ABSTRACT
The environmental movement, which in the Mikhail Gorbachev period acquired a deeply nationalistic coloration, adhered to an implicit belief that relaxation of Moscow's grip would provide relief from environmental problems. A major external threat to the Central Asian environment is the resumption, in October 1993, of Chinese nuclear testing at Lop Nor, Xinjiang Province, across the former Sino-Soviet border. On the positive side, collapse of Soviet rule has expanded possibilities for a more searching investigation and identification of environmental problems, as well as for outside assistance in dealing with them. In coping with the environmental heritage of arbitrary Soviet actions, the Central Asian republics are essentially left to their own devices. Sensitivity to environmental questions continues to be reflected in various ways at the official level. The Aral Sea has by attracted worldwide attention as the most outwardly visible evidence of environmental abuse in Central Asia.
