The Aral Sea Desertification: A Chain Reaction of Economic and Social Consequences on the Local Population

Abstract Book of the 12th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

Year: 2026

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The Aral Sea Desertification: A Chain Reaction of Economic and Social Consequences on the Local Population

Elizaveta Berdinskikh

ABSTRACT:

The Aral Sea, once the fourth-largest salt lake on Earth, has lost over 90% of its volume since the 1960s due to unsustainable irrigation for cotton cultivation. This environmental catastrophe triggered a systemic chain reaction: fish disappeared, factories closed, unemployment rose, and public health suffered a major crisis. The study reveals a vicious cycle between ecology and economy. Short‑term economic goals (cotton production) destroyed the region’s ecological foundation. In turn, the degraded environment collapsed the local economy — fishing vanished, the fish processing plant bankrupted, and the area became dependent on state subsidies. Thus, ecology is broken for economic gain, then economy suffers on the ruins of ecology, forming a self‑reinforcing downward spiral.This qualitative research investigates how local residents perceive and cope with these consequences. It is based on unstructured interviews with former factory workers, teachers, volunteers, and young people in Aralsk, Kazakhstan, as well as on official statistics and existing research. The study concludes that ecology is the existential foundation of regional economy and society. Breaking the vicious cycle requires shifting policy from unrealistic sea restoration to supporting local health, alternative livelihoods, and sustainable tourism. The Aral Sea serves as a warning that when the environment collapses, everything built upon it collapses as well.

Keywords: Environmental Catastrophe; Ecology-Economy Cycle; Social Consequences; Public Health; Qualitative Research