Political challenges of Global Environmental Security: uranium legacy in Kyrgyzstan, obstacles, perspectives and regulatory infrastructure

Abstract

After 1991, since declaring and independence from the USSR, Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries have encountered a wide pattern of concerns including environmental and security issues which were inherited with the fall of the Soviet Union and its vast nuclear infrastructure. One of them is abandoned uranium mines, unprotected uranium tailings, and wastes located in vicinity to populated areas.

If an environmental emergency involving these tailings were to happen, particularly in transboundary areas, it can influence the health, economy, and environment of the whole region. Such well-known threats are widely consulted at numerous levels of government and by diverse groups of experts.

The paper is aimed to analyze risks posed by the uranium legacy sites and radioactive sources in Kyrgyzstan since obtaining an independence 1991 from USSR as well as examining efforts undertaken by the country and international community to address these threats.

The case studies show an integral example of security dangers and could help to address similar issues in other countries.

Keywords: environment, environmental security, remediation, uranium tailings, uranium legacy, Kyrgyzstan, politics, policy

Student Number: 2016-28472