Principal Investigator: Dr. des. Daria Volkova
The project examines preparations for water futures amid multiple uncertainties. For shoreline communities of the Caspian Sea, where water is retreating, there are conflicting predictions. Some experts say that the sea will continue to shallow, while others note that the sea level has fluctuated for decades and will come back. Examining the water futures of shoreline settlements in the Baku (Azerbaijan) and Atyrau (Kazakhstan) regions, this project aims to address specific concerns related to the climate crisis amid fluctuating but steadily declining sea levels.
Drawing on urban studies and environmental geography scholarship, it aims to fill several gaps. First, it seeks to clarify the uncertainties surrounding local water futures. It complements climate models and predictions by focusing on locally embedded and less generalized experiences. This helps to diversify and deepen our understanding of uncertainties driven by the climate crisis. By examining the roles of various actors whose lives are closely tied to the sea—such as fishermen, port workers and managers, ecologists, and environmental activists—the project will identify and categorize livelihood-related, political, social, and environmental uncertainties. Second, the project continues a line of research that shifts from abstract, averaged future scenarios to more detailed futurities that emerge from the present. This will develop the concept of preparations for the future, including strategies that involve narratives, perceptions, plans, and concrete actions. Third, the project will explore the non-human presence in water-related uncertainties and preparations for the futures. Water, although a prominent focus in urban political ecology, is rarely studied outside city water infrastructure. By examining the entanglements of chosen actors with non-humans, the study investigates their role in preparing for the future. The daily lives and work of fishermen, port workers, and ecologists are deeply connected to certain animals like fish and seals, as well as their futures. By looking at if and how uncertainties related to non-humans are addressed in water future preparations for the water futures, this study captures the ways in which more-than-human presence is acknowledged or ignored. By exploring the intersection of water, humans, and animals, this project will deepen our understanding of water manifestations in these settlements and their futures. Fourth, the project will bring a different perspective to the studies on the climate crisis in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which usually focus on a larger scale. Additionally, it will compare two cases with different rates of shoreline retreat: in Atyrau, the sea is shallower than in Baku, and the shoreline is retreating more rapidly. This comparison will further expand our understanding of preparations for water futures in different environmental conditions.
Funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) – Project number 583744401