Khan HASANLI (Azerbaijan),

master student of ınternational relations and diplomacy

at the Academy of Public Administration under

 the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Climate change is currently one of the most pressing global issues concerning the world. As we know, since the onset of the industrialization era in the 18th century, and especially after the mid-20th century, the Earth's climate system has been significantly negatively impacted. The rapid development of industrial facilities, alongside other atmospheric pollutants, has led to a sharp increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases on a global scale. According to the latest assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the average temperature of the Earth has increased by 0.8 degrees over the past 100 years. This temperature rise is primarily attributed to the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases—such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. Data presented by the IPCC indicates that in the past 250 years, encompassing the industrial era, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 28%, while methane levels have increased by 60% [1, pp. 370-373].

Azerbaijan has not been immune to the effects of global climate change. Over the past 100 years, the average annual temperatures in the country have increased by 0.4-1.3°C. Against the backdrop of climate change, Azerbaijan is exposed to various extreme climate events, including floods, avalanches, storms, hurricanes, fluctuations, strong winds, heatwaves, droughts, glacier melt, soil salinization, land degradation, desertification, and reductions in precipitation and water resources. Climate change restricts food security and access to water both regionally and globally, leading to hunger, poverty, and other severe socio-economic consequences, as well as increased migration and a rise in infectious and chronic diseases. It is no coincidence that the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified climate change as the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. According to experts, even if efforts to minimize global warming are successful in the future, some negative impacts—such as rising sea levels, increasing ocean temperatures, and ocean acidification—will persist for centuries [2, pp. 149-181].

The Republic of Azerbaijan also approaches climate issues with serious consideration. As a logical continuation of this, in 1995, the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As a full-fledged party to the Convention, not included in the Annex I group, Azerbaijan has undertaken obligations under the UNFCCC to prepare and regularly update a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, as well as to compile and submit national communications. These obligations have been systematically fulfilled. The Republic of Azerbaijan approved the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention in 2000. The Doha Amendment, which was adopted for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, was ratified by the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan on April 14, 2015, and signed by the President of the country.

The Republic of Azerbaijan is one of the countries most affected by environmental issues. During the 30-year occupation, the natural resources of the Karabakh region were ruthlessly plundered by the Republic of Armenia, causing significant ecological damage to the environment.

Since 1988, the war initiated against Azerbaijan by Armenians and their supporting forces, along with the nearly 30 years of occupation, resulted in the destruction of cities and villages, the genocide of the civilian population, and the devastation of the region’s flora and fauna. As the military conflict and war were fought solely on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the atmosphere, water sources, and soil were subjected to biological, chemical, and physical contamination. Armenia inflicted irreparable damage to the natural resources and environment of the occupied territories, causing extensive and lasting harm [3, pp. 142-143].

For nearly 30 years, Armenia caused irreparable damage to the natural resources and environment of the occupied territories. The natural resources of these areas were illegally exploited and plundered by various companies under the patronage of the occupying state. This destruction severely disrupted the ecological balance in the region. Armenian armed forces looted the settlements, destroyed homes, and completely dismantled essential infrastructure such as water, electricity, gas, and other communication networks. Nationally significant railway lines were dismantled and rendered unusable. As a result, the Azerbaijani territories that were subjected to ecological terrorism by Armenia turned into a regional ecological disaster zone.

During the occupation, Armenia violated international legal norms and laws regarding the protection of the natural environment in the occupied territories. Monitoring conducted after the liberation of these areas revealed extensive plundering of natural resources, including the illegal logging of centuries-old valuable trees in forests. Armenian military personnel and equipment were used for transporting the harvested timber. In areas such as the Kazakh region, the Murov mountain range, and the forests near Talish, Gulustan, and Baranbart in the Agdara direction, hundreds of hectares of forests, including walnut, mastic, juniper, pine, and oak trees, were cut down and transported to Armenia. These activities were directly overseen by the military personnel of the occupying forces.

The deployment of military units and equipment in combat positions, the construction of engineering fortifications, the creation of access roads, and earthworks led to the destruction of trees, shrubs, and the burning of pastures. These actions caused significant harm to the flora and fauna of the region. The activities carried out by the occupying forces in these areas should be regarded as acts of ecological terrorism, resulting in the devastation of Azerbaijan's natural environment [4, pp. 3-6].

