‘Catastrophic’ Drop in Caspian Sea Water Level, Aliyev Informs Putin

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has announced a critically severe environmental situation in the Caspian Sea. He indicated that he showed the Russian President how drastically the world’s largest lake has shrunk. According to Aliyev, the water level in the Caspian Sea has decreased ‘catastrophically’.

“We have agreed to analyze and develop pathways in both bilateral and five-party formats to prevent a possible ecological disaster. We are already witnessing the manifestations of that disaster with the naked eye,” he stated.

Previously, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding regarding climate change and low carbon development issues. Russia is currently undertaking active measures to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, while Azerbaijan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and by 40% by 2050.

The memorandum will allow Russia and Azerbaijan to commence joint climate projects and research aimed at enhancing greenhouse gas absorption and reducing industrial emissions. The new document will enable the countries to implement collaborative technologies with low, zero, and negative greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage, renewable and other low-emission energy sources, and hydrogen technologies.

The memorandum takes effect upon signing and is valid for five years. Within the framework of its implementation, Russia and Azerbaijan intend to hold consultations on climate change issues across various bilateral and multilateral platforms, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and other UN platforms.