High-level climate panel in Bonn highlights growing threats to Caspian Sea PHOTO

Environmental experts, policymakers and international climate officials gathered in Bonn for a high-level discussion on the environmental future of the Caspian Sea, warning that declining water levels and ecosystem degradation pose significant challenges for the region.

The panel discussion, titled "Declining Seas, Retreating Shorelines and Sustainability and the Future of Enclosed Water Bodies: The Case of the Caspian Sea," was held during the United Nations June Climate Meetings (SB64), which took place from June 8 to 16, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The event was organised jointly by the IDEA Public Union, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the COP29 Azerbaijan Presidency and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Opening the event, Leyla Aliyeva drew attention to the vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems worldwide, highlighting the environmental pressures facing the Caspian Sea. She pointed to declining water levels, shrinking populations of Caspian seals and other species, and the broader ecological challenges confronting the world's largest inland body of water.

Aliyeva stressed the need for long-term, science-based solutions and highlighted environmental initiatives implemented by the IDEA Public Union, including waterbody clean-up campaigns, fish restocking programs and the "One Drop" project. She noted that such efforts help promote responsible water management and support sustainable development.

Senior international climate officials also underscored the importance of keeping the Caspian Sea's environmental challenges high on the global climate agenda. Among the speakers were Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Fatma Varank, CEO of COP31 and Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye; and Ana Toni, CEO of COP30.

The panel session brought together experts from government, international organizations and academia to examine the environmental, scientific and socio-economic consequences of the Caspian Sea's retreating shoreline.

Participants included Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan; Martin Krause, Director of UNEP's Climate Change Division; Michael Fishbach, founder and executive director of the Great Whale Conservancy; environmental expert Elnur Safarov of IDEA; researcher Aziza Baubekova of the Kazakh Research Institute of the Caspian Sea and the University of Oulu; and Kamala Huseynli of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

Speakers emphasised that international platforms such as the Bonn meeting are essential for sharing scientific research, exchanging expertise and building partnerships aimed at addressing the growing environmental risks facing enclosed water bodies.

The event also featured the screening of a short documentary highlighting the Caspian Sea's environmental challenges, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with participants.

By Sabina Mammadli