Strategic Action Programme
for Protection of the Russian
Arctic Environment
Moscow 2009
Strategic Action Program
for Protection of the Russian
Arctic Environment
Approved by Maritime Board
at the Government of the Russian Federation
(Minutes of Meeting dated 19 June 2009, No.2 (11), Section I, par. 2)
Moscow 2009
This document was developed by Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian
Federation on a basis of the materials of the UNEP/GEF Project "Russian Federation
Support to the National Programme of Action for the Protection of the Arctic Marine
Environment"
Electronic version of the document is available at the Project website:
http://npa-arctic.ru
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Strategic Action Program
for Protection of the Russian Arctic Environment
1. General
The Strategic Action Program for Protection of the Russian Arctic Environment (SAP-
Arctic) is directed to preserve and protect Arctic environment and to eliminate negative
environmental impacts from economic and other activities.
SAP-Arctic was developed in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian
Federation, federal laws, and other regulations of the Russian Federation. It conforms
with accepted principles and rules of international law, while taking into consideration
the domestic and international practice of environmental protection. It defines the
principles, goals, objectives and main activities to ensure protection of the environment
in the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation (the Russian Arctic), considering its
growing importance in the regional and global context.
SAP-Arctic is a framework document, the provisions of which are to be taken into
account when drafting governmental, federal, regional and corporate programs for the
development of industrial and other processes in the Russian Arctic.
The scope of SAP-Arctic is the Russian Arctic, including the Republic of Komi, and
Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous District, where pollution sources have a substantial
impact on the Arctic environment.
2. Current Environmental Situation in the Russian Arctic
Compared to other regions of the Planet and highly populated areas of the Russian
Federation, Arctic remains relatively clean. However, of intensive economic activity in
the Russian Arctic created the environmental "hot spots" 1 . These "hot spots" are
locations where environmental degradation has reached threatening volumes. The
levels of pollution in these locations are considerably higher than the maximum
allowable levels.. In the "hot spot" areas, the natural ecosystems are disturbed and
often destroyed, resulting in a substantial damage to the health of the local population
and traditional life styles of the Arctic indigenous communities.. Note that the
destruction of fragile Arctic ecosystems may be irreversible. Over 100 hot spots (with
30 priority locations) have been identified in the Russian Arctic. (Annex 1).
Since the 1930s, the Russian Arctic became a region under intensive development, to
include mining, metallurgy, forestry, woodworking, pulp-and-paper production, and
other branches of industry as well as transportation sector. The increasingly rapid
development of the oil and gas sector in the Russian Arctic , including the plans to
develop the continental shelf of the Barents and other Arctic seas intensified the threat
of degradation of the environment on a local scale that can grow into a larger regional
problem. The ongoing global climate changes is aggravating negative impacts of man-
induced factors on the Russian Arctic requiring urgent measures to both mitigate the
existing environmental damage and to prevent the escalating environmental threats.
1 A "hot spot" means a limited area, within which man-induced pollution sources have adverse environmental
impacts. Such areas demonstrate pollution of the environmental components the level of which is many times higher
than the allowable limits. There is also degradation of the ecosystems, deterioration of the public health, loss of
biodiversity, and disturbance of life support systems.
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The detailed diagnostic analysis of the current situation and forecasting of the potential
environmental changes in the Russian Arctic were used to identify the following priority
environmental issues in the region:
Environmental pollution (transboundary transport of pollutants by water and air,
and oil, chemical, and radiation contamination) and deterioration of the quality
of surface and ground waters in the coastal areas of the Russian Arctic;
Land degradation and irresponsible use of land
Changes in biodiversity and depletion of biological resources;
Deterioration of the living conditions and environment of the indigenous
population of the Russian Arctic and disruptions of their traditional use of
natural resources;
Negative consequences and threats from the ongoing global climate changes.
2.1. Environmental pollution and the deterioration of surface and ground
water quality of the coastal areas of the Russian Arctic
The sources of environmental pollution in the Russian Arctic are as follows:
Transboundary atmospheric and aquatic transport of contaminants, including
atmospheric transport of the by-products of fuel combustion, the decomposition
and emissions of petroleum, dust, and heavy metals from industrial activities
and transport of pollutants by the Gulf Stream system;
Solid waste accumulation from industrial production and consumption; illegal and
unsupervised waste disposal;
transport of pollutants by the major rivers, including the spring thawing of snow
cover and river ice which in turn is contaminated by substances transported
through the atmospheric streams from other continents and is being
accumulated throughout the winter period;
the discharges of polluted wastewater by industrial enterprises, municipal
facilities, and mobile sources (all types of transport, including marine and river
fleets, aircraft, vehicles, and oil pipelines) into the seas and the rivers which flow
into the Arctic Ocean;
accidental spills of petroleum and petroleum products on land and into the seas;
natural siphoning sources in oil and gas areas and on the shelf zone of the Arctic
seas;
operation of engineering facilities in the coastal zone of the Arctic seas.
Transboundary atmospheric and aquatic transport of pollutants is the highest-priority
problem for the Russian Arctic, because the Arctic region accumulated significant
sources of transboundary pollution. Also, due to the tropospheric transport of
contaminants, the Russian Arctic is turning into a region of global deposits of
contaminants emitted into the atmosphere in Western Europe, North America, and Asia.
The two major Arctic Regions s which now contribute to tropospheric transboundary
transport of contaminants include the Kola Peninsula and Norilsk. Every year, about 4
million metric tons of sulfur dioxide and hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon
monoxide and nitrogen oxides enter into the atmosphere in these regions. The main
pollutants involved in the two-way transboundary transfer of atmospheric and water
currents in the Russian Arctic are sulfates, sulfides and chlorides, phosphates,
petroleum products, and organic chlorine substances.
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Up to 1 billion tons of waste rock and solid waste are generated every year in the
Russian Arctic. Large areas of waste piles and solid waste are concentrated in
Murmansk Oblast, the lower reaches of the Pechora River in the Nenets Autonomous
Okrug, in the southern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in the Norilsk
Industrial District, in northern Yakutia, and in the areas adjacent to gold-mining
districts on the Chukchi Peninsula. The consequences of unregulated waste build-up are
continual pollution of the land, ground waters, and soils; the degradation of natural
ecosystems, the destruction of traditional plant and animal habitats, and the formation
of new man-made habitats populated by associations of introduced plant species.
Oil pollution of the Arctic basin reached high levels. Every year several hundred
thousand tones of petroleum products are transported by rivers into the Arctic seas.
Severe pollution of surface waters has been found beyond the boundaries of oil- and
gas-bearing deposits and even the basins of the rivers flowing into the Arctic seas.
There are data that show that in the ground waters of the Middle Ob Oil and Gas
District (Western Siberia) there are petroleum hydrocarbons, phenols, and other
pollutants associated with oil and gas production in concentrations that exceed the
maximum allowable concentrations (MACs). The concentration of petroleum products
found in ground waters in certain sectors of the Timan-Pechora Oil and Gas Basin
reaches levels equivalent to several dozens MACs.
