Assessment of the economic activity greening level and the green economy development directions

Abstract

Sustainable development is a priority in a modern world. The essence of sustainable development is to ensure such economic growth that allows to preserve the natural environment for present and future generations. One of the effective tools for this is the development of green economy. The authors consider the problems of sustainable development and a green economy on the example of Russia. The purpose of the study: (1) to develop a method for assessing the development of a green economy based on a comparison of environmental and economic indicators; (2) to test this method on the materials of the Russian regions, to assess their economic activity greening level; (3) to offer recommendations for improving policies and regulation in the development of the green economy. In this study, in order to assess the level of ecologization of the regional economy, a method of assessing ecological and economic territorial development is used, based on the calculation of the integral index. This technique allows for a comparative analysis of Russian regions in terms of environmental and economic development. The authors give a comparative quantitative assessment of the level of greening of the Russian regions. On this basis, the priorities and directions of development of the green economy are proposed. It is recommended to use these proposals in the regulation of regional development in order to achieve the main goal – sustainable development. These recommendations do not reflect only the specifics of the Russian Federation, and therefore may also be applicable in the international practice.