International cooperation and introduction of modern environmentally friendly business principles is “soft power”, which is able to remove many lines of tension in the Arctic. To such conclusion participants of the online discussion “the international component of the Strategy of Arctic development up to 2035. Opportunities and threats”. The debate was moderated by the Project office for the development of the Arctic (it is TIME) together with Fund of support of public diplomacy name A. M. Gorchakov.
At the meeting of the “Polar index of the Barents region” was presented by an expert’s TIME on sustainable development Sergey Nikonorov. A joint project of the TIME and the Department of environmental Economics of the economic faculty of MSU named after M. V. Lomonosov includes the annual calculation of ratings of provinces and companies of the Barents region. The ranking takes into account a number of parameters characterizing the development of the object in three blocks: economic, social and environmental.
“the Current model of business in the Arctic needs to meet the goal of no harm to the environment, — said Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador for special assignments of the Russian foreign Ministry, a senior official in the Arctic Council from the Russian Federation. — In the conduct of economic activities in the region, it is important to ensure the widest possible implementation of the principles of sustainable development and the transition to the circular economy, the Russian President said in his address to the Federal Assembly on 15 January this year.”
the Coordinator of the Expert Council TIME Alexander Vorotnikov did not rule out rise of tension between the Arctic countries. It’s caused by territorial disputes and the ambitions of the Arctic and non-Arctic countries and environmental problems. In particular, the proof of this was the recently signed “Memorandum on the protection of national interests in the Arctic and Antarctic”.
Dean of the faculty of integrated security of the Russian state University of oil and gas named after Gubkin, a member of the Club Gorchakova Sergei Grinyaev recalled that in 2008, PRioricet Russian policy in the Arctic was the economic development of the region, and security issues stood in third place. In the new foundations of state policy in the Arctic until 2035, the issues of preservation of territorial integrity are paramount, and environmental problems with a third place moved into fifth place. This gives the Western countries an opportunity to attack Russia in the issue that it cannot provide environmental security in the Arctic.
Sustainable development in the Arctic requires adjustments to standard approaches to project selection. Appreciation of business processes in connection with the specifics of the Arctic, increased demands on States to enterprises in terms of social policy pose risks of evasion from responsible business, adds the Deputy Director of ANO “Institute for the study and examination of Vnesheconombank” Yulia Zvorykina. Meanwhile, the international financial institutions and structures use filter sustainable Finance as an instrument of pressure on Russia. Output, according to Sparacino, in the implementation of relevant principles of green Finance mutually interesting sustainable projects with the Arctic countries.
all of the Arctic countries already have programs of so-called blue economy. In Russia, while separately developing the Northern sea route, Alexander Vorotnikov and separate – regions that are developing programs of Arctic tourism, introduction of renewable energy sources, ensure the Northern delivery and others. The problem it is necessary to look comprehensively, and to develop a land territory without departing from the Maritime areas, concludes the coordinator of the Expert Council TIME.