Direct ingress of crude oil into the marine environment, freshwater bodies, and onto the
coastal landscapes of the Russian Arctic is currently limited in nature and not viewed as
a factor that exacerbates the environmental situation in the region. The threat of
polluting the marine environment with oil is associated with plans to produce oil on the
continental shelf of the Russian Federation. In the Russian Arctic, the oil and gas cluster
is based on the existing fields such as Prirazlomnoe, Shtokman, Severo-Medynsky,
Severo-Guliaevsky, Varandei Sea, Pomorsky, Dolginsky, etc. and it will grow as other
promising fields are opened up. Most hydrocarbon resources (about 70 percent) are in
the seas of the western Arctic the Barents, Pechora, and Kara seas. Within the next
decade the transport of oil by sea from the West Arctic, in particular, from the White,
Barents, and Pechora seas may increase several times over.
Chemical contamination in the Arctic poses a hazard because of the low assimilative
capacity of its marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The concentration of heavy metals in
soils, plants, and animals, in water and snow, in sea ice and bottom sediments is
increasing nearly everywhere. More than 30 percent of polluted wastewater is
discharged into the aquatic environment of the region. Many marine expanses of the
Barents, White, Kara, and Laptev seas hold concentrations of pollutants that exceed
maximum allowable concentrations two or three times over. The Kola Bay, the Barents
Sea, the Pechora Sea, the lower reaches of the Pechora River, and the Ob Bay are
among the areas with the highest levels of contamination.
The man acidifying substances are sulfur and nitrogen compounds emitted by
transport, industrial enterprises and thermal power stations fired with coal and furnace
oil. Long distance transportation of these substances is the main factor of impact on the
quality of air in the Arctic, in particular in winter. Acid pollution is becoming a serious
environmental problem in the areas adjacent to a number of industrial centers. The
combined impact of acid precipitations and stress load, that is being caused by severe
climate, increases the probability of damage to vegetation in the Arctic. Acid rains also
cause leaching (washing) of metals from the tailings, rock refuse, clinker, with metals
getting into rivers, lakes, and seas.
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Deterioration of the drinking water quality is another priority problem. Poor quality of
drinking water is observed in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets
Autonomous Okrug, where the concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the drinking
water intake is as high as 10 to 35 of MAC. High levels of contamination in the water
bodies that are sources of drinking water supply are a permanent feature in Murmansk
Oblast due to the discharges of wastewater from the metallurgical mills and mining
companies. The situation becomes particularly dangerous during the spring thawing
period, when toxic forms of metal accumulated in winter time, get into water bodies in
large amounts. The Russian Arctic has no major sources of persistent organic pollutants
(POP). The existing local sources of POPs are as a rule associated with operational and
retired electrical equipment, barrels containing used oils and other fuels and lubricants,
stockpiles and haphazard stores of obsolete pesticides.
Most of the POPs enter the region's environment as a result of long-range transport of
atmospheric fluxes, rivers, and ocean currents originating in Asia, Europe, and North
America. Because of their exceptional lipophilism, most chlororganic compounds
accumulate in the fatty tissues of species in the food chain where the highest
concentrations of pollutants are found in the subcutaneous fat and adipose tissues of
animals at the upper levels of the food chain (for example, polar bears, seals, and
whales). This poses potential hazards for indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the
North who consume a large amount of lipid-rich food products provided by hunting and
fishing. In the Russian Arctic, the POPs concentrations that are a threat to the health of
the indigenous population are the highest in the circumpolar Arctic.
The Russian Arctic has felt the impacts of global anthropogenic sources of
radionuclides. The main source of radiation contamination, which is having and will
continue to have impacts for hundreds and thousands of years to come (as long-lived
radionuclides decay), is the nuclear weapons testing carried out by the USA, USSR,
China, United Kingdom, and France in1945-90. The 1986 Chernobyl accident was an
additional source of radionuclides entering the Arctic environment.
The ocean currents of the Gulf Stream system continue, though to a lesser degree than
before, to transport radionuclides across borders from the West European nuclear
facilities at Sellafield and Dounreay (United Kingdom) and La Hague (France).
The region also has large potential sources of radiation contamination associated with
the activities of the naval and civilian nuclear fleet and spread along the entire northern
coast of the Kola Peninsula and near Severodvinsk on the White Sea. The storage sites
for spent nuclear fuel are a potential danger including containers with spent nuclear fuel
sunk in the sea off Novaia Zemlia. Other potentially dangerous sources of radiation are
the Kola and Bilibino nuclear power plants.
Radioisotopic thermo-electric generators (RITEGs), which are used in navigation
equipment, present a special problem when their service lives have expired. If handled
improperly, they can present a lethal threat of irradiation, while lack of proper control
over nuclear materials increases the risks of such materials getting into the hands of
terrorists. At present, the inventorying and replacement of most RITEGs in the western
part of the Russian Arctic has been completed, and this should be continued in the
Sakha Republic and Chukchi Autonomous Okrug
2.2. Land Degradation and Land-Use Impairments
Human-caused fragmentation of the soil and vegetative cover in the Arctic cause the
degradation of Arctic lands and can in the long run of lead to irreversible environmental
consequences.
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Large pockets of degraded lands have been formed in forest-tundra and southern
tundra areas as a result of logging and tundra and forest fires. Parts of the cut-over and
burn areas have become waterlogged. Zonal vegetation in the Arctic restores itself
much more slowly than in more southerly regions. The alteration of domestic reindeer
pastures, which cover more than 334.7 million ha in all, has now reached as high as 63
percent. In all, degraded land accounts for 1-3 percent of the total area of the mainland
Arctic, but near the copper and nickel combines of Norilsk, Monchergorsk, and
Pechenga, the soil cover is disturbed for a radius of dozens of km and natural
landscapes are noticeably transformed.
Soil, thermokarsts and thermal erosion at the current stage of development in the
Russian Arctic are increasingly evident in industrial centers and along linear structures
such as oil and gas pipelines, railways, highways, and power lines. The area of
unrehabilitated lands grows by 5,000-6,000 ha annually in the oil industry, 2,500-3,000
ha in the natural gas industry, and 400-500 ha under pipeline construction.
The techniques for land restoration are ineffective in the Arctic, and regionally adapted
schema for land restoration are lacking. Traditional restoration methods are used for
about 50 percent of lands impaired by natural gas production, and 60-70 percent for
lands impaired by oil production and non-ferrous metallurgy.
2.3. Biodiversity Change and Depletion of Biological Resources
Biodiversity change, and reduced populations and habitat transformation of rare Arctic
species is a phenomenon of recent decades, when climate change and large-scale
economic development have made the remote regions of the Russian Arctic more
accessible and when pressures on biological resources have grown. Of special concern
is the status of rare Arctic species, including red-listed species such as polar bear,
Atlantic walrus, whales and other cetaceans, snow sheep, certain species and
subspecies of whitefish and salmon, and waterfowl and shorebirds such as geese, brant,
and waders.
