Anthropogenic pollution of the Arctic atmosphere is of great interest due to the vulnerability of the Arctic ecosystems, as well as the processes of global transport and industries under cold climate conditions. Researchers from Lomonosov State University (Moscow) and Lomonosov Northern (Arctic) Federal University brought the first results on snow pollution in the least explored…
Category: climate change
Distilling hard and soft water strategies in climate adaption policies
Despite Russia’s rich freshwater resources, it faces significant water problems, which arise from the country’s adaptation policy with low priority to climate action and less advanced risk management. Safonov from NRU HSE, Moscow outlines the key characteristic of water-related problems in the world’s biggest country. Firstly, Russia is one of the world’s leaders in its…
Shades of green or black for Russia’s energy prospecting?
In recent years, the Russian state and businesses have been supportive for the national renewable energy development, however, the future of the industry is not yet clear as indicated in Proskuryakova and Ermolenko’s paper. The goal was to foresee the future for the renewable energy sector in Russia, and to provide a scientific ground for…
To see or not to see – climate change and climate skepticism in Russian and US science
Modern science is global, and we expect the standards of scientific research to be same around the world. Yet, twenty environmental scientists from different nations have dissimilar views. Dronin and Bychkova studied what these Russian and American scientists see as key environmental issues. After a series of interviews with prominent researchers, they found that the…
Detecting a methane rush over the Arctic seas
The Arctic is warming twice as fast compared to the rest of the World. The Arctic ocean contains gigatons of organic carbon and methane hydrates. Warming may induce liberation of this methane into the atmosphere. This greenhouse gas would start a positive feed-back: the warmer water – the faster methane emission, the higher concentration the…
More than meets the Northern eyes – climate change perceptions in Northern Russia
Dr. Anisimov and Orttung gave an insight into the public perceptions of climate change in Northern Russia. While Northern Russia demonstrates high rates of climate change, regional adaptation policies are yet to be established, and public views on the issue are poorly known. Russia is important in international climate discussions as the country occupies a…
Are Russians eco-conscious?
Kurbanov and Prokhoda recently studied the level of climate change awareness among Russians. They analysed the relationship between ecological knowledge and attitudes towards environment with an ‘ecological behaviour model’. The model considers ecological knowledge as a basis for environmental friendly behaviour and active engagement in public action towards climate change. They explore the links between the awareness…
Fair weather friends across Russian climate zones
Zolotrylin et al assessed the impact of climate change on Russians’ well-being in the face of increasing climate extremes. They measured the average daily temperatures, the characteristics of heat and cold waves, and precipitation over the period 1991–2013 across the country. The results show the significant increase of extreme weather events in Russia in comparison…
Warming up and powering down – vulnerability of the Russian power industry to the climate change
Researchers from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute have assessed the climate-related impacts on the Russian power industry up to 2050. They argue that current climate change deteriorates the efficiency of the power industries on the entire territory of Russia. They used a physical simulation approach to replicate a response of the steam and gas turbines performance to the…
Shiny happy rivers in Altai? Hydroenvironmental tension and recreational attractiveness
Chernova and other researchers from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science and Gorno-Altaisk State University are studying the hydroclimatic conditions of the protected areas in Russian Altai. The Russian part of Altai is a region with unique landscapes which attracts tourists from all over the world. The regional natural heritage has a high…
