Executive Summary: Global warming, increased human use, and declines in the flow of water from rivers that feed the Caspian Sea are threatening its viability. Food production from the sea is declining, and the Caspian’s ports and sea lanes are silting up, limiting north–south and... MORE

Executive Summary: Water shortages in Central Asia are becoming a problem for Russia as the drought and its effects spread into Russian territories, and Central Asians call for Moscow to send water from Siberian rivers or face massive immigration. Russians overwhelmingly oppose the revival of... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia is warming 2.7 times faster than the global average due to positive feedback loops resulting from Russia’s distinct geography, with alarming consequences for Arctic infrastructure and regional ecosystems. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have shifted from skepticism about climate change... MORE

Executive Summary: The deepening drought in southern Russia is threatening the region and its food production, as well as Moscow’s relationship with neighboring states harmed by the reduced flow of the Volga River into the Caspian Sea. Southern Russia’s drought is having a serious negative... MORE

Executive Summary: Central Asians have long called for Russia to divert water from Siberian rivers to help them address water shortages, which are a result of rising demand and global warming. These calls have been rebuffed because Russians have feared that it would harm their... MORE

Executive Summary: The Caspian Sea’s declining water levels are reducing the amount of cargo that ships can carry, undermining Russia and the People’s Republic of China’s capability to use the sea for their north-south and east-west trade networks. Both Russia and the People’s Republic of... MORE

Executive Summary:  Afghanistan has completed over 80 percent of the second phase of the Qosh Tepa Canal—an irrigation project funded by the Taliban aimed at ensuring the country’s grain self-sufficiency by utilizing water from the Amu Darya River. The canal could divert up to 20... MORE

Executive Summary: In June 2024, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) introduced additional restrictions on fertilizer exports, sharply reducing urea exports by 83 percent compared to the previous year. This move aims to stabilize domestic prices and safeguard food security, but has disrupted global fertilizer... MORE

Executive Summary: Beijing pressures the Kyrgyz government to censor voices criticizing the People’s Republic of China (PRC), its companies, and its citizens within the Kyrgyz Republic. As PRC companies have expanded in country—particularly in the mining sector—extensive environmental damage has provoked local protests. Some cultural... MORE

Executive Summary: Chinese plans to develop mines in Moscow oblast undercut the Kremlin’s longstanding efforts to keep such projects and the protests they provoke far away from the capital, lest they lead to political demonstrations near the Kremlin. This transformation of environmental issues into political... MORE