For nearly 30 years, Armenia not only turned the cities and villages of the occupied territories into ruins and destroyed cultural monuments, but also severely exploited Azerbaijan’s underground and surface resources. During this period, Armenia looted mineral water sources, forest reserves (covering 246,217 hectares), 152 state nature monuments, 5 geological sites, and 155 types of mineral deposits. In regions such as Zangilan, Aghdam, Kalbajar, Gubadly, and others, valuable tree species were destroyed for profit and sold abroad as semi-finished products. Notably, in the final years of the occupation, Armenia's forestry production increased tenfold with the help of companies from Western countries, clearly at the expense of Azerbaijani forests. The destruction of unique ecosystems, including dense forests of oak, juniper, walnut, pine, and beech over more than 8,000 hectares, dealt a heavy blow to endemic biodiversity. By doing so, Armenia violated numerous international environmental conventions, including the United Nations Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques.

The Karabakh forests, rich in rare and valuable trees, were ruthlessly logged and transported abroad. This destruction not only wiped out trees but also drove away birds and animals accustomed to the area’s lush greenery, disrupting the natural balance and leading to soil erosion. Despite repeated alarms raised by Azerbaijan and appeals to international organizations regarding the environmental terrorism committed by Armenian forces, these efforts yielded little result.

A particularly egregious example of environmental terrorism was the destruction of protected areas. Approximately 43,000 hectares of specially protected areas, including Basitchay and Karagol State Nature Reserves, and Arazboyu, Lachin, Gubadly, and Dashalti State Nature Sanctuaries, were home to 24 fauna and 69 flora species listed in Azerbaijan’s Red Book, most of which have now been destroyed. Starting in 1999, Armenia also carried out deliberate arson in the occupied territories, causing widespread destruction to soil layers and the flora and fauna. In 2006, 63,414 hectares, in 2007, 31,097 hectares, and in subsequent years, more land was set ablaze by Armenian forces.

Additionally, in Basitchay and Karagol State Nature Reserves, along with Lachin, Dashalti, and Arazboyu sanctuaries, where biodiversity conservation was left unattended, Armenia's military-political regime severely exploited flora and fauna. In the Basitchay Reserve, 107 hectares of Eastern plane trees, a rare natural treasure included in Azerbaijan's Red Book, were destroyed. The vegetation of Karagol Reserve in Lachin, located at 2,650-2,700 meters above sea level, was damaged by uncontrolled grazing, while mammals like deer, wild goats, and wild boar, as well as birds like partridges and quail, were wiped out in the Lachin State Nature Sanctuary.

The Dashalti State Nature Sanctuary, once known for its beautiful landscapes and historical monuments around Shusha, was devastated, with severe damage inflicted on its rich forests and grasslands. Similarly, the Arazboyu State Nature Sanctuary, created to protect and restore Tugay forests, became another victim of Armenian fascism. The destruction of Topkhana forest using banned white phosphorus, the logging and burning of forests in Kalbajar, and the deliberate environmental damage all constitute severe crimes against nature.

These acts of barbarism and ecological terror are evident in numerous photos and videos, and the environmental crimes committed were further documented through satellite images obtained over the years from "Azercosmos." [5].

The mismanagement of the Soyudlu–Zod gold deposit, located in the Kalbajar region and in the Tartar River basin, has caused significant pollution of the river and damage to drinking water resources. During gold extraction from this deposit, the waters of the Tartar River were contaminated with heavy metals and toxic substances. Similar pollution has been observed in other rivers as well. For instance, the Bazarchay and Okhchuchay rivers, which flow through the Zangilan region and originate in Armenia, have also been poisoned with heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

Several lakes of ecological significance in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, such as Boyuk Alagol, Kichik Alagol, Zalxagol, Karagol, Janligol, Ishigli Karagol in the highlands of Kalbajar and Lachin, as well as the freshwater resources in the Tartar district (specifically Toragaychay, a tributary of the Tartar River), were also subject to considerable anthropogenic impact. The Sarsang Reservoir, which has a total capacity of 560 million cubic meters and a dam height of 125 meters, was constructed on the Tartar River in 1976. Prior to the occupation, it provided irrigation water for 79,000 hectares of farmland. However, the fate of this reservoir has been under constant threat. The occupying forces frequently altered its operational schedule, halting the release of water during the summer months and excessively releasing it during the winter. As a result, the agriculture of seven districts was severely damaged.

Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan not only violated human rights and numerous international legal norms but also caused unprecedented environmental terror, leading to the large-scale and long-term plunder of natural resources. Over the nearly 30-year occupation, serious ecological damage was inflicted upon the environment, biodiversity, and water bodies in the historic lands of Azerbaijan. Rare natural treasures included in Azerbaijan’s “Red Book” and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List were destroyed, and significant harm was done to the country’s flora and fauna. The physical and chemical pollution of the environment led to a broader disruption of ecological balance across the region [6, pp. 182-184].

