Clean fresh water or dirty money?

Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill

Viacheslav LiUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa

Speech 251Spring 2012

Outline

● Lake Baikal● Fresh water● Baikal endemics● One day on a hike● Pollution. Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill● Ways of solution● Raising people's awareness

Lake Baikal

Blue color is water

UNESCO World Heritage List

“Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains

20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its

age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater

faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science.”

What is this?

Endemic Flora and Fauna

More than 80% animals and plants are endemic!

Baikal Seal (lives in fresh water)

One day on a hike. Just usual day for the Paper Mill

Money? Bureaucracy?

● Opened in 1966 ● Primary military purposes became obsolete next

year● Personnel: 1600 (2009)● Debt: 1.2bn RUR ($40m) (2009)● Owner: 49% government,

51% “Continentalinvest”● Products: low quality Pulp and paper

The Problem

Ski resort losses

Pollution (affects water, animals, plants, humans)

Money laundry

Authoritarian Russian government, bureaucracy

Unawareness in society (including inside and outside Russia)

Possible solutions● Tourism

● Ski resorts

● Fresh water pipeline

Act now!

It might be too late..

Thank you!

Sources● http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru/campaigns/baikal/● http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126609485● http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/12/pollution-water-russia-deripaska● http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10739378● http://theanthropologist.net/#/JimDenevan● http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/754● http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru/news/09-09-2011-Baikal-tick/

● https://picasaweb.google.com/109404683327204057703/Baikal2011#