Transit Trade Growth Complicates Pollution Problem in Caucasus

Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan intend to spend millions of dollars in the coming years developing international trade corridors in the South Caucasus. While such investment may boost prosperity, it is likely to exacerbate a pernicious environmental and health challenge: air pollution. A lack of environmental regulation of industry – along with the explosive growth of automobiles – since the Soviet Union’s collapse means that many cities in the Caucasus are often engulfed in smog. The expansion of trade that regional leaders…