Human Environment Interaction
in Russia and the Republics
Economic Growth with
Environmental Damage
Government Policies of the Soviet Union
Under the command economy, the Soviet
government controlled all aspects of the
economy.
 They controlled the land for farming, mining for
resources and factory production.
 After WWII, the Soviet Union enters into the
Cold War with the U.S.
 The Soviet Union began to:
1) Build up their military
2) rapidly industrialize for
self-sufficiency

Government Policies of the Soviet
Union
 Under
Joseph
Stalin, rapid
industrialization
became
important
 Farms, factories
and power plants
were built very
quickly with little
regard for the
environment
TOPIC
Volga River
Aral Sea
Chernobyl
ISSUE
CAUSES
EFFECTS
1) The Volga
The Volga
Pollution of the Volga River



During rapid industrialization, many factories were built along
the Volga
Some pollution is trash but most is from chemical factories
The water is harmful to drink, harmful to the fish and causes
sickness
This is the Volga River.
This is the Caspian Sea,
notice the brown sludge
the Volga is dumping in
it.
This is the Volga River
Delta.
Volga River
Pollution of the Volga River

Damming for industrial purposes causes
flooding
Pollution of the Volga River

Pollution from an oil spill
Pollution of the Volga River

Clean-up efforts are underway
2) The Aral Sea
Watch Aral Sea Video
The Aral Sea
Issue:
Cause(s):
Effect(s):
Government Policies of the Soviet
Union
•
•
In the 1950’s, the
government began
diverting water from
the Amu Dayra and
Syr Dayra Rivers
(which feed into the
Aral Sea) to irrigate
cotton fields.
Cotton, “white gold,”
was supposed to
save them
The Shrinking Aral Sea
So the sea
began to
shrink.
The Shrinking Aral Sea
The Shrinking Aral Sea

Original border
Original Borders
The Shrinking Aral Sea

Dust storms make the environment even
more harsh
Shrinking Aral Sea

Desertification (expansion of deserts to the
outer moist regions) of the Aral Sea region led
to this…
Shrinking Aral Sea
Shrinking Aral Sea
ocho.uwaterloo.ca
Shrinking Aral Sea
Shrinking Aral Sea
3) Chernobyl Power Plant
Issue:
Cause(s):
Watch Chernobyl Video
Effect(s):
Government Policies of the Soviet
Union
Soviet policies also
affected the
production of energy
To industrialize quickly
and build up the
military, nuclear
power plants like
Chernobyl were built.
BUT… there were
problems.
Chernobyl Explosion
1986 Chernobyl, located in Ukraine,
exploded
 The cause was human error
 People and the environment suffered
because of radiation

Chernobyl Explosion
Chernobyl Explosion
Chernobyl Explosion
Inside the plant
Chernobyl Explosion
Chernobyl with its concrete sarcophagus
Chernobyl Effects
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/115444009_0f7e30db97.jpg
Chernobyl Effects
Chernobyl Effects
Chernobyl Effects
Chernobyl Effects
Chernobyl Effects
Chernobyl Effects
Chernobyl Effects
Questions on Government Policies
of the Soviet Union
1)
Why did the Soviet Union dam the rivers that
fed the Aral Sea and what effect did it have on
the environment?
2)
Why did rapid industrialization (the quick
building of power plants) lead to the Chernobyl
disaster?
3)
What actions could the Soviet government
have taken to protect the environment and
people of the region?