Socio-Ecological Consequences of Irrational Nature Use in the North of Western Siberia in the 1990s

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of environmental problems that arose as a result of the industrial development of the North of Western Siberia in the 1990s. The consequences of active, irrational use of natural resources in North-West Siberia for water, land resources and the atmosphere are considered. Based on the analysis of previously unpublished archival materials of the environmental prosecutor’s office of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, the author has established that the period of the 1990s had many environmental problems, including those related to the oil and gas production complex and human negligence. It is concluded that the main pollutant in the studied region was oil and oil products. Among the environmental problems, a special place is occupied by the pollution of soils and water resources, the violation of the balance of the ecosystem. Against this background, social problems arise: problems with the health of the population, a decrease in the quality of life, a decrease in opportunities for recreation, nature tourism and recreation; the emergence of additional factors of social inequality and social tension. At the same time, the author does not deny the economic importance of oil production and proposes to more actively introduce mechanisms for sustainable environmental management. The author’s research contributes to the development of ecological history in the North of Western Siberia.