Environmental Assessment in Russian Law: Can It Promote Sustainable Development in the Russian Arctic?

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 321-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna A. Ignatyeva

Abstract The current plans of the Russian Federation to intensify significantly economic and other activities in Russian Arctic include the widespread exploitation of Arctic natural resources. At the same time, however, high vulnerability of the Arctic environment has been recognized in the country’s legislation. The plans for development in such a vulnerable region as the Arctic give rise to concern as to how it can be realized sustainably. For this reason, it is useful to examine one legal tool of environmental protection, an environmental assessment (EA) procedure, since this institution at least provides the possibility to enable the exploitation of Arctic’s natural resources in a way that protects the environment. Yet, as the article will point out, the conditions for effective EA have been in recent years severely limited, which can be seen in the current legislation. It is hence justifiable to be concerned of the future of Arctic vulnerable environment and, as the article proposes, restore some of the elements of the past EA legislation, which enable a stronger EA mechanism.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7749
Author(s):  
Vera P. Samarina ◽  
Tatiana P. Skufina ◽  
Diana Yu. Savon ◽  
Alexey I. Shinkevich

The territory of the Arctic is of interest from the point of view of the strategic development of the economy. However, the industrialization of the Arctic zone is accompanied by both a positive and a negative influence on the country’s socio-economic development. An analytical review of the research which has been published previously allows us to discuss the issue of sustainable development in the Arctic through the prism of the theory of externalities. Considering this, the paper examines some relevant issues from the standpoints of the concept of sustainable development and scientific and technological progress. Against the background of the identified problems, the purpose of the research is to clarify management decisions in the field of internalization of the externalities of economic development of the Russian Arctic zone. As research methods, the authors have applied comparative analysis, dynamic analysis, the coefficient method, correlational analysis and cluster analysis. An analytical review of scientific works, research tooling and a statistical database concerning the development of the Russian Arctic zone provided the following scientific results: the category of “externalities” in the context of industrialization of the Arctic zone’s territories and their systematization in a number of areas (environmental, innovation, investment, infrastructure, social, etc.) has been clarified; some trends in the degree of neutralization of negative environmental externalities in terms of environmental problems (pollution capture, waste disposal, recycling and wastewater treatment) have been identified; the dynamics of investment per unit of environmental pollution in the context of environmental approaches have been elucidated; the efficiency of investments in environmental preservation measures in the territories of the Russian Arctic zone have been evaluated; positive innovative externality from the investment of own funds in the fixed capital of enterprises have been revealed; the typology of the subjects of the Russian Federation that form part of the Arctic zone, according to the criteria of the intensity of costs for neutralization of negative externalities (territories with high, moderate and low intensity of costs) have been suggested; and a package of measures in order to manage the external effects of economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in the context of sustainable development has been proposed. The practical significance of the results obtained lies in the possibility of taking all of them into account in the implementation of the state program “Socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation”, contributing to the qualitative development of the territories of the Russian Arctic and improving the well-being of the population of the corresponding constituent entities of the Russian Federation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-200
Author(s):  
Vladimir MASLOBOEV ◽  
◽  
Dmitry MAKAROV ◽  
Elena KLYUCHNIKOVA ◽  
◽  
...  

The Murmansk region is a region with the largest enterprises of the mining complex of the Russian Federation: KF JSC “Apatit”, JSC “Kola MMC”, JSC “Olkon”, JSC” Kovdorsky GOK”, JSC” North-West Phosphorus Company”, LLC”Lovozersky GOK”. They provide the majority of the country’s demand for phosphate ores, zirconium raw materials (baddeleyite), niobium, tantalum, and rare earth metals. In addition, the mining and processing of copper-nickel, iron and chrome ores, nepheline and ceramic raw materials, facing stone and building materials is carried out. At the same time, the activities of enterprises have a very negative impact on the environment. The issues of environmental safety in the extraction and processing of minerals, storage of mining waste in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are of particular relevance. The definition of sustainable development in relation to the mining industry is given. The concepts of available best technologies, circular economy, and “green growth” are considered from the point of view of their contribution to sustainable development. It is shown that the sustainable development of enterprises at the present stage is impossible without improving the environmental friendliness of production. The article analyzes the legislation of the Russian Federation and the practice of its application to identify mechanisms that promote sustainable development and eliminate barriers to the implementation of this concept in the mining industry. New technological solutions have been developed for mining enterprises of the Murmansk region, aimed at reducing aero-technogenic emissions, cleaning waste (mine) water, processing tailings of enrichment as man-made deposits, which allows both to minimize man-made environmental impacts and to increase the full use of mineral raw materials. Thus, the expediency of using the principles of “green growth” for the development of economic development policies in the Arctic is justified.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-363
Author(s):  
V. N. Leksin ◽  
B. N. Porfiriev

