NATIONS bordering the Caspian Sea last week signed a historic agreement to protect the largest inland body of water in the world from environmental degradation caused by industry, overfishing and oil leaks. On the same day, the World Bank announced it would help fund a new oil pipeline in the region and develop a nearby oilfield.
The bank announced its decision hours before Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan met in Tehran to sign their first legally binding treaty, known as the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. A spokesperson for UN Secretary…
