its, the lowered life expectancy and loss of population
documented in official reports. These reports provide
evidence of ongoing, serious health and environmen-
tal problems. There does not appear to be any wide-
spread attempts to repair past damages. Worse still,
available reports make it clear the number of abuses
continue to grow. The full scope of the environmental
problems and risks remains unclear; not only because
of a lack of government data and transparency, but
also because journalists have been targeted and at-
tacked in pursuing environmental issues.
According to a 2007 interview with Viktor Danilov-
Danilyan, Director of the Institute of Water Problems
of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and former
Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural
Resources before it was reorganized, Russia, under
Putin and Medvedev has not addressed serious envi-
ronmental problems. Danilov-Danilyan noted Russia
has what is considered to be the most polluted city in
the world, Karabash in the Chelyabinsk Region, and
there are approximately a dozen cities almost as pol-
luted. Dangerous pollution levels noted in the 1990s
have not been effectively addressed. About 150 cit-
ies regularly exceed maximum concentration levels of
toxins in both air and drinking water. Huge amounts
of industrial and household waste occupy large areas
and sometimes poison groundwater supplies. 15% of
Russia’s territory (equal to the area of England, France,
Germany, Sweden and Finland combined), some of it
around industrial centers, has severely degraded eco-
systems, with toxic levels exceeding standards in air
and water and soil. According to Danilov-Danilyan,
Russia is worse than any other developed country in
environmental protection (Sinitsyna 2007 a).
sharon
(sharon)
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