Reserves Of Natural Resources Research Articles

ЕКОНОМІЧНИЙ МЕХАНІЗМ ІНТЕНСИФІКАЦІЇ АГРОПРОМИСЛОВОГО ВИРОБНИЦТВА

The article investigates the directions of intensification of agro-industrial production. The urgency of the research topic, the greening of agro-industrial production involves the intensive development of scientific and technological progress, its transition to ecological-economic, economic-organizational and ecological-technical relations. The main preconditions for the greening of agro-industrial production are revealed, in particular: permanent growth of material needs of mankind with limited and exhaustible reserves of basic natural resources, reduced productivity of agricultural lands, intensive degradation of natural ecosystems, increasing frequency of weather anomalies and climate change. It is established that the greening of agricultural production and the greening of the economy should be considered as a response to global social and environmental problems of today. The essence of the theory of energy balance in the agricultural sphere is clarified; correlation-regression analysis was performed to quantify the dependence of the need for organic matter (for a break-even balance of humus in the soil) on the ratio of the structure of cereal crops, row crops and perennial grasses. The directions of increase of rational use of natural resources of agrarian sphere and features of greening of agro-industrial production are substantiated. Given the intensity of the food problem, the need to move to an integrated agriculture system, which includes the best features of biological (organic, natural, ecological) farming system, assuming (within reasonable limits) the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It was found that the ratio of the processes of synthesis and dehumidification (consumption) of soil organic matter for a certain period of time characterizes the humus regime of the soil and is an indicator of the intensity of accumulation and consumption of organic matter. It was found that fertility primarily depends on the accumulation and conversion of solar energy, so the soil is the second energy factor of the agroecosystem (after solar energy), which determines the very possibility of its existence. The value of the humus shell of the soil is most often assessed as a universal planetary accumulator and transformer of energy created in the process of photosynthesis in plant organisms. It is these vital aspects that determine the ecological and energy essence of soil fertility. It is from such functional principles that an appropriate system of economic evaluation of the efficiency and rationality of land use in the agricultural sector should be created. It is proved that the greening of agro-industrial production should ensure the preservation and reproduction of the natural resource potential of the agricultural sector.

Attraction of investments as the main factor in the development of the macroregion siberia

The macroregion Siberia possess large reserves of natural resources, which makes it possible to create a modern high-tech infrastructure for their extraction and processing. The production of final products in this region can become a driving force for the development of the Russian economy in the medium and long term. Unlocking the potential of Siberia and the Far East requires significant investments comparable to the money spent by the USSR for the development of Western Siberia, the North, the Arctic and the construction of the BAM (the Baikal-Amur Mainline). The volume of public investment is insufficient for the dynamic development of the region, so to obtain additional investment funds stimulation of the private sector of the economy is required. Potential investors have the sufficient financial resources, but it is necessary to improve an investment climate in Russia. It will allow the country to attract the maximum amount of money. To improve the investment climate one should make significant changes in the management, legal, banking and other aspects of business activity in Russia.

ЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКОЕ СОТРУДНИЧЕСТВО НЕФТЕГАЗОВЫХ КОМПАНИЙ РФ И ВЬЕТНАМА. ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ И ВЫЗОВЫ

The article shows the history of the energy cooperation develop- ment between oil and gas companies (OGC) of the Russian Federation (RF) and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) on the continental shelf of Vietnam in the South China Sea. Despite the richest reserves of natural resources and, in particular, hydrocarbons in the territory of Vietnam, slightly less than half of the potential oil reserves and about a third of the potential natural gas reserves have been explored. The desire of the Vietnamese leadership to develop rela- tions in the oil and gas sector with foreign countries has led to the attraction of foreign oil and gas companies to the search, exploration and development of oil and gas fields on the shelf of the SRV in the South China Sea. Russian oil and gas companies are among the key partners in hydrocarbon production. The article shows the spheres of cooperation between Russian and Vietnamese oil and gas companies, its prospects and risks. The authors note that not only Russian oil and gas companies operate in Vietnam, but Vietnamese oil and gas companies have also gained access to Russian fields in the Russian Federation.

Сравнительная оценка горимости лесов России и зарубежных стран

На основе статистических данных о лесных пожарах проведен сравнительный анализ частоты пожаров и горимости на землях лесного фонда России с показателями горимости лесов других стран бореальной зоны. The article compares the burning of forests in different countries of the world located in the boreal climatic zone. Since Russia occupies the largest area in the world, and of course is the leader in the reserve of many natural resources. One of them is the forest, the stock of which is about 20 % of the world. This issue is relevant in connection with foreign criticism aimed at the Russian Federation on forest management, namely fire-fighting forest plantations. Statements about fire data, considering that they are significantly underestimated due to” political reasons”, in General, fire management policy is not clear, inefficient and opaque. And attempted to extinguish fires think it is not appropriate. As a result of the analysis, the countries were selected for comparison by similar criteria, these are the countries of North America, the USA and Canada, the countries of Europe did not fit out of a number of features described in the article. For comparison, the given indicators (frequency and Flammability) are selected, which provide a more accurate comparison of countries, because it is necessary to take into account the different area occupied by forest plantations. After, the data must be correctly interpreted using the scale of the assessment of the burning. Data for the calculation of indicators (horimoto and frequency) were taken from the official documents. Many sites provide similar information, but without reference to the source. According to the results of the calculations, the average values of frequency and Flammability, and the average area of one fire were obtained. As a result, we can say that the criticism of foreign media, experts, environmentalists is not confirmed in the study.

