Elimination of accumulated damage was discussed at the forum “Arctic: Present and Future”
The international forum “Arctic: Present and Future” has started in St. Petersburg. At one of the working sessions, the participants discussed the elimination of the accumulated environmental damage in the Arctic.
The Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, Alexei Chekunkov, said that one of the main directions of the Arctic agenda is the elimination of waste accumulated since Soviet times. The federal project “Clean Arctic” helps to clear the unique territory from traces of human activity.
In one season, more than 2 thousand volunteers collected over 1.5 thousand tons of waste in the Arctic. Entrepreneurs also helped activists and regional authorities. Chekunkov expressed hope that large companies will participate in such events.
“In 2021, the project was supported by the business from the Norilsk Nickel company and Russian Railways. I hope that business structures operating in the Arctic territories will be actively involved in the project in each region, “Chekunkov said.
The important role of the enterprises was also noted by the head of the project office of the Clean Arctic, Andrey Nagibin. According to him, it will be extremely difficult to implement the project without business support. Nagibin also spoke about the problems that arose in the course of the work that need to be addressed at the level of legislation. So, the supervisory authorities can now recognize the garbage collected by volunteers as an unauthorized dump. To optimize the cleaning process, the head of the Clean Arctic project office proposed to declare an amnesty for the waste left over from the Soviet era.
“Without a legislative amnesty in the Arctic, we will have to clean as much as we imported, that is, several decades. It is good news that these problems are already being discussed and solutions are being sought. For example, the Federation Council will monitor legislation by the end of January, “Nagibin noted.
Dmitry Kobylkin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, who was one of the first to support the Clean Arctic project, promised to consider legislative initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency of the work of volunteers and their protection.
The head of Rosprirodnadzor Svetlana Radionova also expressed the opinion that it is necessary to build effective interaction between supervisory authorities and companies, as well as create a transparent methodology for assessing environmental damage.
“We have many unresolved issues. This year, I think the parliamentary corps will adopt environmental laws aimed at protecting nature, “- said Radionova.
Andrey Grachev, vice-president of Norilsk Nickel, proposed several economic incentives to eliminate the accumulated damage. For example, introduce low-waste and resource-saving technologies, as well as develop a model for regulating public-private partnerships and a methodology for offsetting the costs of environmental protection measures. Grachev also stressed that he is ready to join the Clean Norilsk to the Clean Arctic project, since their goals are largely similar.
After summing up the results of the first season, the participating regions began to make plans for the next season. The Governor of the Arkhangelsk Region, Alexander Tsybulsky, who helped the volunteers to clean up the territory of the Novodvinsk Fortress, said that the Clean Arctic project helped to attract more attention to the object of federal significance and to launch the process of restoring the first stone bastion fortress in Russia. According to him, restoration work and scientific research will begin in the Novodvinsk Fortress next year.
Ambassador of the project, traveler Fyodor Konyukhov believes that Russia will become an example for the whole world and will be able to share a unique experience if it returns the Arctic to its original appearance .
“My solo expedition to the North Pole, where I was engaged in scientific work on a drifting ice floe, launched the Clean Arctic project. This is a very kind and timely public initiative. We are all responsible for the unique nature of the Arctic. It is our duty to save it, “Konyukhov emphasized.
In addition to the Arkhangelsk region, work within the Clean Arctic project took place in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Yamalo-Nenets and Nenets Autonomous Districts, in the Murmansk Region, in Yakutia , Komi, Karelia and Chukotka.