Uncontrolled utilization of biological resources including uncontrolled takes of oceanic
and migratory fish and other sea food, the poaching of wild reindeer, fur-bearing
mammals, and waterfowl and widespread poaching are the highest-priority ecological
problem, since they can lead to the loss of biodiversity in some regions of the Russian
Arctic.
Poaching in the Arctic is financially comparable to, or even larger than, legal hunting
and fishing for the commercial market (seafood, salmon, caviar, velvet antlers and
meat of wild reindeer, spring hunting for geese and brant, etc.). The poachers are
primarily local residents who are isolated from the modern economy and have very low
incomes. In the high Arctic, bird rookeries are subject to human impacts on individual
islands and the mainland coast.
The alteration of ecosystems in the Russian Arctic has long been confined to no more
than 1-3 percent of the areas of the polar deserts and tundra. Now, with larger-scale
development and increasing fragmentation of the soil and vegetative cover of the
Arctic, the threat to biodiversity loss in ecosystems and the widespread alteration of
ecosystems have become increasingly obvious. The forest ecosystems at their northern
limit (Murmansk Oblast, the Sakha Republic) and shrub ecosystems (Chukchi and
Nenets Autonomous Okrugs) have shrunk so much that their restoration is in doubt.
The diversity and areas of coastal, lowland, and delta ecosystems meadows, thickets,
and lowland forests and others -- have shrunk considerably in certain regions of the
Russian Arctic. Pockets of degraded reindeer pastures have been observed in recent
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years in the Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs. Large segments of
fragmented ecosystems have formed in the lower reaches of the Pechora River in the
Nenets Autonomous Okrug, around the city of Vorkuta in the Komi Republic, in the
southern part of the Yamal Peninsula in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in the
Norilsk industrial district, in northern Yakutia, and in the gold-mining districts of the
Chukchi Autonomous Okrug. Parts of the coasts of the Novaya Zemlya where nuclear
tests were conducted are among the areas affected.
Inadequate geographic coverage and ineffective biodiversity protection is characteristic
of the specially protected natural areas of the Russian Arctic. There are practically no
marine zapovedniki (preserves) in the region, and neither typical nor unique marine
areas are under protection. Less than 50 percent of landscape diversity can be found in
protected territories, and only 60-65 percent of terrestrial biodiversity (20-30 percent
for plants, especially rare species, and 70-75 percent for fauna). The Russian Arctic has
currently 14 national zapovedniki as well as the federal zakaznik "Franz Josef Land,"
with a total area of more than 15 million hectares. The total area of northern, Arctic,
and sub-Arctic specially protected natural areas is about 30 million hectares, which is
on average about 5 percent of the territory of the Russian Arctic (3 percent of the Kola
Peninsula, 5 percent of the Taimyr Peninsula, 8 percent of the Putoranah area, and only
1.5 percent of the Kolyma upland). These are unevenly distributed, and there are only
four current and several planned specially protected natural areas in eastern Siberia,
although protected areas of different categories account for 20-40 percent of various
regions of the Arctic abroad.
Biotic pollution on account of invasive species and the introduction of exotic species are
and will be a high priority because of expanded economic activity and climate warming
in the Arctic. Of concern are the spread of the Kamchatka crab and Far Eastern salmon
species into the Atlantic sector of the Arctic and the broad northward expansion of
many species of weedy plants and synanthropic animals, which settle primarily in
industrial areas, where they form relatively stable natural-anthropogenic communities
and drive out the native flora and fauna.
2.4. Deteriorating Living Conditions of the Indigenous Population of the
Russian Arctic And Disruption of Traditional Nature Use Of Indigenous Small-
in-Numbers Peoples of the North
Deteriorating living conditions of the indigenous population have emerged as a high-
priority problem because of the high levels of contamination at drinking water intakes,
poorer air quality in populated areas, waste strewn about haphazardly, etc.
Disruption of traditional nature use of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the
North, as an environmental problem, stems not only from the taking of their lands for
industrial uses but also from the subversion of the resource potential of the traditional
economy of the indigenous peoples. Many northern rivers have lost their significance as
fisheries because of pollution, the destruction of spawning areas, and poaching. The
hunting grounds of the native peoples have been made accessible to newcomers by the
development of transportation facilities and are taken for mining and industrial
development. The legislative framework for the conservation and development the
areas of traditional nature use with limited economic activity is not sufficiently
developed. There are no effective government mechanisms to support the small
businesses of the indigenous small nations.
2.5. The Adverse Effects and Threats of Global Climate Change
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The warming which began in the second half of the 20th century has led to an increase
in the average annual temperature in most regions of the Russian Arctic. The rising
trend in air temperature (by 2.0-3.5oC by 2050 according to some scenarios) may lead
to the degradation and shrinkage of permafrost areas by 12-15 percent by the mid-21st
century and may shift the southern permafrost boundary some 150-200 km to the
north. According to modeling calculations, the depth of seasonal melting will increase
by 15-25 percent on average, and up to 50 percent on the Arctic coast and in some
areas of western Siberia. In addition to the direct impacts on economic infrastructure,
this can also lead to a dramatic increase in thermal erosion of shorelines and an
acceleration of shoreline destruction (even now, 10 meters and more in some regions).
The impacts of climate change on pollution of the Arctic environment, especially the
seas, are assumed to be direct and indirect. Direct impacts are associated with the
physical and chemical processes that ultimately determine pollutant concentrations and
changes in pollutant transport in the atmosphere and in the ocean, due to stronger
cyclonic activity in the atmosphere, changes in the trajectories of ice drift and marine
waters, increased contact time between air and water. Precipitation increases (by as
much as 20 percent by the end of the century) will increase the volumes of atmospheric
deposition, as will changes in the ratio of snow and rain, because role in snow and fog
are more effective than liquid precipitation in releasing pollutants from the atmosphere.
Increased precipitation will give ocean currents and ice a greater pollution transport. In
addition, increases in river flows (by up to 20 percent) will increase the quantity of
pollutants entering the Arctic Ocean. Conditions will be created for the retention of
pollutants in Arctic lakes, owing to changes in the ice and hydrological cycles.
Permafrost changes may lead to higher concentrations of organic substances in river
flows, a more active circulation of mercury, and an increase in natural radioactivity.
With the thawing of permafrost and glaciers, the pollutants accumulated for hundreds
and thousands of years may begin to be released into the atmosphere and the ocean.
This is especially true of DDT, heavy metals, and other substances. Furthermore,
permafrost thawing leads to the release of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and
methane, which in turn will intensify the greenhouse effect, accelerate climate
warming, and upset the natural global equilibrium. Overall, one may expect a
preponderance of adverse consequences stemming from direct climate impacts on
pollution of the Arctic.
