2024-09-29

DAGESTAN / ASTRAKHAN / ATYRAU — Amid the Ukraine conflict, the Caspian Sea has gained importance for energy and trade. As Baku will host COP29 in late 2024, the world's largest inland body of water faces a severe crisis. The water levels have dropped, and the coastlines have been shifting. 

 

The Caspian Sea heavily relies on water inflow from the Volga, which is hindered by dams and diversions. Climate change exacerbates the issue with increased evaporation, while pollution from industrial activities harms this unique ecosystem. The sea level has dropped nearly 2 meters since the mid-1990s, affecting the shallower northern basin and risking near-total drying by the century’s end. Coastlines have shifted up to 50 km, impacting human and economic activities, including the oil industry.

However, political responses fall short of addressing the unprecedented threats to the sea's future. Warring Russia has used its dominant regional position to prioritize its economic needs in the Volga and Ural basins over environmental concerns and issues raised by riparian countries. Kazakhstan, the most affected country, has attempted to address the mismanagement of transboundary water resources without success.

To investigate the phenomenon, Natalia Paramonova and Vladimir Sevrinovsky traveled to the Russian provinces of Dagestan and Astrakhan, while Clément Girardot and Julien Pebrel visited communities in the Atyrau region of Kazakhstan.

Photo: Dredging activity at the mouth of the Ural river. / Julien Pebrel/MYOP

 
Team members

Clément Girardot

Clement Girardot is a French freelance investigative reporter based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Clement Girardot

Julien Pebrel

Julien Pebrel is a French photographer and a member of MYOP Photo Agency since 2011.

Julien Pebrel

Natalia Paramonova

Natalia Paramonova is a freelance Russian investigative journalist.

Natalia Paramonova

Vladimir Sevrinovsky

Vladimir Sevrinovsky is a Russian journalist, photographer and documentary filmmaker.

Vladimir Sevrinovsky

Evgeniya Volunkova

Evgeniya Volunkova is a Russian journalist and the editor-in-chief of Takie Dela.

Evgeniya Volunkova
Supported
€15,000 allocated on 19/02/2024
ID
ENV1/2024/406

ONLINE

PRINT

  • LE KAZAKHSTAN, Le Monde Magazine, 28/09/2024
  • Shrinking Sea, Geographical, November 2024, pp. 51-59
  • La mer Caspienne va-t-elle bientôt disparaître? Le Nouvelliste, 09/11/2024

FURTHER SHARED BY

  • Magazine Green Life
  • Observatoire Anthropocène
  • Veille Ecologique

COUNTRIES

  • Kazakhstan
  • Russia
 

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