The Over-Exploitation of Nature
Oil Production in Western Siberia and off Sakhalin
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Oil production in Russia has had devastating consequences for the environment. Antiquated production facilities and leaky pipelines mean that hundreds of thousands of tons of crude oil seep into the Russian soil and contaminate rivers, lakes and ground-water. Construction work on the drilling rig near Sakhalin poses a threat to the last of the Pacific grey whales. Although oil companies profit enormously from oil production, neither they, nor the governments in Russia and the West are doing anything to stop the destruction of nature.
(Osteuropa 4-5/2008, pp. 117–130)