Maps of Sakhalin line the wall. Two laptop computers and a desktop unit make up the heart of the command center. The flat looks like something out of Greenwich Village circa 1970s, and so do its director, Lisitsyn, a geologist, and assistant, Barannikova, an economist specializing in energy developments. The group has four full-time employees and about 20 volunteers tracking the rapid destruction of Sakhalin's forests, rivers, fisheries, and now, its seas. The reason is simple, Barannikova says.
People are very poor.
They don't think about whales because it is too far from their real lives. Lisitsyn predicts that perception will change, but only at a very high cost. The group argues that Sakhalin is entitled to offshore oil-industry environmental standards no lower than those in Norway, Alaska, or the United Kingdom. So far, Lisitsyn says, those standards have not been met. As with any offshore oil project, there is always the possibility of a massive oil spill.