State-owned Transneft is plowing ahead with its Siberian Pacific pipeline. The current projected route through the seismically unstable area will cross ten rivers feeding Lake Baikal and come within 800 meters of the lake itself. ("Actual planned route" in the enlargeable map, left) At this point, President Putin could still stop it, although he does not seem so inclined. The pity is, a more northerly route could dramatically decrease the chances of damage to the lake. See the next map, below.
The grey area in the map at left is the catchment of Lake Baikal.
So many superlatives apply to Lake Baikal. The oldest freshwater lake, the biggest by far with 20% of the worlds liquid surface water, the deepest. Even its catchment seems superlatively exotic. It takes in a sizeable chunk of Mongolia; the rain falling in the streets of Ulan Bator drains into Lake Baikal.
A huge center of biodiversity as well, with 80% or so of its 2000 species (or is it 3000? - nobody knows) endemic. Even figures like those are approximate, as new things are discovered in the lake all the time. Its own sponges, its own arthropods. Here's a recent discovery of a new genus of diatoms. Five of its species are unique to Lake Baikal, and scientists guess there may be 500 more yet to be described.
Briton takes on Putin over oil pipeline Campaigner warns president that history will judge him if Siberian lake is polluted
In 1990, she co-founded the Irktusk-based Baikal Environmental Wave, a pressure group which campaigns to protect the lake from development - putting herself on collision course with the authorities, and now directly with Mr Putin.
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Ms Sutton knows she has a formidable fight on her hands, but she is not about to give up and is already planning the next move. "If our protests to Putin fail, the next line of attack will be Western banks that might help to finance this project. We must save Baikal."
"The project in its current form cannot be carried out," said Irina Maximova, a scientist who studies Lake Baikal for Russia's Academy of Sciences. "We absolutely need to go to court."
Roman Vazhenkov, who heads Greenpeace's Lake Baikal project, said Russia was ignoring its obligations to the lake, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: "If it so happens that the pipeline is built and oil spills into Baikal, it will mean national shame for Russia," he said.
Update: I should have pointed out that the above quote is a historical artefact now. The Supreme Court has rejected the environmentalists' challenge. The hope now is Putin or convincing investors to abandon the project. Or direct action.
A couple of the lake's endemic freshwater sponges.
Another Insane Project
Former PM of Russia, Mikhail Kasyanov arrived in Irkutsk Monday to hold the round table of his Public Alternative Fund. Constructing the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean oil pipeline is the serious mistake of authorities, Kasyanov said in Siberia and vowed to do {his} utmost "to prevent the large-scale environmental catastrophe."
When a regulatory panel of Russia's environment agency rejected the project as routed, four of its members - authorities on pipelines - were removed and 34 compliant new members were added. Others were threatened. (Documented here) And presto chango, the project was approved. No wonder Chimpy McFucknuts sees a kindred soul in PootiePie.
"By not building this further away from the lake we are saving $2 billion but we are risking the trillions of dollars that Baikal is worth," said Sergei Kolesnikov, who represents one of the regions near Baikal in the State Duma lower house of parliament and is vice-chairman of its science committee.
"For the sake of $2 billion we are risking the future."
Lake Baikal even has its own tasty endemic salmonids, like the omul, left, and the sig, right.
Pipeline route must be moved away from Baikal - Irkutsk governor
About 5,000 people rallied in the Siberian city of Irkutsk yesterday to protest over the route of a planned oil pipeline that will take it near Lake Baikal, the world's largest freshwater lake.
The participants included environmentalists, scientists and members of the regional parliament.
Action: Click the logo to submit your comments to be presented to President Putin and the Duma. (Look for the English. It's there.)
Or, use Pacific Environment's modifiable e-mail to President Putin.