Azerbaijan climate envoy urges urgent action over Caspian Sea shallowing

The Caspian Sea has fallen to a historic low level and continues to recede, Azerbaijan’s presidential climate envoy Mukhtar Babayev said on Thursday, calling for urgent regional action.

Speaking in Astana at a high-level dialogue on the Tehran Convention during a regional environmental summit, Babayev said the falling water level posed serious ecological, economic and social risks to all Caspian littoral states.

He said the Caspian Sea was not only a natural resource but also a shared historical and cultural heritage that must be preserved for future generations.

Babayev said the Volga River, which provides up to 80% of the Caspian’s total inflow, was now at a historic low. Despite a snowy winter, the expected rise in water inflows had not materialised, he said.

He cited climate change, which is increasing evaporation, as well as human activity, including water withdrawals for agriculture and the construction of hydraulic infrastructure, as key factors behind the decline.

Babayev said Azerbaijan viewed the shallowing of the Caspian as a priority issue and was working closely with Kazakhstan on the matter. He added that the condition of the sea directly affected the lives and future of all Caspian nations.

He also said that, in coordination with the U.N. Environment Programme, an international platform had been created to coordinate efforts to address the problem, alongside a 10-year action plan under the Tehran Convention.

Babayev said the work would continue under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, who had earlier called on Caspian states to take coordinated action.