Five journalists visiting from Kazakhstan on ISAR’s Environmental Journalism Program addressed their American colleagues during a roundtable discussion in Washington on June 13. ISAR hosted the roundtable to conclude the professional development program that unfolded during the course of two weeks in the District, and Denver and Paonia, Colo.
The journalists spoke about their work in Kazakhstan’s political and social climate, environmental threats in their communities, and their experience in the United States. They also drew comparisons between American and Kazakhstani journalism and answered numerous questions from the roundtable participants.
Natalya Verzhbitskaya commenced the discussion by stating that Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world haunted by various environmental problems. Verzhbitskaya lives and works in the country’s former capital city of Almaty, where the issues of air pollution and water quality and overuse are especially acute. She noted that the national government has addressed the problems but has not been successful in solving them. According to Verzhbitskaya, there are currently no laws in Kazakhstan regulating water consumption. She underscored the need for a national water code as the first step towards successful management and preservation of the country’s scarce water resources. Verzhbitskaya stated that reporting on these and other environmental issues in Kazakhstan is challenging due to limited access to information and the lack of independence in the media sector.
Tatyana Ten spoke about Kazakhstan’s devastating nuclear legacy. Ten explained that numerous nuclear tests were conducted in Kazakhstan and the country is still grappling with the effects of testing on the environment and human health. According to Ten, although the nuclear testing site in the country’s northeastern town of Semey was closed in 1991, the radiation level in the vicinity is still significantly high and local citizens are still suffering from various types of cancer and thyroid disease. Ten noted that abundant research has been conducted by western and local scientists linking people’s health problems as well as genetic mutations to nuclear testing, however there is still no official record of how many people were directly or indirectly affected by nuclear testing and thereby released radiation. Ten also spoke about environmental nonprofits working in her hometown of Karaganda to educate local citizens about the effects of radiation and to protect them from being further exposed. Ten stressed the need to publish and disseminate adequate information about the spread of radiation and thereby protect local citizens from further exposure.
Vadim Shirokoborodov explained that while environment is not the beat he usually covers, he follows environmental issues rather closely. Having a special interest in issues related to Balkhash and Aral seas and the mercury contamination in the Nura River, he has conducted some research and investigations on the issues. Shirokoborodov compared coal mining techniques and miners’ working conditions, health benefits, and other compensation in the United States to that in Kazakhstan’s most industrial region, Karaganda. He noted that the main problems with coal mining in Kazakshtan are out-of-date technology and diminishing capacity.
Jamilya Kassenova echoed Shirokoborodov’s concerns about the state of Kazakhstan’s mining technologies and noted that she was impressed by the safety measures employed by the U.S. coalmining companies. Surprised by how few accidents occur at the U.S. mines, Kassenova commented, “In Kazakhstan, 23 miners died during one explosion. The head of the mining company came to the site, saw the poor conditions, but did not change anything.” While comparing average salaries of U.S. and Kazakhstani miners, Kassenova stressed the difference—in Kazakhstan, miners earn $10 per day compared to $20 per hour earned by U.S. miners. In Kazakhstan, numerous environmental nonprofits work to address environmental issues. According to Kassenova, these NGOs are strongly resisted by the government and large corporations.
Yelena Aleshina began her comments by stressing how little attention environmental issues receive in Kazakhstan, partially because the hands of mass media in Kazakhstan are tied by strict censorship. “In Kazakhstan, where environmental problems increase day by day, people have a fundamental right to know the truth,” said Aleshina. Living and working in Western Kazakhstan, Aleshina has seen consequences of oil spills in the Caspian Sea. In an effort to explain how hard it is to track revenue from natural resource development in Kazakhstan, Aleshina shed light on various tax breaks offered to some Western oil and gas companies. She also speculated that the development of natural resources in Kazakhstan is a game in which the winners are foreign investors and the government, and not the citizens of the country. To wrap up her presentation, Aleshina underlined that the environment recognizes no national borders and its well-being should be a priority for all, whether American or Kazakhstani.
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