The indirect consequences are linked to a heightened risk of environmental pollution
caused by climate impacts on infrastructure and economic activity in the Arctic. More
frequent and intense flooding, runoff, and inundations will increase the amount of
pollutants released into the river and marine systems. The thawing of frozen ground
and more active thermal erosion of shorelines will raise the likelihood of accidents at
pipelines and other elements of the economic and social infrastructure, which together
with the development of shipping, tourism, and oil and gas extraction will increase the
risk of polluting new land and sea areas. The increase in storm activity will heighten the
risk to shipping and activities on the continental shelf. Possible changes in the way of
life of the indigenous population due to changes in hunting conditions can alter
nutritional patterns and pollutant impacts on humans.
3. Principles of the SAP-Arctic
The SAP-Arctic is based on the following principles::
The principle of sustainable development, which calls for a balanced approach to
addressing socioeconomic issues and preserving a healthy environment, as well
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as for sound management of the natural resources of the Russian Arctic for the
purpose of satisfying the needs of the present and future generations;
The precautionary principle, which is meant to prevent the threat of adverse
environmental and related social and economic consequences, associated with
economic activities in the Russian Arctic, by means of conducting environmental
impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments (including
assessments of the environmental and social consequences associated with the
implementation of government policies, programs, and plans) when preparing
and making economic decisions. This principle means that the consequences of
actions or decisions capable of causing serious or irreversible changes for the
environment and people of the Russian Arctic, even in the absence of compelling
scientific evidence with regard to the causal relationships between action and
effect, are the responsibility of those who make the decisions.
The "polluter pays" principle, which says that legal entities and individuals that
inflicted damage on the environment in the form of pollution, depletion,
spoilage, destruction, unsound natural resource use, degradation, and
impairment of natural ecosystems, natural complexes, and natural landscapes
and other violations of the environmental law, must compensate for such
damage in full and in accordance with the Russian legislation.
The principle of preventive action means that timely actions should be taken to
inform the responsible authorities and other executive bodies concerned about
potential consequences arising from the environmental impacts and to eliminate
current and potential sources/causes of unfavorable impacts on the environment
and
The principle of an ecosystem approach to the solution of environmental
problems, which means integrated management of the land, water, and
biological resources of the Russian Arctic to ensure the conservation and
sustainable management of the resources on an equitable basis.
The principle of accessibility of environmental information means that all the
stakeholders including the public should be informed about the contamination of
the Arctic environment;
The principle of stakeholder partnership (governmental authorities and local self-
governments, research institutions, businesses, non-governmental
organizations, and individuals) provides for the creation of political, institutional,
and economic framework for the participation of the stakeholders in the
implementation of SAP-Arctic activities and in the process of making decisions
affecting the status of the Arctic environment.
The principle of reasonable adequacy, which means that the environmental
protection requirements should be scientifically based, economically acceptable,
and be consistent with the best available technologies.
The principle of a comprehensive approach, which includes the identification of
priorities, the definition of goals and objectives, the formulation of specific
activities and performance indicators, as well as monitoring of results and
adjustment of the plan.
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4. Goal, Objectives, and Principal Activities of the SAP-Arctic
The long-term goal of the SAP-Arctic is to implement measures aimed at
preventing, eliminating, , and reducing the consequences of adverse human-
induced environmental impacts in the Russian Arctic from activities on land
and in the adjacent seas down to levels that will ensure sustainable
development while at the same time taking account of the interests of the
human population, including the native small nations of the North.
The long-term goal will be met by implementing a number of objectives which can be
grouped into three main components:
Prevention and abatement of pollution of the coastal and marine environments in
the Russian Arctic, including the transboundary transport of pollutants with
aquatic and atmospheric flows oil, chemical, and radiation contamination;
Conservation and improvement of the quality of the environment, living
conditions of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples and conditions for
traditional nature use by native small nations of the North;
Prevention and mitigation of the negative consequences of natural disasters and
technological emergencies, as well as of global climate changes.
4.1. Component 1 - Prevention and abatement of pollution of environment in
the Russian Arctic includes the following objectives:
Establishing the legal and institutional frameworks to prevent or reduce the
levels of the environmental contamination with the focus on preventive
measures due to the development of hydrocarbon resources on the continental
shelf;
Improving the energy and environmental efficiency of the national economy
including stronger liability for failure to meet the permissible environmental
impact standards and for reclamation of the past environmental damage;
encouraging the implementation of energy-saving and environmentally-friendly
technologies including tax and other incentives to be offered to companies that
apply the above technologies;
Improving the system of the state environmental control and monitoring, of
assessment of anthropogenic contamination levels of the Russian Arctic seas,
strengthening control over the transboundary transport of pollutants in the
Arctic;
Reducing the negative environmental impacts in the hot spots in the Russian
Arctic;
Developing/improving financial and economic mechanisms for attracting
investments to solve environmental problems in the Russian Arctic;
Expanding fundamental and applied research related to the spread and impacts
the critical pollutants on man and the environment in the Arctic;
Raising the level of environmental education and awareness; ensuring public
access to information concerning the environmental pollution in the Russian
Arctic;
Developing international cooperation among the Arctic countries in the area of
environmental protection in the Russian Arctic;
The Component I objectives will be implemented through the following main activities:
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Preparing analytical materials and a report to the Government of the Russian
Federation concerning the need to improve the Russian environmental legislation
and to develop the regulation framework to ensure environmental safety in the
Russian Arctic;
Preparing draft regulations concerning the establishment of special approaches
to natural resources management and environmental protection in the Russian
Arctic including monitoring of its contamination on the basis of the international
law and international commitments of the Russian Federation;
Preparing proposals to the Environmental Sections of the Strategy and State
Program of Socio-Economic Development of the Russian till 2020;
Developing and adopting, under the regional strategies and programs of the
socioeconomic development, specific measures for protection of the environment
in all the subjects of the Russian Federation that are fully or partially located in
the Russian Arctic;
Preparing proposals to the adjustment of the existing or development of new
general and special technical regulations setting the requirements with due
regard to the specific character of the environment and climate changes in the
Arctic;
Compiling and maintaining the geoecological datasheets for the licensed areas of
the continental shelf;
Establishing new and upgrading the existing points of the marine observational
hydrometeorological network; improving the list of the monitoring parameters
and improving their quality by making use of the modern measuring systems;
Establishing new and upgrading the existing centers for the collection,
processing and dissemination of environmental information;
Developing the systems of satellite and aircraft monitoring of the environment;
Establishing publicly accessible information databases on the environmental
status of the Arctic by making use of GIS technologies;
Conducting strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the Russian Arctic
focusing on the areas of its future development and adjacent sea areas of the
Arctic Ocean;
Developing and adopting regional standards for safe concentrations of oil
products and other hazardous materials in soils, grounds, and water with due
regard to the specific features of the regions;
Expanding the program for the recovery and utilization of associated natural gas
in the oil-producing regions;
Upgrading production processes and implementing air and water protection
activities at pulp and paper works, non-ferrous metal mills, coal mining
enterprises, thermal power plants, and utility and housing facilities (under
regional and corporate programs);
Developing and implementing governmental and corporate programs aimed at
improving the safety of radioactive waste and used nuclear fuels management;
implementing activities to prevent the risk of radioactive pollution of the
environment;
Developing instruments of long-term co-sharing financing of investment projects
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aimed at addressing environmental problems in the Russian Arctic;
Developing a regulation on introduction of natural resources development
charges to finance rehabilitation of the environment in the "hot spots" of the
Russian Arctic;
Developing measures to encourage the use of renewable energy sources in the
Russian Arctic;
Developing and implementing financial and economic instruments preventing the
delivery of unrecoverable packing to the Russian Arctic;
Developing proposals for the intensification of fundamental and applied research
for the protection of the Arctic environment (including in the area of
transformation of permafrost processes; erosion of the banks and shores of the
rivers, lakes and seas; status of the ecosystems;
changes in the pollution status of the Arctic seas and coastal zone due to the
development of the economic activities in the Russian Arctic and adjacent areas;
new technologies for monitoring the status of the marine and land ecosystems;
environmental protection in the open seas and deep water areas, which are
subject to the sovereign rights of the Russian Federation;
developing effective green sources of energy;
creating effective methods of cleaning-up oil pollution in the ice-covered marine
environment;
studying the impact of environmental pollution on human health and ecosystems
in the Arctic; using biotechnologies to prevent and clean-up pollution of the
marine environment with oil, radionuclides, and heavy metals);
managing training and retraining of governmental authorities and local self-
governments in the issues related to environmental protection of the Arctic;
Expanding the participation of the Russian Federation in the activities of working
groups, development and implementation of the Arctic Councils programs.
