Emergence and Evolution of Environmental Movement in Georgia

The research presents a historical perspective of emergence and evolution of Georgian environmental movement. The timeline is divided into Soviet and post Soviet periods. Soviet time movement exhibits many similarities with its counterparts from other former Communist block countries. Distinct characteristic of Georgian environmentalism of that period is close ties with national liberation movement and high level of politicization. Post Soviet movement that emerged as a response to international assistance and partly as an attempt to counterweigh the policy of the government oriented exclusively towards economic development is different from Soviet time movement in many ways. Unlike the predecessor, it no longer enjoys widespread popularity among population. Troubled by internal divisions, the focus of modern Georgian environmentalism is directed towards the development projects that bring the issue of environmental protection back into the spotlight, but only for the limited period of time. Economic model of the country s new government is emerging as a novel challenge that Georgian environmentalists have to address.

Autorentext

Candidate, MS in Environment and Resources, University of Wisconsin, Madison; MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary; MS in Thermal Energy, Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia. Research focus: energy systems and the environment