Green Agriculture as a Branch of the Green Economy: Problems of Assessing the Complex Environmental Impact

Abstract

According to the ideology of the green economy, any economic activity should be carried out using technologies that cause minimal damage to the environment. The means and methods used by companies to minimize environmental harm from their activities, which seem effective at first glance and are even generally recognized, may turn out to be very ambiguous with a detailed and comprehensive analysis of their impact on the environment. Unfortunately, both abroad and in the Russian Federation, the level of legal regulation in the use of so-called green technologies, confirmation of their real compliance with the declared goals of environmental protection, as well as the introduction of liability measures for relevant violations and unfair competition remains extremely low. Closer attention on the part of society and the state to the existing problem should be realized in the development of appropriate legislation, both stimulating the development of a green economy according to established standards and rules, and ensuring the establishment of proper control over activities falling into the category of green, for its real compliance with the stated goals of environmental protection and conservation of the planet's resources. Of course, alternative energy should take its place in the system of ensuring the energy security of each state. But it is necessary to use its advantages wisely on the basis of legally established procedures for a comprehensive assessment of their impact on the environment, including in the long term. In the meantime, alternative energy, especially in Western countries, has firmly established the reputation of a "green", environmentally friendly industry, which in many cases is fundamentally wrong. The development of new necessary means and methods of legal regulation, along with their legislative consolidation, should play a key role in stimulating the effective development of society in a "green" direction, namely in a non-destructive direction for the environment.