Environmental Security in Central Asia
Environmental Security in Central Asia

Author(s): Jos Boonstra, Nafisa Hasanova, Laura Rio, Sébastien Peyrouse, Marlène Laruelle
Contributor(s): Jos Boonstra (Editor), Tika Tsertsvadze (Editor), Nafisa Hasanova (Editor)
Subject(s): Agriculture, Energy and Environmental Studies, Environmental and Energy policy, Environmental interactions, Geopolitics
Published by: CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies
Keywords: Central Asia; water resources; rivers; seas; water pollution; environmental disasters; environmental protection; agriculture;
Summary/Abstract: Landlocked Central Asia is home to two major rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, as well as two inland seas, the Caspian and Aral. But water resources in the region are disputed. The Caspian Sea is heavily polluted and the Aral Sea is on the verge of extinction. Massive irrigation systems were developed in the past to sustain water-intensive crops such as cotton, wheat and rice in the steppes and deserts of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. These systems have caused Central Asia’s largest environmental disaster – the drying up of Aral Sea – and they have the potential to further threaten the livelihoods of Central Asia’s population.

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