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Kazakhstan Battles Shrinking Caspian Sea To Keep Key Sectors Churning
February 20th, 2026
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at how Kazakhstan is battling a shrinking Caspian Sea to keep key sectors churning: From Aktau’s seaside promenade, a stretch of gorse flecked with ice separates the city from the waves. The sea, already more than 30 meters from the embankment, is still receding. “You can’t fail to notice it,” […]
Read more »Putin’s Pipe Dream: Russian Scientists Discuss Project to “Redirect” Siberian Rivers
November 21st, 2025
Russian scientists have reportedly asked the Kremlin to fund a feasibility study on diverting water from Russia’s Ob River down to Central Asia. The $100B plan would see a massive plastic pipeline carry up to 22 cubic km (5.3 cubic miles) ofw ater through Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan annually. This idea builds upon a similar Soviet-era […]
Read more »Caspian Sea Level Fallen So Much that Russia and Kazakhstan To Dredge a Channel to Offshore Wells
July 27th, 2025
The water level of the Caspian Sea has fallen to its lowest level in recorded history, restricting the ability of ships to pass through former channels, especially in the sea’s northern portions. In response, Russia and Kazakhstan have announced plans to dredge a channel through increasingly shallow waters to allow their ships to pass. Russia’s […]
Read more »A Tale Of Two Nations: The North Aral Sea Rebounds While The South Aral Sea Dries Up
July 12th, 2025
Via Eurasia Review, a look at how – once a thriving inland sea – the Aral has become a cautionary tale of ecological collapse, political neglect, and uneven recovery, as efforts in Kazakhstan are bringing about a slow revival in the north, while Uzbekistan’s extractivist priorities leave the south gasping for life: Give a man […]
Read more »To Protect the Sea, the Kazakh Government Must Disclose Caspian Oil Agreements
April 12th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a look at efforts to protect the Caspian Sea: The fate of the Caspian Sea hangs in the balance. A vital and irreplaceable natural treasure, the world’s largest landlocked body of water is being plundered in secrecy, its future dictated by international oil and gas giants operating behind closed doors. This opaque […]
Read more »The Shrinking Caspian Sea: An Environmental and Geopolitical Emergency
January 22nd, 2025
Via The Diplomat, an article on allowing the Caspian Sea to succumb to industrial exploitation and climate-induced desiccation would be an irreversible tragedy: Last month, an 18th-century 28-meter wooden shipwreck was discovered off the Mazandaran coast of the Caspian Sea in southern Iran. Operating under Russian influence, the ship likely comprised part of a merchant fleet carrying botanical […]
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