Pearl of Siberia

Should natural resources be exploited to support economic development? In Siberia, Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and contains one fifth of the world’s freshwater. It has developed over 25 million years to be a truly unique eco-system - yet this lake is now an environment at serious risk. This album focuses on the growing environmental threats to the region, which was named a World Heritage Site in 1996. Industry and new businesses flocked to the once-isolated region, inducing massive economic growth, but at what cost to the natural habitat? On top of this threat, the invasion of alien species and rising water temperatures due to global warming throw up questions, conflicts and challenges about sustainable development and how we are to manage the consequences of our actions responsibly. This material forms part of the course U216 Environment.