4.2 Component 2. Conservation and improvement of the quality of the
environment, living conditions of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples
and conditions for traditional nature use by native small nations of the North
a) With respect to remedying past environmental damage on land and in the coastal
zone of the Arctic seas
Improving, at the federal and regional levels, the legal and regulatory
frameworks for control of petroleum, chemical, and radioactive contamination
associated with activities on the land and continental shelf;
Expanding public-private partnerships to improve effectiveness of environmental
protection;
Developing and implementing investment projects aimed at remedying past
environmental damage on land and in the coastal zone of the Arctic seas;
Using the existing and developing new international instruments for attracting
investments into the implementation of environmental projects in the Russian
Arctic;
b) With respect to improving the surface and ground water quality in the coastal areas
of the Russian Arctic:
15
Improving the water management system in the Russian Arctic;
Ensuring environmentally sound utilization of liquid and solid wastes in the areas
adjacent to water intakes;
Introducing modern technologies and facilities for the treatment of wastewater
and storm water runoff and the utilization of contaminated sediments;
Establishing and developing water-protection zones and shoreline protection
belts at water bodies;
Improve monitoring of the condition and quality of surface and ground waters.
c) With respect to the conservation of biological and landscape diversity and the
potential for renewable biological resources affected by technological and human-
caused pollution:
Developing new legal and economic instruments to regulate management of
biological resources in the Arctic, in order to improve the system of payments for
biological resource use and to combat poaching;
Strengthening the system of land-based and marine protection of the Russian
Arctic biodiversity, taking into account effects of the existing and future human-
caused impacts;
Developing research on the biota and ecosystems of the Arctic, including research with
the international and regional participation;
Improving the system of monitoring biodiversity and natural ecosystems in the
Arctic, including this system into the circumpolar network of the flora and fauna
monitoring;
Supporting activities for the ecological reclamation and rehabilitation of
disturbed land; implementing re-introduction activities for the restoration of
populations of species that have gone extinct in certain regions.
d) With respect to preserving living conditions of the indigenous small-in-number
peoples of the North and their traditional nature use:
Improving legal and regulatory framework for the protection of the centuries-old
way of life of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the North in the
Russian Arctic;
Improving mechanisms of interaction between the authorities and industrial
companies on one hand, and non-governmental organizations of the indigenous
small-in-numbers peoples of the North, on the other hand;
Implementing instruments for comprehensive ecosystem management in the
areas with compact settlements of indigenous small peoples of the North;
The Component II objectives will be met by implementing the following activities:
Establishing and improving the legal and regulatory framework that permits (i)
legal and financial liability for failure to take measures for remedying past
damage; and (ii) application of financial and economic incentives for such
activities;
Developing a set of environmental quality standards for the Arctic and
methodologies for the incorporation of these indicators in the calculation of
pollution charges;
16
Establishing the federal and regional information systems with data on past
environmental damage and the current status of the environment in the Russian
Arctic;
Preparing and implementing programs and investment projects on remediation
of past environmental damage covering the priority types of pollution/damage,
territories and sea areas of the Russian Arctic including:
reducing mercury contamination; disposing of obsolete and banned
dielectric liquids and pesticides from the POP category;
clean-up of water bodies, coastal marine area, islands, and sea coast from
the abandoned vessels, abandoned large-size property and garbage;
clean-up of the area along the Northern Sea Route from obsolete RITEGs
and their utilization; comprehensive clean-up of the territories of
abandoned polar station, hydrometeorological posts and military bases from
drums, abandoned machinery, frames of vessels, aircraft and other metal
structures, reclamation of natural landscapes;
Implementing scheduled utilization of ships with over-age nuclear
installations, as well as of radioactive waste;
Developing and implementing innovating technologies for the reclamation of the
areas contaminated with oil and oil products including developing and testing of
biotechnologies;
Developing a regulatory act to ensure safe transportation of hydrocarbons in the
Russian Arctic with due attention to the vulnerability of the environment and
minimization of risks of natural disasters and technological emergencies;
Rendering government support to projects aimed at improving water bodies
used as a sources of drinking water supply under federal, departmental targeted
and regional programs;
Improving the water management system in the Russian Arctic; developing and
updating the scheme for comprehensive management and conservation of water
bodies and regional programs with specific measures for the improvement of
water bodies used as sources of drinking water supply;
Developing and approving target indicators, maximum permissible impacts and
territorial plans for attaining the water quality standards in water bodies in
accordance with the applicable legislation concerning the use and protection of
water bodies and sanitary epidemiological wellbeing of the population;
Implementing environmentally-friendly technologies and facilities for the clean-
up of the marine environment (including by establishing buffer zones of seaweed
around the pollution sources), for the treatment of wastewater and storm water
runoff and the utilization of contaminated sediments; upgrading water supply
systems by implementing modern water treatment, wastewater and storm water
treatment techniques, and sludge recovery methods;
Establishing and developing water protection zones, and sanitary protection
zones around the water supply sources including the implementation of
measures for the collection and treatment of surface runoff from residential and
production areas;
Establishing zones of special protection and use of the mothballed water supply
sources in case of emergencies;
17
Developing research of biota and ecosystem of the Arctic including with the
international participation;
Improve monitoring of the condition and quality of surface and ground waters;
expanding and upgrading networks for the observation of hydrological,
hydrochemical, and hydrobiological regimes of water bodies;
Developing and implementing new economic incentives and instruments of
government regulation concerning the use of biological resource in the Arctic
aimed at improving the system of payments for the use of biological resource,
combating poaching, and developing environmental partnerships with private
companies;
Amending the framework of regulation and management of bioresources in the
Russian Arctic;
Improving economic and financial mechanisms for the conservation of
biodiversity including insurance, compensation of pollution charges;
Strengthen the system of land-based and marine protection of biodiversity in the
Russian Arctic, with allowance for the effects of existing and potential
technological impacts;
Establishing new land-based and marine federal-level specially protected natural
areas in the Russian Arctic;
Organizing the network of stationary studies concerning the status of the Arctic
biota and biological resources;
Preparing the concept for the development of monitoring stations network in the
Arctic including permanent and remote stations, as well as mobile observation
platforms;
Organizing seed stations and nurseries for wild flora and fauna to support the
work of ecological restoration and rehabilitation of disturbed lands;
implementing re-introduction measures for restoration of populations of species
that have gone extinct in certain regions including musk ox, wild northern
reindeer, birds of prey, water fowls, etc.
