By the late 1990s, it was becoming clear that eco-
nomic hardship as well as the war in Chechnya had si-
phoned off a large amount of domestic attention, and
other political interests were consolidating control.
The lack of environmental progress certainly has to do
with Vladimir Putin’s consolidation of power and his
lack of commitment to environmental protection, but
other social, economic and historical elements were
also at play. The USSR had no history of strong NGOs,
and environmental groups were unable to gain enough
domestic funding support to be a powerful network.
Thus, environmental issues are not well represented
in Russia and are cannot muster substantial political
pressure. Indeed, Russian power elites have shown
little interest in environmental issues.
Some argue that Russians do care about the envi-
ronment, but this seems to conflict with the low party
membership and election results. Despite continuing
environmental abuses by the powerful and dire health
statistics, data show relatively few citizens support-
ing the green movement or the party which represents
environmental protection. Its early success was par-
tially because it provided an outlet for anti-regime
sentiments. With the fall of the Soviet regime, large
portions of that support left the movement. In the
1990s, Russia experienced both political and economic
turmoil, including collapsing industries. Industrial
pollution decreased as a result of the downturn, but
people were concerned with economic survival, fear-
ing wider industrial closures. In such circumstances,
people conclude that environmental protection is a
luxury only affordable in stable and wealthy societies.
Environmental inaction can be rationalized with the
attitude that Russia is vast, having a wealth of natural
resources, and given the economic needs, if one area is
damaged it is possible to move to another.
sharon
(sharon)
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