Our planet cannot survive another Aral Sea tragedy!
Kazakh activists launched global movement to Save the Caspian Sea. During the launch, Mr. Vadim Ni, called for urgent action to prevent history from repeating itself. "Our planet cannot survive another Aral Sea tragedy. Nearly 20 years has passed since the signing of the Tehran Convention, yet the Caspian problems worsens every day, every year. The time to act is now, before it's too late. Today's crisis have been driven by human actions. For decades, international oil companies have profited from the Caspian shelf, extracting its wealth, while leaving behind destruction. These companies operate, without regard for what remains for future generation. Because it's not their land, they can pack up and leave at any moment. But we are the ones left to deal with the consequences."
For 70 years, the Caspian Sea has remained largely unstudied across all countries.
For 70 years, the Caspian Sea has remained largely unstudied across all countries. There has been little to no funding allocated for scientists to investigate the sea's current state, its future behavior, and its potential impacts. The few studies conducted by German and Dutch scientists rely on mathematical model. By inputting data into computer simulations, these studies predict an actually apocalyptic future: a future where the northeastern and northern parts of the Caspian Sea dry up.
Tengiz oil field disaster
Next year marks 40 years since the Tengiz oil field disaster. This oil apocalypse began with the collapse of a drilling rig. It unleashed a fiery fountain that burned uncontrollably for nearly 400 days. The fallout was devastating: 3.5 million tons of oil released into into the atmosphere. 1.7 billion cubic meters of flammable gases and 900,000 tons of soot spewed into the air, thousands of birds and marine life lost, and 50% rise in illness in that local population.
Urgent need for corporate accountability
At the Save the Caspian Sea campaign launch, Maria Lobacheva, EITI International Board member and partner of Save the Caspian Sea, emphasized the urgent need for corporate accountability.
Сhair of the International Board met with Tokayev, and Tokayev confirmed the obligations that Kazakhstan took about the implementation of this initiative, and it's very important for us, because we can use this requirements, insisting on disclosure of information.
We don't know what standarts they use
The standards are outlined in their production sharing agreement, but they are not disclosed yet. We still don't have access to the agreement. For many years, we insisted that at least the environmental section of these production-sharing agreements be made public.
The law “On Subsoil”: All newly concluded contracts must be made public and open for review.
According to the Law “On Subsoil,” which was recently revised in our country, all newly concluded contracts must be made public and open for review. This includes details of contracts based on joint ventures or PSAs. However, this requirement applies only to contracts signed starting in 2021.
Contracts signed before 2021, such as the Chevron contract from April 6, 1996, and the Kashagan project contract from 1997, are said to be exempt from these transparency provisions. But this interpretation is incorrect.
Who owns what
The contracts signed with Chevron on Tengizchevroil, for instance, are valid until 2038, and there is no indication that these terms will be revised or withdrawn. Similarly, the Kashagan contract extends until 2041, with plans for significant expansion.