Ensuring expanded involvement of Russia in the Arctic Council program
"Conservation of Arctic Fauna and Flora" (CAFF) including the Circumpolar
Biodiversity Monitoring Program;
Supporting the development of territorial public self-governance and community
forms of self-governance among the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the
North in the Russian Arctic;
Creating regional mechanisms in the Russian Arctic ensuring participation of
representatives of the regional authorities and local governments, communities
of indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the North and industrial corporations
in addressing jointly environmental problems in the areas of traditional
settlements and traditional economic activities of the indigenous small-in-
numbers peoples of the North;
Organizing and conducting monitoring of the living conditions and environmental
status in the areas of traditional settlements and traditional economic activities
of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the North;
Developing and adopting regulatory acts concerning the assessment and
calculation of damage incurred by commercial entities on the traditional nature
18
use of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the North in the Russian
Arctic.
4.3. Component 3 - Prevention and mitigation of the negative consequences of
natural disasters and technological emergencies, as well as of global climate
changes:
Creating scientific, legal, regulatory, methodological, and institutional framework
of governance concerning prevention and mitigation of negative consequences
caused by natural disasters and technological emergencies;
Reducing risks inherent in the adverse consequences of climate change for the
environment, economy, and residents;
Component III Objectives include the following activities:
Establishing a system of integrated security to protect territories, people and
facilities (that are critically important for the national security of the Russian
Federation) of the Russian Arctic from the risks of natural disasters and
technological emergencies;
Studying hazardous and critical natural events; development of modern
technologies and techniques for their forecasting in the context of climate
change;
predicting and assessing the consequences of global climate change in the
Russian Arctic for the natural environment, economy, and residents under the
influence of natural and human induced factors in the mid- and long-term
perspective including infrastructure sustainability improvement;
Establishing financial mechanisms to support activities aimed at reducing
adverse consequences of climate change;
Taking into account negative consequences induced by climate change in the
federal, sectoral, regional and corporate programs;
Adaptation of traditional nature use by the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples
of the North to climate change;
Expanding international cooperation on adaptation to global climate change,
primarily under the Arctic Council.
5. Informational Support of SAP-Arctic
When establishing the integrated system of monitoring including the improvement of
the system of information and statistical monitoring of the indicators of national safety
in the Russian Arctic, it will be necessary to reflect the issues of environmental safety in
the Arctic including analysis of the SAP-Arctic progress report.
For the purpose of information support to the implementation of the SAP-Arctic it will
be necessary to use:
Web-site for placing the SAP-Arctic and information on its progress in Russian
and English;
Mass media of the federal, regional and local levels (special programs on the
radio, TV, articles in newspapers and journals);
19
English and Russian language publications concerning the detailed analysis of
the current status and forecasts of potential changes in the Russian Arctic
environment carried out during the preparation of the SAP-Arctic;
Preparing photo and video materials about the activities carried out to meet the
objectives under SAP-Arctic (these materials will be demonstrated at various
national and international forums);
Round tables on the environmental problems in the Russian Arctic with the
participation of the federal and regional authorities concerned, the Russian
Academy of Sciences, corporations operating in the Arctic and subarctic areas
including nongovernmental organizations;
Cooperation with nongovernmental organizations and population when solving
environmental problems in the Russian Arctic;
Developing training programs, raising the levels of public environmental
awareness to build a world outlook consistent with the need to conserve and
protect the Arctic environment;
Informing the Arctic Council on the progress of the SAP-Arctic.
6. Mechanisms of SAP-Arctic Implementation
The SAP-Arctic will be implemented on the principles of public-private partnerships
among the interested federal and regional authorities and local self-governments,
commercial and non-commercial organizations, research institutes in accordance with
their mandates and areas of activities, and as part of the cooperation of the Russian
Federation with foreign governments and international organizations.
SAP-Arctic will be implemented by:
Implementing the federal level environmental priorities under the Subprogram
"Development and Use of the Arctic" of the Federal Targeted Program "World
Ocean", approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Russian
Federation on 30 September 2008 (no.731);
Integrating the main provisions of SAP-Arctic when preparing the Russian Arctic
Development Strategy, the State Program for the Development of the Russian
Arctic till 2020, and the State Program for the Study and Exploration of the
Continental Shelf of the Russian Federation;
Integrating the main provisions of SAP-Arctic when preparing new, and
implementing current, federal, regional, and sectoral programs as well as
programs of corporations operating in the Russian Arctic and subarctic
territories;
Integrating the main provisions of SAP-Arctic by the subjects of the Russian
Federation when preparing the socioeconomic development strategies for the
subjects of the Russian Federation, schemes of the territorial planning and
socioeconomic development programs;
Developing, at the federal, regional and municipal levels, regulatory acts for the
establishment of special regimes for the use of natural resources and protection
of the environment in the Russian Arctic including monitoring of its pollution;
20
Implementing specific investment projects aimed at repairing past
environmental damage and preventing/mitigating risks to the environment in the
Russian Arctic;
Properly coordinating the federal and regional authorities, local self-governments
concerned, the Russian Academy of Sciences, private sector and
nongovernmental organizations;
Expanding international cooperation of the Russian Federation concerning the
environmental problems in the Arctic and adaptation to climate change in this
region, primarily by intensifying its participation in addressing the above
problems through the Arctic Council, Barents/Euroarctic Region and Northern
Dimension Partnership, as well as by developing bilateral cooperation with Arctic
states.
7. Financing SAP-Arctic Implementation
One most important factor to ensure financial sustainability of SAP-Arctic
implementation is government support by using funds from the budget system of the
Russian Federation including the federal budget, regional budgets and budgets of the
local (self) governments.
