ABSTRACT
The 15 new countries of the former Soviet Union vary tremendously, both in size and in population characteristics (Table 1). Some, such as Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, are large and rich in natural resources. Others, such as Tadzhikistan, Armenia, Moldova, and Latvia have relatively few mineral resources. Some of the more interior republics are land-locked, and lack any direct access to the ocean. Almost all have severe environmental problems that have been well studied and reported upon in recent years. 1 In many areas the state of the environment is so deteriorated that other problems, such as public health, agriculture, and even the ability to site new industry are being severely affected by the ecological crisis. Some of the new states will devote a modest amount of financial resources to environmental enhancement, and 568others will not, as the competition for scarce state funds will be fierce. Yet it must be understood that there is no such thing as a healthy economy built on top of a polluted environment, and that environmental degradation is merely the postponement of necessary costs of production, often at the cost of public health. Population Data.
|
Republic |
1989 Population (Millions) |
Area (Sq. Km.) |
Pop’n perSq. Km |
Titular Group as % of population |
Russians as a % of population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Russia …. |
147.4 |
17,075,400 |
8.631 |
81.5 |
81.5 |
|
Ukraine …. |
51.7 |
603,700 |
85.65 |
72.6 |
22.1 |
|
Uzbekistan …. |
19.9 |
447,400 |
44.49 |
71.3 |
8.3 |
|
Kazakhstan …. |
16.5 |
2,717,300 |
6.086 |
39.7 |
37.8 |
|
Belorus …. |
10.2 |
207,600 |
49.13 |
77.8 |
13.2 |
|
Azerbaidzhan …. |
7.0 |
86,600 |
81.17 |
82.6 |
5.6 |
|
Gruzia (Georgia) …. |
5.4 |
69,700 |
78.18 |
70.2 |
6.3 |
|
Tadxhikistan …. |
5.1 |
143,100 |
35.72 |
62.2 |
7.6 |
|
Moldova …. |
4.3 |
33,700 |
128.8 |
64.4 |
12.9 |
|
Kyrgyzstan …. |
4.3 |
198,500 |
21.62 |
52.3 |
21.5 |
|
Lithuania …. |
3.7 |
65,200 |
56.6 |
79.6 |
9.4 |
|
Turkmenistan …. |
3.5 |
488,100 |
7.24 |
71.9 |
9.5 |
|
Armenia …. |
3.3 |
29,800 |
110.2 |
93.3 |
1.6 |
|
Latvia …. |
2.7 |
63,700 |
42.09 |
52.1 |
34.1 |
|
Estonia …. |
1.6 |
45,100 |
34.88 |
61.5 |
30.3 |
The process of national independence typically constitutes a period of great euphoria followed by a long period of increasing realization that severe economic hardships are frequently the price of independence. In the case of the former Soviet republics, a number of sobering implications of independence can quickly be inferred. This paper will examine some of those implications in the specific context of environmental management.
