ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF THE ARCTIC REGION: ITS STATE AND DYNAMICS AS PERCEIVED BY THE POPULATION (results of a sociological survey in Arctic Karelia)
A.D. Volkov, S.V. Tishkov, V.V. Karginova-Gubinova, A.P. Shcherbak
Institute of Economics, Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petrozavodsk, Russia
Keywords: Arctic region, sociological survey, public opinion, nature management, municipal areas, periphery
Abstract
The article examines the current state and eco-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, using the example of one of the Arctic regions of the European North of Russia, Arctic Karelia. The purpose of the article is to identify the key problems and contradictions of the ecological and economic development of Arctic Karelia in the perception of the region’s population. In the context of limited statistical information on these issues, the main emphasis is on the use of sociological research methods. The principal methods applied in the study are dialectical, sociological analysis (questionnaire survey), and statistical analysis. Based on the results of an empirical study, the Arctic Karelian population estimated the state of the natural environment and its dynamics in the world, Russia, the Arctic, the region of residence, and the immediate place of residence. We received the residents’ detailed assessment of the natural environment for the following components: air quality, surface water quality, noise level, state of forests and parks, and the level of domestic pollution. These data were obtained and analyzed, including in a breakdown by regions, making it possible to use the research results to draft differentiated regulatory measures both at the level of regional government and in creating software tools for Arctic Karelia’s development and establishing a special economic regime in the Russian Arctic. These results are scientifically significant due to the unique nature of our research object. The region of Arctic Karelia, formed in July 2020, has not been previously studied, firstly, as a separate territorial entity, and secondly, as thoroughly as it was in this work. The study is of practical importance to federal authorities as an information base for carrying out administrative tasks, as well as to regional and municipal authorities, e.g., in preparing strategic and program documents for the development of the Arctic region and establishing a special economic regime in the Russian Arctic.
|