The main SAP-Arctic activities will be implemented on the PPP principles, in particular,
by using funds of enterprises, private sector companies and individuals. Expanding PPP
programs is a prerequisite for addressing the problem of past environmental damage
and preventing new threats to the environment in the Russian Arctic. The major
contribution to the implementation of investment projects in the Russian Arctic aimed
at reducing industrial emissions and discharges of pollutants must be made by
corporate programs of major corporations operating in the Arctic and Subarctic areas
including OAO Gasprom, OAO GMK Noril'sky Nickel, OAO NK Rosneft, OAO Lukoil, etc.
The main SAP-Arctic activities will be implemented on the PPP principles, in particular,
by using funds of enterprises, private sector companies and individuals. Expanding PPP
programs is a prerequisite for addressing the problem of the past environmental
damage and preventing new threats to the environment in the Russian Arctic. The
major contribution to the implementation of investment projects in the Russian Arctic
aimed at reducing industrial emissions and discharges of pollutants must be made by
corporate programs of major corporations operating in the Arctic and Subarctic areas
including OAO Gasprom, OAO GMK Noril'sky Nickel, OAO NK Rosneft, OAO Lukoil, etc.
Implementing the SAP-Arctic objectives will involve the use of new financial and
economic mechanisms developed with the aim of improving the energy and
environmental efficiency of the national economy including stronger liability for failure
to meet the permissible environmental impact standards and for reclamation of the past
environmental damage; encouraging the implementation of energy-saving and
environmentally-friendly technologies including tax and other incentives to be offered to
companies that apply the above technologies.
The subjects of the Russian Federation must take into account territorial specifics of the
investment process and form a sound investment policy with due regard to the local
specifics and existing mandates.
The main instruments for encouraging domestic and foreign investments into the
priority environmental projects include:
Providing temporary full or partial exemption from paying taxes to the budgets of
21
the subjects of the Russian Federation;
Tax deferment of payments (or payment in installments) to the regional budgets;
Providing investment tax credits;
Budgetary inputs into investment projects;
Preparing documents and conducting expert reviews of investment projects from
the budgetary funds;
Providing investors with guarantees and warranties;
Giving enterprises the right to use part of the pollution charges (offsetting);
Providing companies with soft rates for leasing land and property owned by the
subject of the Russian Federation;
Assisting in the establishment of business infrastructure, obtaining lease and
purchasing land parcels and non-residential premises owned by the subject of the
Russian Federation.
Involvement of international financial instruments in the implementation of the SAP-
Arctic activities will be based on their circumpolar and global importance triggering the
interest of the Arctic countries and international organizations in solving environmental
problems in the Russian Arctic. Among such international instruments, the leading roles
will be played by the Arctic Councils Instrument (Fund) for Project Support and Fund for
the Support of Environmental Partnership of the Northern Dimensions.
To mobilize financial resources of domestic manufacturing enterprises of all ownership
types and to tap new financial sources, international investment forums and round
tables will be organized.
A promising option of financing SAP-Arctic is attracting funds from the international
carbon market including the use of Kyoto Protocol mechanisms of flexibility such as JI
projects and trading in GHG emission rights. SAP-Arctic will create a special mechanism
to finance energy saving and other environmental projects in the Russian Arctic under
the scheme of targeted environmental investments.
8. Stages of SAP-Arctic Implementation
SAP-Arctic will be implemented in three stages including:
Stage I
2009-2012;
Stage II
20132015;
Stage III
2016-2020;
Stage I should achieve the following targets:
Improved federal-level environmental regulatory framework applicable to the
Russian Arctic including developed draft regulatory acts for the establishment of
special regimes of natural resources use and protection of the environment
including the monitoring of its pollution;
Integration of the main provisions of SAP-Arctic into the Russian Arctic
Development Strategy, the State Program for the Development of the Russian
Arctic till 2020, the Federal Targeted Program "The World Ocean", and State
Program for the Studying and Exploration of the Continental Shelf of the Russian
Federation;
22
Completion of the environmental activities in the Russian Arctic scheduled for
2009-2012 under the Subprogram "Development and Use of the Arctic" of the
Federal Targeted Program "World Ocean", and other ongoing federal, sectoral,
regional and corporate programs;
Developed package of the priority investment projects for the protection of the
environment in the Russian Arctic and mobilization of off-budget resources for
their implementation;
Developing, under the regional strategies and programs of the socioeconomic
development, specific measures for protection of the environment in all the
subjects of the Russian Federation that are fully or partially located in the
Russian Arctic;
Compiling and maintaining the geoecological datasheets for the licensed areas of
the continental shelf;
Initiating the activities for the development of the environmental monitoring
systems in the Russian Arctic by using satellite and aircraft, marine and land
based systems for the collection, processing and transfer of data;
Developing and approving the strategic environmental assessment methodology
as a tool of strategic planning when developing the strategies and implementing
programs for the development of the coastal areas of the Russian Arctic;
Developing and implementing mechanisms of cooperation between the
authorities and industrial companies on one hand, and non-governmental
organizations of the indigenous small-in-numbers peoples of the North on the
other hand, concerning environmental protection in the Russian Arctic;
Identification and inventorying of unauthorized solid waste dumps;
Identification and inventorying of all sources of POPs in the Russian Arctic;
Clean-up of the area along the Northern Sea Route from obsolete RITEGs and
their utilization;
Establishment of new coastal and marine specially protected natural areas of
federal importance in the Russian Arctic;
Establishment of regional-level seed stations and nurseries for wild flora to
ensure availability of plant and seed materials to support reclamation and
rehabilitation of contaminated and disturbed lands in the Nenets and Yamalo-
Nenets Autonomous Okrugs;
Developed (in cooperation with the indigenous peoples) of special training
programs aimed at improving skills of the environmentalists and employees of
industrial enterprises participating in the activities for the conservation and
restoration of natural sites in the Arctic, as well as at raising environmental
awareness of the population.
Preparing and submitting to the Government of the Russian Federation an
assessment report on the ongoing climate changes and their impacts on the
Russian Arctic;
Informing the Russian and international public on the SAP-Arctic activities;
As a result of implementation of the Stage I activities, the following performance
indicators will be achieved:
23
100% identification and inventory of unauthorized solid waste dumps in the
Russian Arctic;
100% identification and inventory of all sources of POPs in the Russian Arctic;
30% reduction in the number of abandoned and sunken ships that interfere with
navigation and cause pollution of the surrounding waters;
30% increase in the number of industrial enterprises in the Russian Arctic
certified for compliance with ISO 14001 or its equivalent;
50% reduction in the number of unused RITEGs in the Russian Arctic;
5% increase in the share of the coastal and marine protected natural areas in
the total territory of the Russian Arctic; increase coverage of landscape diversity
to 85% and biodiversity to 90%;
Testing of the mechanisms of cooperation between the authorities and industrial
companies on one hand, and non-governmental organizations of the indigenous
small-in-numbers peoples of the North on the other hand, concerning
environmental protection in the Russian Arctic in all the subjects of the Russian
Federation that are fully or partially located within the Russian Arctic;
Maintain populations of rare and endangered species of animals listed in the Red
Book of Russia (polar bear, Atlantic walrus, and others) at the 2006-07 level;
and in certain regions, restore (increase) the populations of salmon and
whitefish species, waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and wild reindeer by 15-20%.
