Comparative Analysis of Methodological Approaches to Assessing Threats to Environmental and Economic Security

Abstract

This issue is topical, since concerning present realities when economic development is characterized by an active anthropogenic impact on the environment, an assessment of threats to environmental and economic security should serve the reason for early preventive measures to be taken. The modern mechanism of environmental and economic development is quite destructive both from the standpoint of taking into account the interests of subjects of nature management and the lack of an effective system for tracking threats to environmental and economic security. This situation jeopardizes the sustainable development of human civilization, high quality of life and public health, conservation of natural systems and maintenance of proper environmental quality. The authors have examined methodological approaches to the assessment of threats to economic security and have concluded that they need to be refined. The examination allowed the authors to find out that it is necessary to revise approaches to the concept of “environmental security” as a component of economic security, and regard it as a single concept “environmental and economic security”, and threats—as negative factors affecting the development of the environment, areas of social activity and production. This conclusion was based on the research of the environmental and economic security of the Republic of Kalmykia that is a complex object both in terms of natural and other types of threats and risks. Keeping in mind the necessity of assessing threats with attention to regional features of the territory, it is proposed to supplement the list of indicators and consider the criteria depending on the object’s location, the level of threats and other factors.