Oil Industry in Western Siberia

Smoke coming out of a chimney of an oil industrial complex. Oil spills along with other pollution are poisoning water resources and destroying the traditional habitat of indigenous communities. A team from Greenpeace Russia has investigated and documented the ongoing disaster caused by the oil industry in the area near Noyabrsk, the largest oil town of the Yamalo-Nenets Region, Western Siberia.

Unique identifier: GP03TRQ

Type: Image

Shoot date: 15/03/2012

Locations: Noyabrsk, Russia, Siberia, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

Credit line: © Denis Sinyakov / Greenpeace

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

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Oil Industry Impacts in Western Siberia

In Noyabrsk, the largest oil town of the Yamalo-Nenets Region of Western Siberia, there is a long lasting battle between the local indigenous communities and the oil companies, caused by oil drilling and the resulting environmental devastation. During the last thirty years, the population of Noyabrsk has massively increased, with the many migrants brought in to work for the oil industry. Oil spills along with other pollution are poisoning water resources and destroying the traditional habitat of indigenous groups. As a result the traditional lifestyle and culture of these communities is dying. Greenpeace has investigated and documented the ongoing disaster, revealing how the oil seeps into rivers and farmland. This leaked oil spreads and becomes a thick, heavy mire, suffocating plants and animals, and forcing people to abandon the area. The oil contaminates food and water supplies, and people live with the knowledge that their once clean rivers, forests and air now pose serious health risks.

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