ЭКОЛОГО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА РАЗВИТИЯ РЕГИОНОВ СИБИРИ С ПОЗИЦИЙ КОНЦЕПЦИИ «ЗЕЛЕНОЙ» ЭКОНОМИКИ

Abstract

The concept of green economy is relatively new among the existing models for the socio-economic development of countries and regions. It is developed by the international community within the framework of sustainable development ideology. The purpose of our study is to assess the development dynamics of Siberian regions over the past 30 years taking into account the ecological capacity of this development and the prospects for implementing the principles of green economy. To this end, we used index, mathematical-statistical, and comparative geographical methods of research. The green economy development of Siberian regions was assessed on the basis of calculating the ecological capacity indicators and the decoupling coefficient – a quantitative tool for measuring the relationship between economic growth, resource consumption, and environmental pollution. As the study showed, in all regions of Siberia, the decoupling effect on major indicators of statistically accountable environmental pollution corresponds to the general Russian trends. Compared to the early 1990s, the indicators of environmental intensity of economic growth have dropped by several times. However, in Kemerovo and Tomsk Oblasts (regions) as well as in Krasnoyarsk Krai these indices remain high. Another negative aspect is energy-intensive GRP in Siberian regions, which exceeds the average Russian level by 1.2–4.6 times, especially in Kemerovo and Irkutsk Oblasts as well as in the Republics of Khakassia and Tyva. The observed structural shifts in the economy, namely an increase in the share of the non-manufacturing sector, enhance the opportunities for ‘green growth’ in the regions through the development of less carbon-intensive industries. At the same time, the implementation of the green economy principles is only at the initial stage. Based on the assessment of the regional development dynamics and its ecological capacity, we propose a differentiated approach to be used to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of Siberian regions.