Black Sea as a Regional Environmental Problem Area
Volume 4
The central location of the Black Sea, especially in the transportation of energy resources, further highlights the international nature of environmental problems in the region. The Black Sea is threatened by two major sources of pollution, partly pollution caused by organic and industrial wastes onshore but especially through rivers, and pollution from tanker and oil transportation.
Industrial and domestic waste, especially carried by rivers from Russia and Turkey, is the source of significant environmental problems in the Eastern Black Sea region. In this way, heavy metal concentrations released into the marine environment also pose a significant threat to humans through the natural environment in the sea and mussels, etc. (Agile et al. 2008:396-401).
The amount of sewage flowing into the Black Sea is 571 million m3 per year. Beaches are closed for health reasons on most coasts, especially in Ukraine, and cholera cases are seen. Most of the organic and industrial pollution that consumes biological oxygen in the Black Sea and therefore threatens life comes from countries that do not have a seashore through rivers. In particular, more than half of waste such as nitrogen and phosphorus is transported from the Danube, that is, from countries such as Germany and Austria. Meanwhile, no country complies with the Nitrogen Regulation of the European Union. Due to pollution, many industrial plants, such as fish flour factories, are closing. In Novorossisk, 80% of children are born defective, 75% of young men are not conscripted because they are unhealthy, and diseases such as tuberculosis, asthma and allergies are epidemics (Batmazoglu 1998:22). As much as 90% of the pollution in the Black Sea is caused by rivers flowing from Central Europe, such as the Danube, Dynaper and Don(Europe Environment 1996). Again, 75% of the pollution of the Black Sea comes from Europe, through the Danube river. After the mayne river was merged with the Danube via the canal, the Danube’s water collection basin covered almost all of Europe.
Naturally, the Black Sea is also polluted by tankers transporting oil. As stated in Lester Brown’s book The State of the Universe, the amount of fish caught in the last 40-50 years has decreased from 700,000 tons to 100,000 tons as a result of the pollution of the Black Sea, and in 1995 only five of the 30 main fish species remained. In the 21st century, it is seen that the Black Sea will become more polluted and the amount of fish will decrease (Nedialkov 2001:19).
The geo-strategic and geo-economic position of the Black Sea is also an important factor highlighting the international dimension of environmental problems in this region. In this context, the dimensions of contamination are increasing rapidly. The number of scientific evidence showing that the Black Sea and the Azov Sea have suffered catastrophic ecological damage, especially as a result of pollution from soil sources, is growing rapidly.
This ecological damage led to eutrophication and contamination with pathogenic microbes and toxic chemicals. As a result, coastal countries are almost completely deprived of valuable aquaculture resources and a huge recreation and tourism potential. In addition, the severe reduction of the waters of many rivers flowing into the Black Sea may also be changing the hydrological balance of the Black Sea. The future of the Black Sea depends on the economic development of the 16 countries in the acadgal basin. Half of these countries have a coast to the Black Sea and share a responsibility in the management of the common area (Goyet 1995:25).
In parallel with the increase in both regional and international quality, the pollution of the Black Sea brings with it cost and solution discussions. Although the solution of the problem raises the above-mentioned responsibility sharing for coastal countries, the issue is actually international. That is, the Black Sea is not only polluted by countries with coasts, but also by all of Europe. So much so that for today, the waters of the Black Sea are polluted by all of Europe, and in addition by coastal countries (Nedialkov 1995a: 8). However, pollution concerns the countries with this seashore first in terms of both cause and effect, and this is a de facto situation. The weight point of the studies in this context confirms this situation. The Black Sea, the largest inland sea in the world, is exposed to pollution caused by rapid population growth, development, urbanization and industrialization in coastal areas. The efforts to save this sea, which is the most important livelihood of people living in coastal countries, are the best example of the implementation of the Regional Environment Program, which is one of the most important decisions of Agenda 21 after the Mediterranean. In addition, in April 1992, the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution and additional protocols were signed by the six states (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian Federation, Turkey and Ukraine) that have this seashore for the protection of the marine environment in the Black Sea (Yavuz 1995:51).
However, before solving environmental problems in the region, it is necessary to embody the situation for coastal countries. It is worth seeing clearly what environmental problems arise in coastal countries based in the Black Sea or how the coastal country pollutes the Black Sea.
In addition to the common pollution created by the six countries bordering the Black Sea, significant environmental problems have arisen in the coastal regions of these countries. Turkey is one of them. Environmental problems along Turkey’s northern coast, surrounded by seas on three sides, are becoming increasingly controversial on national and international platforms. Especially the industrial wastes participating in the Black Sea buyer environment with the Danube-Rhinder river routes will increase even more, and the extent of pollution in the Black Sea with large rivers such as Don, Dynaper and Dynaster, as well as nuclear and other pollulants, will increase day by day. In contrast, there are rivers such as Sakarya, Kizilmak, Yeşilırmak and Coruh (but the last 24 km is outside the borders of Turkey before reaching the Black Sea) that threaten this inland sea in our country. These rivers are caused by household wastes from the major cities they pass through, discharges of industrial enterprises and toxic materials mixed with water as a result of spraying and fertilization from agricultural areas, and increasing amounts of nitrogen-phosphorus cause pollution in the Black Sea.
On the other hand, the excessive pollutant burden placed on the Black Sea by other countries bordering the Black Sea, especially Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, crosses first to the northern coast of Turkey through the currents in the Black Sea and then through the Bosphorus strait to the Marmara sea.
In addition, the idea of transporting Baku oil from the Black Sea by tankers poses a great danger to both the Black Sea and the Straits and Marmara. Because the toxic waste barrels that were thrown into the sea as a result of the perception of the Black Sea as a dump by countries outside the region and especially washed up on the beaches of Sinop are still remembered. As Radu Minhea, spokesman for the Black Sea Environmental Protection Program, said, the Black Sea is dying. In fact, people consider him dead, and these days the sea is surprisingly filled with industrial waste (Land 2001:144).
Sea-oriented settlement (SLR) and urban population growth are the most important aspects of urbanization trends of countries bordering the Black Sea, especially Turkey. The coastal urbanization of Georgia and Turkey, especially in cities such as Varna, Constanza, Sevestapol and Tuapse, points to potential problem areas (Karaca and Nicholls 2008:288-298). In addition to industrialization, this quality of urbanization as the other important main cause of environmental problems is very important in terms of understanding the problems facing the region and the problems it may face.
Author: Serdar Yener – Sinop University – Turkey
