Impact of climatic effects on the environment and the economy of the Russian Arctic

Abstract

The Arctic is a high-latitude part of the Far North, including the land area and the marine environment of the Arctic Ocean within the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation. The importance of the Arctic issues are conditioned by the fact that in the Russian Federation shaping and scientific rationale of the priorities of circumpolar territory development are ones of the key objectives of Russian economic development and modernization. Russian Arctic development should be based on the principles of resource efficiency and precautionary principle. It should be founded on cutting-edge research and professional competencies of labour force, who are adapted to work in the Arctic, and should be accompanied by innovative technologies. Studying different directions and problems of the Arctic development shows a particularly crucial role of geography in framing and solving national economic purposes. The role of geography is becoming more important not only because of huge impact of the geographical factor in the Far North and the Arctic regions but also due to remarkable differentiation of natural and social conditions of economic activity. In recent decades, the Arctic is undergoing rapid transformations in the natural and socio-economic environment, which are developing against the background of a lack of knowledge about them. One example is climate change, which can have an impact on environmental management on a global scale.