Environmental_Issues_in_Georgia

Environmental issues in Georgia საქართველო Georgia is situated in the Caucasus region of Eurasia at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. To the west is the Black Sea, to the north is Russia, to the south Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan. The present day Georgia is located where the ancient kingdoms Colchis and Kartli-Iberia once stood (http://www.intute.ac.uk/worldguide/html/890_economic.html). Georgia is currently home to an estimated five and a half million people (http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/climate/country_nar/georgia.html). In 1921 the Red Army invaded Georgia, declaring the state a Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1922 Georgia was a part of the Transcaucasian Soviet Republic, and became a founding country of the Soviet Union (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102575.stm). Since the demise of the U.S.S.R in 1991, Russia and Georgia have been having ongoing wars. Russia and Georgia have agreed on delimiting 80% of the border they share, leaving small areas still unresolved (http://www.intute.ac.uk/worldguide/html/890_economic.html). Four years after the Rose Revolution (a peaceful revolution in 2003 bringing an end to Soviet style government in the nation), there has been lots of progress within the economic development in Georgia (http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/climate/country_nar/georgia.html). Agriculture has become much more associated with the private sector since independence in 1991. In Georgia's duration in the Soviet Union, they supplied the rest of the U.S.S.R with citrus, tea, and grapes. Commercial fishing is popular within the nation although not a signicant contributor to the economy. With the Black Sea and the Kura River waters being the main sources of fishing (Gall). Despite its years of post-Soviet harassment and turmoil, Georgia is still a relatively prosperous nation and is predicted to become a regional leader in the twenty-first century (Hacht). Following the 2008 war with Russia, international donors and financial institutions pledged 4.55 billion American dollars over a three year period to help the economy, development and internally displaced persons. But there was no monitor to seeing that the money would be spent correctly. There are laws protecting one of Europe's largest national parks; Georgia's Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, but it was threatened by an electricity project which would have never happened if the money had been monitored (Toklikishvili). The environment within Georgia is one of a kind and fragile with lots of biodiversity. In the last 30 years, the Black Sea has gone through catastrophic changes. 17 countries dump hazardous waste into the sea. Due to over-fishing, and uncontrolled pollution, the Black Sea is nowadays home to many species that are endangered in the dying ecosystem. "So far the Black Sea at the moment is the most polluted and endangered sea of the world" (Beridze). Since the 1980s, the pollution of the Black Sea has greatly affected Georgia's tourist industry. Inadequate sewage treatment is the main cause if this. In Batumi, only 18 percent of wastewater is thoroughly treated before being released into the sea. About 70 percent of surface water contains health-endangering bacteria which are attributed toward Georgia's high rate of intestinal disease (http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-4784.html). My proposal is to work with other organizations that have also begun trying to save the Black Sea and also educate the 17 countries which are slowly killing the sea due to their waste. Solving Georgia's environmental problems has not been one of their priorities since post-Soviet era (http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-4784.html). My proposal is to put about three-fourths of the grant money towards current clean up and restoration of the Black Sea, and put the other forth towards the education of mainly the youth of the 17 countries. I believe that educating the youth would be best because they are the future of not only all the different countries, but the world. The people who are dumping all the pollutants into the water are not even aware of the damage it is causing. Saving the Black Sea is crucial for Georgia and the countries which surround it because of its main water source signicance. My proposal will help clean up the current state the Black Sea is currently in and will also through educating youth help prevent further damage to the sea. The Black Sea is a global landmark and a necessity to many countries. It is an ecosystem that needs to be preserved for the livelihood of the generations to come and with my proposal, it would be possible. Works cited Beridze, Maia. Save the Black Sea. International Environmental Governance Conference, Paris. 15 & 16 March 2004. http://www.iddri.org/Activites/Conferences/4f_beridze.pdf Gall, Timothy L. and Gall, Susan Bevan, ed. Georgia. Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. ST MARY'S MEDFORD. 19 May. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do'&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ2305100234&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=stmaryda&version=1.0. Hacht, Anne Marie and Hayes, Dwayne D., ed. Republic of Georgia. Gale Encyclopedia of World History: Governments. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. ST MARY'S MEDFORD. 19 May. 2010 http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/infomark.do'&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=SRC-1&docId=EJ3048600252&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=stmaryda&version=1.0. Toklikishvili, Anuja. Preserving a National Treasure in Georgia. 10 May, 2010. http://blog.soros.org/2010/05/preserving-a-national-treasure-in-georgia/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102575.stm http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-4784.html http://www.intute.ac.uk/worldguide/html/890_economic.html http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/climate/country_nar/georgia.html