according to data collected
during field missions, severe land degradation
may affect as much as 1 000 ha.
After independence the region saw a drop
in pollution levels, partly due to declining
economic activity and partly due to the in-
troduction of better environmental practice
and cleaner technology. However increas-
ing oil prospecting and production, on land
and sea, the expanding pipeline networks
Industrial activity, pollution, extraction of valuable raw materials and natural
resources (oil, gas, uranium, but also commercial fish stocks such as
sturgeon) can cause environmental degradation and in their most severe
forms loss of livelihood (as with the collapse of fisheries or the flooding of
cropland). The exploitation of essential natural mineral resources, available
in large quantities, attracts considerable economic and political interest.
But in such situations environmental protection may often be a low priority.
Furthermore extreme natural events and global changes exacerbate
anthropogenic activity. Subsequently climate change, natural hazards,
migration of alien species and epidemics stress the ecosystem, with the
risk of damaging ecological security and the living environment.
Environmental consequences of oil
and gas development
Environmental degradation and security