Russia: Environmental Problem Areas

Oil exploration and production pollution, including oil spills, have contaminated the Siberian tundra and taiga environments. Nuclear waste is dumped in the Arctic waters of the Barents Sea. Given their remoteness, concern for these vast ecosystems and the humans who live there have only received recent attention. Coal-burning utilities, mining, and smelting activities in and around Siberian cities reduce air quality. The smog in Krasnoyarsk, a Siberian city on the Yenisei River, causes Black Sky emergencies.

Overfishing depletes fish stocks in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. These waters are the source of Russia's increasingly rare, caviar-producing wild sturgeon. The thematic map in Figure 3.3 summarizes these environmental issues. Note that this damage coincides with the pattern of human settlement.