Stage II should achieve the following targets:
The subjects of the Russian Federation and municipalities of the Russian Arctic
will have environmental regulatory framework having incorporated the
amendments made at the federal level;
Approval of a uniform system of environmental quality standards in the Russian
Arctic and methodology for incorporating these standards into the calculation of
pollution charges;
Initiation of the priority investment projects for the protection of the
environment in the Russian Arctic (primarily those focusing on the pollution
abatement in the "hot spots" taking into consideration the off-budget resources
mobilized for their implementation;
Completion of the activities for the development of the environmental monitoring
systems in the Russian Arctic by using satellite and aircraft, marine and land
based systems for the collection, processing and transfer of data together with
the sub-system of environmental and economic assessment of environmental
impacts in the Russian Arctic including those caused by the transboundary
transport of pollutants from North America, Europe, and Asia.
Establishing a system of integrated security to protect territories, people and
facilities (that are critically important for the national security of the Russian
Federation) of the Russian Arctic from the risks of natural disasters and
technological emergencies and their consequences;
Reclamation of the areas of the former military facilities on the Franz Josef Land
Archipelago and Novosibirsky Islands;
Establishment in the settlements and communities of the indigenous small-in-
numbers peoples of the North in the Russian Arctic of the social and
24
environmental monitoring network to assess consequences of climate changes
for the environment, economy, and people;
Developing, based on the Assessment Report, and approving scientifically based
activities for climate adaptation and mitigation of their consequences in the
Russian Arctic;
As a result of implementation of the Stage II activities, the following performance
indicators will be achieved:
100% removal and utilization of RITEGs in the Russian Arctic;
9% reduction of stationary-source atmospheric emissions in the Russian Arctic;
Reduction in the intensity of emissions of air pollution from 2.39 kg/1,000 rubles
of GRP to 2.0 kg/1000 rubles;
Reduction in the amount of polluted and only partially treated wastewater as a
percentage of all wastewater post-treatment discharges into surface water
bodies from 52% to 44%;
Reduction in the standard values of polluted wastewater discharges into surface
water bodies per unit of GRP from 1.4 to 1.2 kg/1,000 rubles of GRP;
Reduction in the toxicity index in the most severely polluted regions of the Arctic
coast by approximately 3-5%;
Increase in the number of Russian Arctic residents who have permanent access
to improved drinking water supply by 20%;
Increase in the number of facilities that have wastewater treatment works by
15%;
Increase in the volumes of associated natural gas utilized in oil-producing
regions to 95 percent;
Stage III should achieve the following targets:
Substantial improvement in the quality of the environment in the Russian Arctic
by implementing legal, institutional, and technical measures for remedying the
past environmental damage and preventing the risks of a new environmental
damage;
Sustainable operation of the state system of environmental monitoring in the
Russian Arctic;
Effective control of the public over the efficiency of the pollution abatement
measures in the Russian Arctic;
As a result of implementation of the Stage II activities, the following performance
indicators will be achieved:
100% cleanup of the coastal water areas of the Arctic seas and islands from
abandoned and sunken ships, metal scrap, and solid waste;
Reduction of stationary-source atmospheric emissions in the Russian Arctic by
20% as compared to 2008;
Reduction in the intensity of emissions of air pollution to 1.5 kg/1000 of GRP;
Increase in the number of industrial enterprises in the Russian Arctic that have
been ISO 14001 certified or its equivalent by 60 percent against 2008;
25
Reduction in the amount of polluted and only partially treated wastewater as a
percentage of all wastewater post-treatment discharges into surface water
bodies to 33%;
Reduction in the standard values of polluted wastewater discharges into surface
water bodies per unit of GRP to 1.0 kg/1,000 rubles;
Reduction in the toxicity index in the most severely polluted regions of the Arctic
coast by 10-12% as compared with 2008;
Increase in the number of Russian Arctic residents who have permanent access
to improved drinking water supply by 50% as compared with 2008;
Increase in the number of facilities that have wastewater treatment works by
50% as compared with 2008;
10% increase in the share of the coastal and marine protected natural areas in
the total territory of the Russian Arctic;
Achievement of positive demographic trends among most indigenous small-in-
numbers peoples of the North in the Russian Arctic including: better life
expectancy index; 1.3 increase in the total birth rate; reduction in mortality
rates of infants under 12 months by 1.5 times as compared with 2007.
26
Annex 1. Priority Hot Spots in the Russian Arctic - Ranked List
Hot Spots
Current
Potential
Location
Impact2
Impact
Noril'sk 38.0
42.0
Krasnoyarsk
Krai
Nikel' 37.2
41.2
Murmansk
Oblast
Zapolyarny 37.2
41.2
Murmansk
Oblast
Monchegorsk 31.4
34.4
Murmansk
Oblast
Kajerkan 31.0
33.0
Krasnoyarsk
Krai
Vorkuta
30.4
34.4
Republic of Komi
Murmansk 29.2
32.2
Murmansk
Oblast
Talnah 27.8
29.8
Krasnoyarsk
Krai
Kola Bay*
26.8 28.8
Murmansk Oblast
Archangelsk 26.2
29.2
Archangelsk
Oblast
Pevek
26.2
28.2
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Bilibinsky Integrated Works
25.8
27.8
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Dvina Bay
25.8
27.8
Archangelsk Oblast
Anadyr'
25.4
27.4
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Kirovsk 25.4
27.4
Murmansk
Oblast
Kandalaksha Bay
25.4
27.4
Murmansk Oblast
Onega Bay
25.4
27.4
Archangelsk Oblast
Ob Bay
25.2 27.2
Yamalo-Nenets
Autonomous
Okrug
Eniseyj Bay
25.2 27.2
Krasnoyarsk
Krai
Pechoa Bay
24.4
26.4
Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Olenegorsk 24.4
26.4
Murmansk
Oblast
Kola 24.2
25.2
Murmansk
Oblast
Urengoisky Field
24.0
26.0
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous
Okrug
Kandalaksha 23.8
25.8
Murmansk
Oblast
Solombala 23.8
25.8
Archangelsk
Oblast
Koryazhma 23.8
25.8
Archangelsk
Oblast
Dudinka 23.8
25.8
Krasnoyarsk
Krai
Severodvinsk 23.6
25.6
Archangelsk
Oblast
Yamburgsky Field
23.4
25.4
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous
Okrug
Inta
23.2
25.2
Republic of Komi
2 The following parameters were taken into account: proximity to the sea, population at risk, size of affected area, air
and water contamination level, hazard categories for mining raw materials, hazards from transportation, degree of
degradation of the environment, range of actual and potential effects, and types of primary activities from which the
hot spot derived. Overall severity of actual and potential impacts was evaluated using the above parameters.