To put an end to the destruction of nature and the expression of hatred and enmity towards Azerbaijanis in such a savage manner, it has been decided to invite international monitoring and assessment groups to Azerbaijan to calculate the damages. Efforts are ongoing to assess the facts of ecological terror. On September 22-23, 2021, during an online seminar organized by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Lithuania on "Environmental Protection within the Eastern Partnership," military ecological specialists from the Medical Department participated. They provided extensive information based on facts regarding the ecological terrorist acts carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan, emphasizing that Armenia is an ecological terrorist state posing a danger not only to the South Caucasus region but to all humanity. [7].

The report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentions the company "Max Wood Ltd.," which is registered in Armenia and founded by the Armenian Mger Bagratyan and the Spanish Enrike Viver Kamin, which is engaged in the illegal cutting and sale of trees in the occupied territories. Kamin conducted operations to dry wood in the village of Koxb in the Tavush province of Armenia in 2000, resulting in significant damage to the environment in the region due to the destruction of valuable tree species. Kamin, who has unpaid debts to Armenia's Forest Development Service, successfully moved his business to the then-occupied territories of Azerbaijan amid local protests. The report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cites Arutyun Pambukyan, a member of parliament from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia at that time, who confirmed that "Max Wood Ltd." obtained unprecedented agreements with several well-known European companies, such as "Beretta" and "Browning," to send them wooden parts made from walnut tree roots for hunting rifles with his and his friends' direct support.

For example, in the December 2019 issue of the "Hetq" publication, it was noted that during the period from 2014 to 2018, the amount of forest cut down in the unrecognized and fictitious "NKR" territory was 2.3 times greater than in Armenia (175.3 thousand cubic meters in Armenia and 404.8 thousand cubic meters in Nagorno-Karabakh). In 2017 alone, 102,488 cubic meters of forest were cut down in Karabakh. In November 2018, "Hetq" reported that during the period from 2012 to 2016, the volume of forest destruction in Karabakh was also 2.3 times higher than that in Armenia.

Azerbaijani officials and state structures have repeatedly declared that white phosphorus munitions have been used by Armenian armed forces. This substance not only causes poisoning and leaves dangerous burn marks but also leads to fires that are difficult to extinguish. Phosphorus munitions are one of the most dangerous types of weapons used to set fire to enemy territory. During the war, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) repeatedly recorded facts of such munitions being discovered along the frontline [8]. 

The use of phosphorus munitions against the civilian population, civilian objects, and forests is prohibited by the III Protocol of the 1980 "Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons" as well as the 1949 Geneva Convention for the Protection of War Victims and its additional protocols from 1977.

Most of the rivers flowing through Azerbaijani territory originate either from Armenia or Karabakh. These water sources are polluted by waste of various origins. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the prolonged pollution of the Aras River has led to the extinction and decline of valuable fish species.

The lack of control over the previously occupied territories of Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years has also created difficulties in fulfilling the obligations undertaken under international conventions. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources states that Armenia’s failure to join the UN Convention on the "Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes" makes it impossible to resolve transboundary water issues within international norms.

Seven ecologically significant relict lakes located in the previously occupied territories of Azerbaijan are under significant anthropogenic impact. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, freshwater resources such as the Great Alaghol, Small Alaghol, Zalxaghol, Qaraghol, Canlıghol, Işıqlı Qaraghol located in the highlands of the Kalbajar and Lachin regions, as well as Qaraghol in the Agdere region (Torağaçay - Tartar river) are under occupation.

A network of irrigation canals stretching 6,426 km, 185 km of collector and drainage canals, 1,429 artesian wells, 539 hydraulic engineering facilities, 220 hydropower plants, 88 pumping stations, as well as 8 reservoirs with a total volume of 640 million m³ have been under occupation for many years.

The intentional release of 85-90% of the annual water flow from the Sərsəng reservoir during the winter months, a time when the water is not particularly needed, leads to flooding of villages located downstream in Azerbaijan. In contrast, during the summer months, when water consumption is significantly high, only 10-15% of the annual norm is released. This results in a severe water shortage in villages downstream, creating major problems for irrigation. Consequently, agriculture suffers, and ecological tension arises.

Taking these facts into account, in 2016, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted Resolution No. 2085 on the intentional deprivation of water for the residents of Azerbaijan’s border areas in the Lower Karabakh valley. In light of the seriousness of this humanitarian issue, the resolution demands that the Armenian authorities cease the use of water resources as a tool for political pressure and also ensure that independent hydrologist-engineers are allowed access to the region to conduct research.