Purpose: the purpose of the research is to evaluate proposals on the formation of a fundamentally new support and zonal structure for managing the development of the Russian Arctic and related changes in the regulatory and legal support for this development.Methods: research is carried out with the use of interdisciplinary methodologies which integrate specific tools of research of economic, sociological, political science, ecological, legal and other issues of spatial systems’ functioning.Results: there is an active modernization in the production, infrastructure and defense spheres on the territory of the Russian Arctic, the accelerated development of which can be considered a prerequisite for solving the social and economic problems of the integrated development of the whole macroregion. At the same time, the gradual modernization of the institutional and legal bases for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) began. An additional impetus was given to it by the adoption of Decree №1064 of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 31, 2017 on a new state program for the development of the Arctic that made significant adjustments to earlier decisions on public administration and legal support for the development of the Russian Arctic.Conclusions and relevance: the authors showed that one of the main reasons for the slow implementation of the justifiably ambitious intentions of the country's leadership on the complex socio-economic re-development of the Russian Arctic was the underestimation of the importance of modernizing the institutional and legal bases for the re-development of the Russian Arctic. The modernization of the institutional and legal bases of spatial development is becoming an important factor in the stable functioning of not only the state, regions and municipalities, but also for the implementation of any investment projects. The data on innovations in the structure of the institutes and legal regulators of the development of the Russian Arctic confirms the undoubtedly positive potential for modernizing the institutional and legal bases for the spatial development of the Russian Arctic and the need for experimental verification of the decisions taken so that that potential could be fully realized. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 01015
Author(s):  
N.O. Vedysheva

After analyzing the documents of the strategic planning of the Russian Federation, the state policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic until 2035, the author makes an attempt to consider current legal problems in the field of environmental management and environmental protection in the region, ensuring the sustainable development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The article highlights the main threats and risks of ensuring the environmental safety, including when applying innovative, genomic technologies in the field of agriculture. In conclusion, a summary is made about the need to amend the legislation of the Russian Federation in terms of ensuring the environmental safety and sustainable development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation


Author(s):  
I.M. Potravny ◽  

t. Theoretical approaches to the sustainable development of cities and towns in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are considered. As such approaches, the concept of a «green» smart city, the concept of thermal stress in an Arctic city, the concept of a «winter city», the concept of an Arctic base city, the concept of developing coastal Arctic settlements based on the principles of the blue economy (the economy of marine nature management and coastal zones), the concept of ensuring the vital activity of Arctic cities, etc. are analyzed. In addition, the contribution of Arctic cities to environmental pollution and climate change, socio-economic and demographic development of the Arctic zone is analyzed. The development of Arctic cities, especially single-industry towns and settlements is considered in the context of the Republic of Karelia, the Murmansk, Arkhangelsk Regions, the Komi Republic, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The main directions of sustainable development of Arctic cities and towns are substantiated from the point of view of achieving the target indicators of the “Strategy for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and ensuring national security for the period up to 2035”.


Author(s):  
I. N. Rozumovich

The inclusion of the Russian Federation among the list of States that are the most endowed with water resources, which is associated with the significance of the scale of the country’s territory, the issue of revenues and consumption of clean water not only to ensure the well-being of the population and its vital needs, but also to maintain the existence of Thus, the leading direction of the state policy of Russia in the environmental sphere today is to ensure sustainable water use in the territory of the whole state, which is determined through the prism of sustainable development. However, there is no uniform understanding in its disclosure in science and the norms of the current legislation, which becomes an obstacle to the further development, improvement and promotion of concepts and trends of sustainable development. The solution may be the formation of the Sustainable water use Doctrine, which will unite the scientific efforts of Russian scientists-lawyers, economists, sociologists and environmental specialists. Combining the scientific views of the above branches of Russian law, will not only determine the range of problems in each sphere of life, but also will be the starting point for their best solution.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
V N Shelomentsev

Russia in XXI century conducts intensive scientific, economic, transport research in the Arctic zone, which is facilitated by certain climatic conditions. Our state is making great efforts to develop this region and protect its richest natural resources. Although there are certain climatic and ecological changes that lead to warming and shrinking ice cover.


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