Environmental Management in Emerging Borders: Examining Polycentricity Opportunity in Crimea

Abstract

The Crimean Peninsula is not self-sufficient in terms of water. To ensure regional water security, in 1975, the North Crimean Canal was completed and began diverting water from the Dnieper River to the peninsula. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the canal became transboundary and was blocked by Ukraine. Russia performed various projects to remedy the water shortage. However, those efforts have not permanently solved the problem. The cutoff has had catastrophic consequences on humans and the environment over the years. In February 2022, Russia advanced into Ukraine and hot war broke out, during which the Russian forces blew up the blockage to restore water flow. The canal condition was poor even before the blockage. It is uncertain how functional the canal is after the 8-year-long idleness. In any case, this canal needs to be open and fully functional for the sake of the people and the environment there. Russia and Ukraine collaborating over the canal could be an opportunity for improvement of their relations, which could have benefits on other issues that they are having with each other. This study suggests Russia and Ukraine to devolve authority to their depoliticized and technical level institutions and enable them to engage in extensive cooperation with each other to restore the canal and arrange sustainable water flow, while considering the infrastructure, conflict-cooperation coexistence, and cooling period.