Caspian Sea: State of the Environment 2019

11. Conclusion Many of the challenges associated with preserv- ing the unique biodiversity and resources of the Caspian Sea have yet to be addressed. The human factors and activities that have been identified are putting significant pressure on the environment and heavily impacting the well-being and sus- tainable livelihoods of local people. A key issue at this point in time is maintaining a balance between the need to further develop industry and agriculture, while implementing sustainable measures to preserve ecological and environmental services. The oil, gas and fishing industries are the leading contributors to the econ- omy, but they also have the greatest impact on the environment, significantly increasing the risks of environmental damage. All of the Caspian littoral states plan to continue exploiting the natural re- sources found in the Caspian Sea, and although oil production has decreased since prices fell in 2014, the gas industry has flourished and development increased between 2006 and 2016.

Population growth, especially in the western part of the Caspian Sea, is causing an accumulation of hazardous waste and pollution, both in the air and in the sea, leading to a reduction in the Caspian Sea’s biodiversity. Waste management remains an urgent issue, although total chemi- cal and organic run-off decreased between 2011 and 2015. Marine litter is another pressing issue which still needs to be addressed. Another major threat requiring a response is climate change, as its impacts are very difficult to predict, especially in a rapidly changing envi- ronment like the Caspian Sea. Globally, contin- ued and increasing greenhouse gas emissions are exacerbating the impact of other negative factors. Energy, industry and agriculture account for 90 per cent of these emissions. In addition, the number of natural disasters is expected to in- crease and variations in the temperature and sa- linity of the sea will become even more difficult to anticipate. Although the sea level stabilized in

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