Day 1 for Chp. 15-17 1. Chernobyl 2. Aral Sea 3. Ural Mtns. 4. Silk Road

Following World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in the development of nuclear energy, as both an instrument of war and peace.

Government officials immediately warned people in the area and put their evacuation plan into effect. President Carter came on TV to explain what was going on to the country.

Although NO deaths could be directly connected with the disaster at Three Mile Island, the US public became suspicious of the dangers of nuclear power has not built a new nuclear power plant in nearly 30 years! The disaster also lead to INCREASED GOVERNMENT REGULATION of nuclear power in the US.

CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE April 26, 1986 Four hundred times more fallout (radiation) was released than had been by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan

A 2005 report attributed 56 direct deaths (47 accident workers, and nine children with thyroid cancer), and estimated that there may be 4,000 extra cancer deaths among the approximately 600,000 most highly exposed people.

Damage Report : The Facts April 26, 1986, a poorly planned safety experiment led to the explosion, which was made worse by a faulty reactor. The world’s worst civilian nuclear accident. Contaminated around 100,000sq. mi. of land in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Approx. 250,000 people evacuated and resettled. Chernobyl continued to produce power until it shut down on Dec. 15, 2000. Cost related to the disaster have been estimated at over $300 billion.

Soviet Destruction of the Aral Sea Plundering the Earth Soviet Destruction of the Aral Sea

For centuries the land-locked Aral Sea provided a tremendous fishing industry for the people of Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan.

Cotton grows well south of the Aral Sea. So in the 1960s, the Soviet government had a bright idea. . . to produce cotton in that area of Uzbekistan. The Soviet officials in Moscow decided that Uzbekistan should grow as much cotton as the American South. By putting that in their 5 Year Plan that meant that Uzbekistan was commanded to do so.

In order to grow cotton on such a vast scale, the Soviet government made the decision to dam up the rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea in order to have fresh water for irrigation of the cotton crop.

Damming the rivers caused many problems for the Aral Sea, as well as the people who lived near it. Less water going into the Aral Sea increased the Aral Sea’s salinity (amount of salt dissolved in the water) The higher salinity level of salt in the water killed the fish that once thrived in the Aral Sea. No fish basically destroyed the fishing industry. Some fishermen became cotton farmers, but knew nothing about farming. So, the cotton industry was a failure. The Aral Sea has nearly completely dried up turned the entire area into a salty desert wasteland. Thus the Uzbekistan region lost both its agriculture and its fishing industry.

That is how a Command Economy works! Today once-proud fishing vessels sit in the middle of a crusted, salty desert, grim reminders of the careless attitude of the Soviet Union, the greatest enemy of the environment in the history of the world. That is how a Command Economy works!

Lasting Effects… Between 1960 and today the Aral Sea lost over 80% of its water. Runoff from pesticides and fertilizers used by cotton growers ended up in the Aral Sea and none of the 24 native species of fish are left in the Sea today.

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains separate the Northern European and West Siberian plains. Many recognize the Urals as a dividing line between Europe and Asia.

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains (Уральские горы, Uralskie gory, the Stone Belt) run roughly north and south through Russia to Kazakhstan for a little more than 1,500 mi.  

… Ural Mountains The Central Urals contain important mineral and metal deposits, such as iron, copper, chromium, nickel, coal and oil. It is one of the most industrialized regions of Russia.

The Silk Road The Silk Road was a place where merchants trade items and valuable things. It is 7000 miles longs from Asia all the way to Europe. It connected the Yellow River to the Mediterranean Sea.

…The Silk Road Merchants trade all kinds of things, for example: gold, silver, ivory, rugs, spices, food, clothing, jewelry, furniture, and even animals.

…The Silk Road The Silk Road also became a route for spreading ideas, technology, and religion. What religions might spread on the Silk Road?