Russian Ecologists Say Nord Stream 2 Damages Precious Refuge
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 05, 2017 | 11:40 PM
Russian environmentalists on Tuesday said the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will funnel Russian gas to Europe threatens a coastal Baltic refuge that is home to rare animals and birds
SAINT PETERSBURG, Sept 5, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 05th Sep, 2017 ) - Russian environmentalists on Tuesday said the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline that will funnel Russian gas to Europe threatens a coastal Baltic refuge that is home to rare animals and birds.
"The Nord Stream 2 project through the Kurgalsky reserve is unacceptable. Construction is impossible without inflicting environmental damage," Mikhail Kreindlin, an ecologist with Greenpeace Russia, told a news conference in Saint-Petersburg.
The Kurgalsky refuge is about 600 square kilometres (230 square miles) of protected land and sea including the Kurgalsky peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, located about 20 kilometres from Russia's border with Estonia.
The sanctuary was established to protect the coastal landscape as well as nesting colonies of migratory shorebirds and habitats of seals, including the Baltic ringed seal, a species declining in the Gulf due to climate change.
Russian gas giant Gazprom plans to lay the 1,200-km Nord Stream 2 pipeline through the Baltic Sea to the German coast near Greifswald, where it would connect to the European gas transport networks.
The company held hearings for the proposed route, which crosses the territory of the protected territory and goes west through the Bay of Narva.
"Nord Stream does not negatively impact the environment, including the Kurgalsky reserve," Nord Stream 2, the company behind the project, insists.
Vladimir Khrabry, an ornithologist with the Russian academy of Scientists, however, disagreed. "This is an outstanding territory from the point of view of biodiversity," he said at the news conference.
Environmentalists say that the company didn't conduct the necessary studies, choosing the route for economic reasons, and played down the value of the refuge, which has 250 species of birds, according to Greenpeace.
"Nord Stream should be constructed, but they have to find an alternative route which would not go through the protected zone of Kurgalsky refuge. It's possible," said environmentalist Alexander Sutyagin, who heads the NGO Monitoring BTS, which monitors the Baltic pipeline system.
Gazprom is building Nord Stream 2 in cooperation with Anglo-Dutch Shell, Germany's Uniper and Wintershall, Austria's OMV and France's Englie. The project bypassing conflict-torn Ukraine and also Poland would double the flow of the Nord Stream pipeline currently linking Germany and Russia.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Dubai Mum Becomes the First Ever Pakistani Woman to Climb 11 of the 14 Highest M ..
Over 37% Tobacco tax increase suggested to save lives, boost revenue
Mohsin Naqvi has offered a substantial incentive, pledging $100,000 to every pla ..
Citizens join Al Barsha Police in “An Hour for Dubai” Initiative
Art can be a powerful tool to relieve stress, Experts say at Sharjah Children’ ..
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 5 May 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 05 May 2024
Bugti assures transporters for addressing their problems
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar meets foreign min ..
3 drug peddlers arrested, hashish recovered
1496,990 children given polio drops in five days: DC
Six terrorists killed, hideout busted in N Waziristan IBO: ISPR
More Stories From World
-
Austria climate activist aims to take fight to Brussels
4 minutes ago -
University convocations in U.S. are flashpoints for protests over Israel's Gaza war: Reports
24 minutes ago -
Mitchell rallies Cavs for series-clinching game seven win over Magic
24 minutes ago -
Football: Italian Serie A table
6 hours ago -
Tennis: ATP Madrid Open result
6 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A results - collated
6 hours ago
-
Bodies in Mexico presumed to be missing surfers have bullet wounds to head
7 hours ago -
Rublev battles past Auger-Aliassime to claim Madrid Open title
7 hours ago -
Cesar Luis Menotti, football romantic who led Argentina to first World Cup
7 hours ago -
Football: German Bundesliga table
7 hours ago -
Former Argentina World Cup winning coach Menotti dead at 85 - federation
7 hours ago -
Leverkusen extend unbeaten run to 48 games with win at Frankfurt
7 hours ago