ARAL SEA
February 1st, 2003
BY KEITH NUTHALLIF there was ever a good example to show how the economic interests of humankind generally trump those of the environment, look no further than the Aral Sea, or rather, seas, as it is today. Once a beautiful 66,900 square km inland great lake, it has since the 1960's shrunk to less than half this size and split in two. Massive irrigation to cotton fields from its main feeder rivers the Amu-Darya and the Syr-Darya are to blame. The retreat of the sea has caused salination, drought, dust storms, the death of more than 20 indigenous fish species and ...
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