Logging, pollution, oil drilling, galore!
As vast as the Russian taiga is, human activities are having a startling effect on it.
Logging itself is not harmful to the environment. It is actually quite easy to cut down trees in a manner that gives the local environment enough time to react to the change. Unfortunately, most logging companies would rather cut down all of the trees in one location than cut down half of the trees somewhere and half of the trees somewhere else.
Pollution of air, water, and soil also poses a big threat to the Siberian wilderness. Nickel smelters around the city of Norilsk have already put enough sulfur into the air to kill all of the plants in the city, and in the surrounding area. Similarly, Lake Baikal is suffering from the effects of tons of liquid waste from tourist camps and water transport vehicles being dumped into the lake.
Oil drilling is one of the most lucrative industries in Russia today. Six of Russia's ten wealthiest men have some involvement in the oil industry, and that is no coincidence. Siberia is contains some of the largest deposits of fossil fuels in the world, and plenty of companies want their share of it. Over 10% of the world's oil and natural gas comes from the Russian taiga, but this also means that much of the taiga is at risk of being cut down. As shown in this picture, having just one oil drill requires the clearing of a lot of land. In addition to the surrounding land, roads must be made that lead to the site, along with pits that must be dug for waste.
|