Armenia Environment - 2024

Environment - current issues

soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; deforestation; pollution of Hrazdan and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Climate

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Land use

agricultural land: 59.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 15.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 42% (2018 est.)

forest: 9.1% (2018 est.)

other: 31.2% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 63.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0.28% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 34.13 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 5.16 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 2.91 megatons (2020 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 492,800 tons (2014 est.)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Lake Sevan - 1,360 sq km

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 650 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial: 190 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural: 1.99 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources

7.77 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)