In recent years, a greater than normal decrease in the Caspian Sea level has been observed, Faig Mutallimov, head of the Environmental Policy Department at the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry of Azerbaijan said in his briefing to journalists, Report informs.
Mutallimov noted that this is a concerning issue and is mainly attributed to the effects of climate change:
"A high-level event is being held in Azerbaijan's national pavilion at COP29 with the participation of Caspian littoral countries and the UN Environment Programme. This is the second such event initiated by Azerbaijan. The main focus is on the sharp decline in the Caspian Sea level over the past decades."
According to Mutallimov, one of the main causes of the problem is the decrease in water resources in rivers flowing into the Caspian:
"A report has been prepared regarding the current situation. The main requirement is cooperation among the five Caspian littoral countries. A final declaration is expected to be adopted in this matter. It's necessary to draw international community's attention to this issue. Because the decrease in the Caspian Sea level brings various socio-economic impacts. It's necessary both to prevent this and adapt to it. Future projects need to be more sustainable."
The ministry official noted that joint action is very important.
"We want to create a joint action group and prepare a roadmap. Because forecasts show that if the situation continues like this, the Caspian Sea's level will continue to decrease further. Therefore, we are making this call and trying to get more international attention to this issue. That's why joint cooperation is extremely important," he emphasized.