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  environment   Both sociological research and public opinion poll show that people in Russia are concerned about economical and political problems more than about ecological situation in the country. However, the environmental conditions in Russia are far from perfect.  

 

 

 

    

In the beginning of the 21st century the illusion of improvement in Russian environmental situation was caused by large decreases in the volume of output in 1990’s. Volumes of wastewater discharges reached 27.8 billion m3 in early 90’s and 19.8 billion m3 in 2001.

Amounts of airborne emissions from stationary sources amounted to 34 mln tonnes and 19.1 mln tonnes respectively. In 2006 volumes of air emissions show growth by 7.8 % compared to 2001. However volumes of wastewater discharges continue to go down. Data collected in 2006 show decrease by almost 12 % compared to 2001.

During the last decades, concentration of CO2 in the atmospheric air in Russian regions has grown significantly. According to researches, in 2004 more than 20 mln people lived in 40 Russian cities, where concentration of pollutants in the air (fluorine hydride, sulphurated hydrogen, phenol etc.) was several tens of times higher than permissible level of pollution.

Main sources of air pollution are different today from those 20-30 years ago. In the Soviet Union the main air polluters were “stationary sources” – plants and factories. Today when the number of cars sold in Russia each year has grown significantly (30.100 cars sold in 1995, 851 000 – in 2005) they are the main air polluters in densely populated regions.

Careless industrial and agricultural development of the country has also resulted in poor condition of water resources: the Volga, the Don, Lake Baikal, Azov and Caspian Sea and other water reservoirs. Concentration of phenol, zinc, pesticides, copper; lead is times higher than permissible levels. Because of poor condition of water and liquid waste treatment plants and systems, the quality of drinking water is quite low.

It is clear that air and water pollution is still one of the most urgent ecological and economical problems of Russia. At the same time numbers published by Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, show steady growth of the amount of financial means spent on nature preservation projects: 76 832 mln roubles in 2001 and 162 940 mln roubles in 2006, where 57.1% goes to water resources conservancy, 24.9% - to protection of the atmospheric air, 14.8% - to protection of the environment from production and consumption wastes and 3.2% - to land restoration.

One of the most important Norwegian-Russian environmental projects, one should mention a reconstruction of Pechenganickel Factory close to the Norwegian-Russian Border (anti-pollution equipment), a project worth several hundreds of millions NOK and financed by Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sources: Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, “Environmental status in Russia” by Kazantseva and Tagaeva, ECO Magazine, nr 11, 2005.

 

Did you know…
According to a poll carried out by FOM Research Centre, 28% of Russians say the environment is suffering from people themselves and their activities, especially when "we ourselves are throwing garbage everythere". Another 21% blame cars for pollution.
 

General information
Bellona - environmental news and issues about Russia (nor/rus/eng)
Federal Service on meteorology and environmental monitoring in Russia  - official site, Roshydromet, conducts maintenance of the consumers by the hydrometeorological information, news, activities (eng/rus)
Federal Service on ecological control in Russia  - official site: structure, news, international cooperation, personnel selection, execution of the budget (rus)
Fridtjof Nansen Instutute - an independent foundation engaged in research on international environmental, energy and resource management politics (eng)
Environmental cooperation with the RF - official information by the Ministry of Environment (nor)
Natur og Ungdom - about environmental issues in the Russian Federation (nor)
Nordic Environment Finance Corperation - environmental projects in Central and Eastern Europe (eng)
The Norwegian - Russian cooperation on environmental issues (nor/rus/eng)
Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas - Barents Sea - a working document from the WWF (nor)
Russian Regional Environmental Centre - Economical mechanisms of The Kyoto Protocol; Environmental technologies; Environmental protection; Pollution and impacts; Global problems and sustainable development; Climate change problem etc (eng/rus)
Svanhovd Miljoesenter - news from Northwest Russia (nor/rus/eng)
UMASS - Political Economy Research Institute - Russia's mineral resources: reconfiguration of Institutional framework (eng)