Monday, June 1, 2009

Lake Baikal Environmentalist Awarded Eco Prize



Lake Baikal (left) is a very geologically important lake in Siberia. It is the oldest and deepest in the world with indigenous species living in it's environs like the Omul fish. It is 1.5 kilometers deep and regularly belches out methane, a greenhouse gas that creates what are called ice rings kilometers across that are visible from space.

Lake Baikal faces threats from a number of industries, primarily mining and fishing (left). But there is another threat and it takes the form of a uranium enrichment plant. Environmentalist Marina Rikhvanova has campaigned for the stoppage of the construction of the factory. She believes that the radioactive material involved will eventually be released into the lake in an accident that will be waiting to happen once the facility is up and running.

Rikhvanova's efforts have earned her the Goldman Environmental Prize and has raised awareness on the plight of the lake which is technically protected by a UNESCO declaration. It's officially a World Heritage Site.

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