COP17 puts Armenia’s environmental record in the spotlight

The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP17, opened in Yerevan last weekend, the first time the summit has been hosted by a former Soviet republic. The Armenian government has celebrated the occasion as a chance to present the country as a leader in environmental protection, but hosting has also drawn attention to Armenia's own record.

In an opinion piece published by Al Jazeera on October 24, Russian economist and sociologist Vladislav Inozemtsev argues that this record raises serious questions. He cites Yale University's 2026 Environmental Performance Index, in which Armenia ranks 75th out of 177 countries, including 164th for waste management and 165th for wastewater treatment, and notes that forests cover only 11.1 percent of the country.

Mining is central to his argument. He points to large open-pit copper-molybdenum mines and says the World Bank has identified mining as a significant source of environmental pollution in Armenia. The controversial Amulsar gold mine was inaugurated just days before COP17, a move condemned by environmental groups, while human rights organizations have documented intimidation and lawsuits targeting activists campaigning against it.

Armenia's Economy Minister has defended Amulsar on economic grounds, saying it could contribute between 1.5 and 2 percent of GDP and about $130 million a year in taxes and other payments.

At the summit, governments are reviewing progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, and are expected to finalize a 'Yerevan Pathway' to speed up implementation. Inozemtsev argues that participating governments should use the meeting to press Armenia to strengthen environmental protections, enforce pollution controls, and ensure credible environmental impact assessments.