The report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that during the occupation, the exploitation of natural resources in Karabakh not only caused economic damage but also created serious ecological risks, as illegal "licenses" for the exploitation of deposits were granted to companies with poor ecological reputations in Armenia that transferred their predatory practices to projects in Karabakh.

The mining industry typically leads to the formation of highly polluted waste pools that require special cleaning. According to data presented in the 2016 report, during that time, the waste pools in the Karabakh region contained millions of tons of waste filled with heavy metals and other hazardous substances. More specifically, there are three waste pools located near the ore deposit in the village of Heyvalı (which the Armenians call "Drmbon").

The illegal exploitation of the subsoil in the Karabakh region has also been reflected in satellite images from the State Company "AzerCosmos [9].

  Khan HASANLI (Azerbaijan),

master student of ınternational relations and diplomacy

at the Academy of Public Administration under

 the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Summary. The examples given above and the analyzes we conducted, we observed how serious environmental problems caused by the improper use of natural resources by Armenians in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The aggressive policy of Armenia causes great damage to the environment and ecology. Currently, there are up to 500 international agreements on various aspects of environmental protection, and as a result of Armenia's armed aggression and plundering of our natural resources, which grossly violates the provisions of these agreements, the environment and ecology of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the amount of economic and environmental damage caused to natural resources is two hundred forty four billion four hundred and twenty million US dollars according to the preliminary assessment.

Also, Armenia's aggression has affected the volume of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Thus, before the occupation, 14.3% of grain, 31.5% of grapes, 14.5% of meat, 17.1% of milk, 19.3% of wool and 17% of the cocoon belonged to the occupied regions. Ecologically clean and high-quality agricultural products were grown in these areas. 70% of Azerbaijan's summer pastures remained in the occupation zone. This has also shown its negative impact of pastoralism.

As we know, the Republic of Azerbaijan will soon host COP29, one of the prestigious international conferences. It is important to hold this event in Azerbaijan. Thus, this is an indicator of the increasing influence of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the international arena.

Hundreds of heads of state, journalists, non-governmental organizations and other guests from different countries of the world will participate in the upcoming conference. One of the main topics of discussion at the conference will be the environmental situation in the territories freed from occupation and the environmental crimes committed by the Republic of Armenia will be communicated to the international community.

Keywords: COP29, environmental terrorism, environmental disaster, environmental security, forest fires.

магистрант кафедры Международных отношений и дипломатии

Академии Государственного Управления

 при Президенте Азербайджанской Республики

Резюме. На приведенных ниже примерах и в проведенных нами анализах мы увидели, насколько серьезные экологические проблемы вызваны ненадлежащим использованием природных ресурсов армянами на оккупированных территориях Азербайджанской Республики. Агрессивная политика Республики Армения наносит большой ущерб окружающей среде и экологическому благополучию. В настоящее время существует до 500 международных соглашений по различным аспектам охраны окружающей среды, и в результате вооруженной агрессии Республики Армения и разграбления наших природных ресурсов, что грубо нарушает положения этих соглашений, пострадала окружающая среда и экология Азербайджанской Республики, а также размер экономического и экологического ущерба, причиненного нашей стране. по предварительной оценке, природные ресурсы составляют двести сорок четыре миллиарда четыреста двадцать миллионов долларов США.

Кроме того, агрессия Республики Армения повлияла на объем ВВП. Таким образом, до оккупации 14,3% зерна, 31,5% винограда, 14,5% мяса, 17,1% молока, 19,3% шерсти и 17% кокона принадлежали оккупированным регионам. На этих территориях выращивалась экологически чистая и высококачественная сельскохозяйственная продукция. 70% летних пастбищ Азербайджана оставались в зоне оккупации. Это также свидетельствует о негативном влиянии скотоводства.

Как мы знаем, в скором времени в Азербайджанской Республике состоится COP29, одна из престижных международных конференций. Важно провести это мероприятие в Азербайджане. Таким образом, это является показателем растущего влияния Азербайджанской Республики на международной арене.

В предстоящей конференции примут участие сотни глав государств, журналистов, представителей неправительственных организаций и других гостей из разных стран мира. Одной из главных тем обсуждения на конференции станет экологическая ситуация на территориях, освобожденных от оккупации, и международное сообщество будет проинформировано об экологических преступлениях, совершенных Республикой Армения.

Ключевые слова: COP29, экологический терроризм, экологическая катастрофа, экологическая безопасность, лесные пожары.