Speaking in a recent session in the National Security Council, Putin highlighted the need for a new Russian strategy on environmental security.
“We have unique ecosystems, which affect the environmental sustainability of the whole planet”, the president said, adding that “we are obliged to protect this richness”, a transcript from the meeting reads.
The president admitted that the environment for too long has been neglected in Russia and that “dirty technology” is dominating in a number of sectors. “Too little funding has been allocated for the re-cultivation of land, resurrection of forests and the construction of cleansing installations and waste handling sites,” he said.
The new strategy comes as the Russian 2013 Year of Environment is moving towards an end. In 2002, Russia adopted an Environmental Doctrine. However, the doctrine never brought any new legislative base for efficient nature protection management.
Among the six priority points highlighted by Putin is the situation in the Arctic. “We are starting to actively develop these territories and in this process all environmental demands must be met, including international commitments”, he stressed.
Putin also underlined that “mechanisms for international cooperation in the field of environment must be efficiently used”, adding that environmental problems of trans-border character are of especial importance.
The new strategy is likely to have a high focus also on climate issues. “It is important for us to understand how the climate is changing, and which are the risks”, President Putin said to the Security Council members.
