It’s one of the most shocking environmental disasters in the entire world, and it’s completely man’s fault.  Unlike climate change, the drying up of the Aral Sea can be directly traced to the Soviet Union.  To increase cotton production in the region, they diverted, dammed, and disturbed the waters that feed the Aral Sea, the world’s fourth-largest lake.  Now, the lake has shrunk in size by nearly 90%, leaving behind a graveyard of old ships sticking out of the sand and salt, abandoned villages, and vast swaths of desert where there was once profitable fishing industries.

Now, the question is how do you reverse the damage and restore the lake and its valuable fishing without drying up all the farmland in the area?   I really don’t know.  Normally I have some kind of opinion on how to solve whatever problem is presented in the story, be it a funny one or a reasonable one, but for this story?  I got nothing.  No matter what actions officials take (or if they don’t take action), some interest group is going to be hurt.

Image: Herwig Photos

Tags: Aral Sea, fourth-largest lake drying up, Uzbekistan, Soviet Union, environmental disasters, ship graveyard, man-made disasters

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