Russian pipeline threatens pristine natural wonder
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Posted on March 7, 2006
Filed Under Ecological hope, Consumer culture, Fossil fuel dependency, Environmental disasters, Earth spirituality
A Russian government regulatory agency has approved plans to build a 2,500-mile long pipeline that would run perilously close to Lake Baikal, a pristine natural wonder that contains more than 20 percent of the earth’s unfrozen fresh water.
The project, called the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Pipeline, will carry oil from eastern Siberia to Asian-Pacific markets. Environmentalists tried to back an alternative route that would turn the pipeline away from the lake, but the state-owned company, Transneft, balked at the added costs. The route just approved would bring the pipeline within 900 yards of the lake.
Environmentalists note that the area is subject to seismic activity and fear that an earthquake could cause a break in the pipeline one day, spilling oil directly into the lake. They also fear that “because Transneft’s planned route will require crossing many of the lake’s tributaries, the project will cause erosion and send dirt and pollution into the lake’s nearly pristine water.”
How does this project challenge US society, the subject of the Ecological Hope blog? Because it reminds us that these grave ecological issues are not just national problems. They have no borders. When we think about how to salvage life on this earth, we must think globally. We can cut back on fuel consumption here, but equally important will be supporting international movements, initiatives, treaties that begin to wean a world away from this type of development towards something sustainable and renewing for the ecosystems that support life.
Breaking fossil fuel dependency will require global action, and a restructuring of the global economy, if we are to avoid these cascading disasters and threats to the natural wonders of our Earth.
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[…] Ecological Hope Blog: “Environmentalists note that the area is subject to seismic activity and fear that an earthquake could cause a break in the pipeline one day, spilling oil directly into the lake.” […]