Caspian Sea shrinkage exposes 30,000 hectares; Aliyev flags ecological crisis

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reported at the Caspian Ecological Summit that the Caspian Sea's surface area has shrunk by 20,000 sq km, exposing 30,000 hectares of new land. The decline, driven by climate change and upstream water diversion, threatens regional ecology and coastal infrastructure. The summit signals growing interstate concern, but concrete mitigation measures remain unspecified.