Armenia

Within southwest Asia, the nation of Armenia has been struggling with both environmental and political issues since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. An ongoing battle with Azerbaijan over which country should have sovereignty over the area of Nagorno–Karabakh has diverted attention from domestic problems and allowed the post-Soviet environment to deteriorate in a number of ways. Both soil and air are heavily polluted, and sanitation and water treatment systems are not properly maintained.

Many Armenians began denuding vulnerable forests during the energy crisis of the 1990s when the breakup of the Soviet Union sent many former satellite countries into a tailspin. Lack of enforcement of Armenia's existing environmental laws has led to heavy contamination of the Hrazdan and Aras rivers, and Sevan Lake, which has traditionally been the chief supplier of freshwater, has shrunk drastically as a result of being used for irrigation and as a hydropower source. Despite [Page 78]hazards associated with the location of the Medzamor nuclear power plant in a seismically active zone, the plant was reopened after an earthquake in 1988. It is difficult to obtain an accurate accounting of the true state of the environment in Armenia because available data is considered inadequate by international standards. Both environmentalists and international observers contend that many existing environmental problems are the result of the country's failure to financially commit to dealing with the impacts of global warming and climate change, as well as the lack of oversight and enforcement of laws designed to protect public health and the environment. While environmental groups are finally regaining some of the strength that was lost during the Soviet breakup, they exercise only a minor impact on environmental policy, and their resources are not sufficient to launch major initiatives. They maintain that their efforts are often hampered by the fact that development takes precedence over protecting the environment.

Landlocked, Armenia has 956 sq. mi. (2,476 sq. km) of inland water. The country is prone to droughts and experiences periodic earthquakes that take a heavy toll on human life and further degrade the environment. At least 55,000 people were killed in the Spitak earthquake in 1988. The land area is generally mountainous. Less than 10 percent of the land is now forested due to the unregulated cutting of approximately 240,000 hectares of trees. Some 70 percent of that wood has been used for home heating and cooking. Experts warn that if the current rate of deforestation continues, Armenia may be a land without forests within two decades. United Nations officials have estimated that desertification is also spreading rapidly, with 81.9 percent of land area affected.

Armenia does not produce any oil or natural gas of its own. Armenia generated 5.86 billion kWh of electricity in 1998 while consuming 4.99 kWh. In 2009, the country consumed 0.666 million short tons of coal. Nuclear power generates a third of all electricity, but the use of nuclear power plants continues to be controversial. Even when the country was still part of the Soviet Union, a public demonstration took place in 1987, with 3,000 people demanding that the government permanently close the Mezamor nuclear power plant after the devastation of the Spitak earthquake. The plant is due to close in 2016, but the owners turned down an offer from an agency of the European Union to receive $200 million for closing it down early. In 1986, Armenia was affected by the Chernobyl meltdown that spread radioactive debris into surrounding countries.

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