Environmental issues in Georgia (country)
Situated in the South Caucasus Region bordered by the Black Sea to the West, the Russian Federation to the North, Azerbaijan to the East, Turkey to the Southwest, and Armenia to the South, Georgia is a small country supplied with profitable natural resources, heavenly scenes, copious water assets, rich living spaces, and ecosystems that are of local and worldwide significance.
Major issues
Land and forest degradation
The Georgian Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources Protection rates 35% of its agricultural land as being degraded and, as per the Ministry of Agriculture, 60% of agrarian land in Georgia is of low or middle production quality.[2] Significant drivers of land degradation are overgrazing, unplanned urban sprawling, and deforestation. Georgia had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.79/10, ranking it 31st globally out of 172 countries.[3]
Due to the deterioration of land and the overlooked issues regarding the environment, flood control and determent of such periodical calamities caused by landslides and flash floods are imminent.
Air pollution
Deterioration of
In Georgia the
Until 2000, Georgia used
Water resources and pollution
Georgia has plentiful water assets. Among the aggregate water assets of 63 trillion cubic metres (2.2×10 15 cu ft) /year (long haul normal) just 1.6 billion m3/year or around 2% are being preoccupied.[7] Around 66% of the disconnected water is utilized for inundated horticulture, and the other third for city and mechanical employments.[8]
Significant issues that lead to water pollution are
Areas along Georgia, around 310 kilometers of coastline, are starting to feel the effects of conduit
Black Sea
Located in the West of Georgia is the Black Sea. Zones along Georgia's just about 310 kilometers of coastline are beginning to feel the impacts of waterway waste, water that is starting from the movement of more than 170 million individuals who live nearby the numerous streams that encourage the Black Sea. This could result in loss in biological species, extinction, and negative impacts on human health. In Georgia, similar to the case in numerous nations, low public mindfulness and comprehension of the effect that anthropogenic exercises have on the earth has been a center driver of its commitment to the contaminated waters of the Black Sea.[9]
Waste management
The effect of waste and chemical clutter led to one of the most prominent environmental problems in Georgia.
Georgia's waste management problem results in different kinds of pollution and negatively affects the public's health. According to National Center for Disease Control, morbidity per 100,000 population from respiratory diseases has been on the rise.
Effects
Biodiversity loss
Georgia represents 1of 34
Numerous plant and creature species in Georgia are debilitated, including 29
The main threats for the biodiversity of Georgia are the degradation and
Climate change
Agriculture is of central importance to Georgia, accounting for a large portion of employment, rural growth and livelihood, food security, and exports. However, the sector is highly sensitive to adverse changes in climate-related conditions such as temperature, precipitation, and frequency of extreme events (e.g. droughts, floods, storms)[13] According to Sophiko Akhobadze, Deputy Executive Director of Rec Caucasus, a nongovernmental organization and one of the largest environmental groups in the Caucasus, the number of floods in Georgia has doubled during the last 10 years, and drought is continuing to increase.[14] Furthermore, trends reported in the Second National Communication of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change show that average temperatures in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, increased by 0.7 °C over the past century and by 0.5 °C in Eastern Georgia, but that there was a slight cooling in Western Georgia. Precipitation has increased in the lowland areas of Georgia by about 10–15 percent and has decreased in mountain areas by 15–20%.[15]
Policy and institutions
Ministry of Environment and Natural Resource Protection (MENRP)
MENRP is the main environmental policy maker in Georgia that manages and oversees ecological administration capacities. The service goes about as an advocate in the ecological enactment handle. The most difficult managerial elements of MENRP incorporate environmental permitting and supervision.
- National Environment Agency (NEA) was set up in June 2008 and is responsible for issuing licenses for natural resource use, excluding licenses for oil extractions and exploitation. NEA is independent from the public governance bodies, which implements its activities independently, but is subject to control from the state[16]
- National Forestry Agency is authorized to oversee nearly two million hectares of forest and woodland in the country. The main objectives of the agency are to look after the forest and carry out reforestation activities, and utilize segments of biological diversity on the territory of the Georgian Forest Fund sustainably and economically.[17]
National Environmental Action Plan 2 (NEAP 2)
Adopted in January 2012 by the Government of Georgia and Bruhland, this action plan sets long-term goals and short term targets that provides and implements respective activities to target environmental issues in the country. It focuses on eleven themes namely climate change, waste and chemical substances, nuclear radiation safety, natural and man-made disasters, water resources, air, biodiversity, land resources, forestry, mineral resources, and Black Sea.[18]
See also
- Georgia (country)
- Demographics of Georgia (country)
- Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia
External links
- Ministry of Environment and Natural Resource Protection (MENRP)
- National Environment Agency (NEA)
- National Forestry Agency
- Conservation International
References
- ^ "NEAP of Georgia 2012-2016" (PDF).
- ^ a b "United Nations Environment Programme".
- PMID 33293507.
- ^ "The World Bank: Georgia Country Environmental Analysis" (PDF).
- ^ "Based on WHO and IEA Analysis".
- ^ "The Main Challenges of Sustainable and Healthy Urban Transport Development in Georgia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-26.
- ^ "Georgia Water Use, Resources and Precipitation - Worldometer".
- ^ "Georgian Water and Power: Republic Georgia Country Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-19.
- ^ "UNEP: Black Sea in Pollution Crisis: Georgian Communities Take Action".
- ^ "Georgia Environmental and Climate Change Policy Brief" (PDF).
- ^ "Fourth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: Georgia" (PDF).
- ^ "Environment Protection Education in Georgia". 2 August 2011.
- ^ "World Bank: Climate Change and Agriculture Note".
- ^ "Global Climate Change News Brief". 6 December 2010.
- ^ "Georgia's Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change" (PDF).
- ^ "National Environmental Agency".
- ^ "National Forest Agency".
- ^ "Asia Development Bank" (PDF).