This book reviews the current status of water resources management in Central Asian countries, and outlines the history, policies and cross-border cooperation regarding water resources management in the region. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of water resources management in Central Asia, past and future water transfer projects, specific problems concerning water use and pollution, and national approaches to water management in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as to related conflicts between the Central Asian countries. Together with the companion volumes on Water Resources in Central Asia: International Context and Water Bodies and Climate Change in Central Asia, it offers a valuable source of information for a broad readership, from students and scientists interested in the environmental sciences, to policymakers and practitioners working in the fields of water resources policy and management, international relations, and environmental issues.

This book highlights various aspects of shale gas production and discusses the associated problems, which have greatly influenced the current situation on the global gas market. It focuses on issues such as production technologies, environmental protection, and the impacts of shale gas production on human beings. Further, it investigates the role of shale gas in the development and implementation of foreign policy of many nations that welcomed the possibility to produce this hydrocarbon in their own countries. Taking into consideration the information published by world energy research centers, the prospects of shale gas production in different regions of the world are examined in detail. Given its coverage and scope, the book will greatly benefit specialists in the areas of hydrocarbon production, international relations and foreign policy, world economics and technologies, ecology and environmental protection.

This book outlines the current status of water resources management in Central Asia countries, and provides a review of the history, policies and transboundary cooperation regarding water resources in the region. Particular attention is given to the water-energy-food-environmental nexus, and to the application of the UNECE Environmental Conventions in Central Asia. Readers will also learn about the US and German environmental policies applied in Central Asia, and will discover specific case studies on water resources policies in Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan. Together with the companion volumes on Water Bodies and Climate Change in Central Asia and Water Resources Management in Central Asia, it offers a valuable source of information for a broad readership, from students and scientists interested in the environmental sciences, to policymakers and practitioners working in the fields of water resources policy and management, international relations, and environmental issues.

This book concisely describes the architecture of the oil and gas pipelines in the Black-Caspian Seas Region and analyzes the status quo and perspectives of oil and gas production in this region. The authors present numerous projects, each of which has made a substantial contribution to the development of pipeline transport and transit in this part of the world, and discuss them in detail. The topics covered include: the region's geographic characteristics; the region's hydrocarbon potential; Russian and EU policy on pipeline transport; Kazakhstan's pipeline policy; Chinese pipeline projects; the Bulgarian gas transmission system; environmental risks in the production and transportation of hydrocarbons; satellite monitoring; and subsea leak detection. This volume offers a valuable resource for politicians, specialists in the oil and gas business, decision-makers, and environmentalists alike.

This book reviews the current status of water resources management in Central Asian countries, and outlines the history, policies and cross-border cooperation regarding water resources management in the region. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of water resources management in Central Asia, past and future water transfer projects, specific problems concerning water use and pollution, and national approaches to water management in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as to related conflicts between the Central Asian countries. Together with the companion volumes on Water Resources in Central Asia: International Context and Water Bodies and Climate Change in Central Asia, it offers a valuable source of information for a broad readership, from students and scientists interested in the environmental sciences, to policymakers and practitioners working in the fields of water resources policy and management, international relations, and environmental issues.

This book highlights various aspects of shale gas production and discusses the associated problems, which have greatly influenced the current situation on the global gas market. It focuses on issues such as production technologies, environmental protection, and the impacts of shale gas production on human beings. Further, it investigates the role of shale gas in the development and implementation of foreign policy of many nations that welcomed the possibility to produce this hydrocarbon in their own countries. Taking into consideration the information published by world energy research centers, the prospects of shale gas production in different regions of the world are examined in detail. Given its coverage and scope, the book will greatly benefit specialists in the areas of hydrocarbon production, international relations and foreign policy, world economics and technologies, ecology and environmental protection.

This book concisely describes the architecture of the oil and gas pipelines in the Black-Caspian Seas Region and analyzes the status quo and perspectives of oil and gas production in this region. The authors present numerous projects, each of which has made a substantial contribution to the development of pipeline transport and transit in this part of the world, and discuss them in detail. The topics covered include: the region's geographic characteristics; the region's hydrocarbon potential; Russian and EU policy on pipeline transport; Kazakhstan's pipeline policy; Chinese pipeline projects; the Bulgarian gas transmission system; environmental risks in the production and transportation of hydrocarbons; satellite monitoring; and subsea leak detection. This volume offers a valuable resource for politicians, specialists in the oil and gas business, decision-makers, and environmentalists alike.

Over recent decades, the Arctic has been the focus of attention of many countries around the world. The region is not yet fully explored, but is believed to have plentiful natural mineral resources. This is particularly true for hydrocarbons, which are estimated to account for a quarter of the world's reserves. Natural and climatic transformations, caused by global warming and the accelerated melting of Arctic ice, have led to the extension of the navigation season of the Northern Sea Route. Interest in Arctic oil and gas fields is growing due to the depletion of traditional onshore hydrocarbon deposits, rising prices and increased consumption. Despite the challenging conditions of hydrocarbon production in the Arctic, rapid development is expected in this region as main oil fields in Russia deplete. This has intensified the negotiation process and defined the international legal regime in the Arctic. This book explores the future of the Arctic, including geographical changes resulting from climate change, the region's deposit of hydrocarbon resources, the Arctic's international legal status, the state of scientific research in the Arctic, and more.

The monograph is devoted to the modern development of the Ukrainian state, which appeared on the political map after 1991. The movement to the independence of Ukraine began even before the collapse of the USSR. In the late 1980s, the Ukrainian authorities, represented by the Communists of Ukraine, began to pursue a policy aimed at isolating the republic's economic and political system from the central authorities. Such a policy in a short time transformed into a national movement, focused on the republic's withdrawal from the united Union, and the establishment of Ukraine as an independent state. The process of formation of the political elite of Ukraine, its ideological views, which for decades have determined the internal and external policies of the Ukrainian state, are explored. The book examines the factor of regional development of Ukraine, the role of the historical factor in the formation and development of the modern Ukrainian state. The territory of Ukraine is a "mosaic" of individual regions, which for a long time were part of different states. This factor had a huge impact on the formation of modern Ukraine, laying the inter-regional contradictions. The significance of the economic problems that Ukraine faced is analyzed. A lot of attention is given to the internal political struggle that has developed since independence. The struggle of the political elites of Ukraine at times reached violent terms, which led to internal political crises. Throughout the entire period of independent development, Ukraine was torn by internal contradictions. Issues of language, identity and culture were constantly used by the Ukrainian elites in the struggle for power. The book shows the evolution of Ukraine's foreign policy. The policy towards European integration and the expansion of relations with NATO was formed gradually, under the influence of internal and external factors. It is concluded that the foreign policy of the Ukrainian state was consistent and aimed at weakening relations with Russia. A similar policy was pursued by all Ukrainian presidents, each of whom contributed to the course of Ukraine towards rapprochement with the EU and the United States of America. In recent years, Ukraine has not been able to overcome internal contradictions. Interregional differences, the history of the formation of the Ukrainian state, continue to have a negative impact on the process of the formation of Ukraine as an independent state. The victory in the election of the new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, opened up a new stage in the development of Ukraine, which leaves a lot of room for academic discussions of the country's future.