Seabed mining could come at a high price for a unique fauna.

The deep seafloor is teeming with life, most of which remains poorly known to science. It also constitutes an important reserve of natural resources, particularly minerals, that mining companies will start harvesting in the next few years (Nat Rev Earth Environ, 1, 2020, 158). In this context, broad biodiversity assessments of deep-sea ecosystems are urgently needed to establish a baseline prior to mining. However, significant gaps in our taxonomic knowledge and the high cost of sampling in the deep sea limit the effectiveness of conventional morphology-based surveys. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Laroche et al. (Mol Ecol, 2020) capitalize on high throughput molecular methods to conduct one of the most detailed and rigorous surveys of the composition and biogeography of deep-seafloor metazoan communities to date. The authors show that deep seamounts in the Clarion Clipperton Zone are inhabited by rich metazoan communities that are distinct from those of the surrounding abyssal plains. These results have important conservation implications: if communities on deep seamounts were to persist after large-scale industrial mining operations on the surrounding plains, the seamounts would not serve as appropriate reservoirs to repopulate impacted areas.

Using Dynamic Panel Data Modeling to Study Net FDI Inflows in MENA Countries

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a critical role in providing financial capital needs, technology transfer, and creating more jobs in the host country. It also helps economies to increase competitiveness and productivity, thereby increasing exports and enhancing opportunities for growth and development. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are in desperate need of more FDI inflows to resolve their economic problems. This paper investigates the determinants of net FDI inflows to 23 countries in MENA region during the period from 1995 to 2017 by using static and dynamic panel data analysis. The results indicate that macro determinants, such as gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, openness, the inflation rate, and public expenditure have a significant impact on net FDI inflows. In addition, we observe that rents from natural resource (oil), exchange rate, and total reserves of foreign exchange and monetary gold do not significantly influence FDI.

Chinese experience in implementing renewable energy sources as a possible scenario for the Krasnoyarsk Territory

Renewable energy is a rapidly developing area of the modern economy. As many experts forecast, global electricity consumption will double by 2050, while the share of renewable sources in energy generation will be 50%. For most states, the main incentives for the development of renewable energy are the ability to eliminate the consumption of fossil fuels and reduce the level of emissions of pollutants, while ensuring sustainable development of the country. At the same time, Russia, which has significant reserves of natural resources, is in no hurry to switch to the use of energy from renewable sources since it is believed that the country’s subsoil can provide it with cheap energy resources for many generations to come. Therefore, introduction of renewable energy sources that are unable to compete with traditional energy without a developed energy infrastructure and established production is impractical. In our study we try to evaluate the efficiency of the introduction of renewable energy sources in the Krasnoyarsk Territory of Russia using the example of the Chinese experience.

Problems and Prospects for the Development of the Oil Industry in the Russian Federation

The article gives the assessment results of the reserves of natural resources, such as oil, gas, coal, diamonds and others in Russia, in physical and monetary terms. A study of the oil industry has been carried out, which includes the production, transportation and subsequent marketing of oil and petroleum products in the domestic and foreign markets of the Russian Federation. The strategic importance and significance of this industry for the Russian economy and the state as a whole is determined. The current problems of the oil industry, such as technology, manufacturing, geographic, criminal, political, low value added and resource recovery, were identified and described. The article also presents trends and prospects for the development of the oil industry of the Russian Federation in the medium- and long-term periods.

ПРОБЛЕМА СЕПАРАТИЗМУ В СУБСАХАРСЬКІЙ АФРИЦІ 1960-Х рр. НА ПРИКЛАДІ КОНГО ТА НІГЕРІЇ

The article deals with the issue of separatism in the sub-Saharan world of Africa in the 1960's, on the example of two countries – the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more – Congo) and Nigeria. Emphasis is placed on the emergence of separatist movements that move into the format of quasi-state and the struggle of central governments for territorial unity.In the framework of the proposed article, the research methodology is mainly based on the method of comparative analysis. Each of the two countries considered has its own specific features, and at the same time, it has been possible to distinguish common features because of which a general characterization of centrifugal trends in Sub-Saharan Africa over a given period can be drawn. In particular, this concerns the new independent states that appeared on the political map of the Afri can continent in the early 1960’s.It was found that more often separatist movements arose in provinces that had strong economic potential and reserves of natural resources. This, in turn, provided for the possibility of separate existence for a long period, even in the face of armed confrontation with the central government. A key element was also the presence or absence of an external factor, political and / or military, that directly determined events or had a decisive influence on them. This factor is especially characteristic in the context of bipolar confrontation between two geopolitical centres, led by the US and the USSR, which sought to strengthen their influence at every single geographical point in the world. The emergence of each independent sub-Saharan country, each new manifestation of separatism and military conflict, not only had an internal dimension, but also concerned a more global context of confrontation in the Cold War.

Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility by Oil Companies in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: Myth or Reality

Niger Delta region of Nigeria is a home to many multinational oil companies with different packages of corporate social responsibility (CSR) because of its huge natural resource reserve especially of oil and gas. The CSR packages are designed to address social, economic and environmental concerns of the indigenes of the Niger Delta region, arising from the oil and gas operations of the multinational oil companies. The operational activities of the oil companies over the years have led to the degradation of the Niger Delta environment with consequent loss of livelihood sources, thereby triggering protests and other violent activities in the region. The paper identified and analysed the indices of the components of the CSR (social, economic and environmental components) packages using results-based management framework to determine the impacts of the CSR projects and programmes on the people. The analysis revealed that multinational oil companies release funds from a philanthropic perspective for the execution of some social development projects/programmes, but these projects/programmes do not address the welfare and livelihood needs of the people. This means that the multinational oil companies operating in the region create an illusion of compliance with social development and responsibility rules. The paper linked these unfortunate situations (environmental degradation, insecurity, poverty, unemployment, etc) found in the region today to failure of CSR implementation due to corruption, insincerity and philanthropic approach of the oil companies and regard it as injustice to the people of Niger Delta. It therefore concluded that CSR implementation in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is a myth and as a result recommended that Multinational oil companies should therefore incorporate the people of the Niger Delta into the oil economy by enlisting household heads into the payroll system of the multinational oil companies as well as engage sincerely in projects that will lead to the development of the region, if protests and other violent activities in the region must stop.
 Key Words: Implementation, Corporate social responsibility, Environmental Resources, Niger Delta, Multinational Oil Companies

PROBLEMS OF RESETTLEMENT IN THE KOMI REGION IN THE LATE XIX-EARLY XX CENTURY AND THE EXPEDITION OF P. I. SOKOLOV

Three stages of studying the problem of the possibility of settling the Komi region are considered. At the initial stage, during the second half of the XIX century, the problems of resettlement were considered in the context of the formation of a new - Pechora - uyezd and the need for its settling, the development of identified reserves of natural resources, the creation of new communication routes within the Northern region, and exits to Siberia. In the first five years of the XX century, while preserving the former motives, single expeditions were organized to study "agricultural colonization" and "Temporary rules for the formation of resettlement sites" were approved, directly affecting Ust-Sysola Uyezd. It was in this uyezd that the first areas were identified that, from the point of view of official researchers and officials, were of interest for resettlement. Their position was opposed by leaders of the local Zemstvo institutions. The starting point of the third stage was the agrarian reform of P. A. Stolypin in 1906. By results of a number of expeditions, first of all under the leadership of P. I. Sokolov in 1908-1909, almost 750 thousand tithes in the territory of 12 volosts of Ust-Sysola Uyezd were defined for settling. The beginning of the wide colonization of the Komi region was close to realization. K. F. Zhakov, famous Komi scientist, actively opposed such a scenario of events and convinced the members of the Arkhangelsk society for the study of the Russian North that he was right. Plans for the practical development of sparsely populated areas of the Komi region were unrealized, not so much because of the protests of scientific and public figures, but because of the clumsiness of the bureaucratic state machine, the lack of active and energetic supporters, the involvement of the Central authorities in resettlement projects in Siberia and because of the death in 1911 of the initiator of all agrarian reforms of the early XX century, P. A. Stolypin.

Chinas Trade and Economic Cooperation with the Central Asian Countries

In this article, the specific features of modern trade and economic relations between China and Central Asian Countries are addressed. Central Asia is of interest to China because of its geopolitical position, significant reserves of various natural resources and a promising market for Chinese goods. China is one of the key partners of this region in a wide range of areas. Cooperation between China and Central Asian Countries has a positive development dynamics. The main areas of cooperation are the production, processing and transportation of oil and gas to China. Prospects for the development of trade and economic cooperation between China and Central Asian countries are related to the implementation of the projects under China’s initiative «One Belt, One Road».

The region's natural and resource potential as a component of investment resources: The Ganja-Gazakh economic region of Azerbaijan case study

Subject. This article highlights the natural and resource potential and capabilities of the Ganja-Gazakh Economic Region of Azerbaijan. Objectives. The article aims to assess the feasibility of developing projects to increase domestic and external investment in the Ganja-Gazakh Economic Region. Methods. For the study, we used content, systems, and statistical data analyses, and the emergence principle, that implies the impossibility to reduce properties of the whole to the sum of properties of its parts. Results. The article provides an assessment of the reserves of natural raw resources of the Ganja-Gazakh Economic Region. Conclusions. The ecological environment of the region has been damaged by depletion and pollution as the consumption of natural resources increases. There is a need for increased investment in resource-use projects and priority programmes for the restoration and conservation of the environment. The local executive authorities should prepare decisions to encourage investment in the modernization of the region's production infrastructure.

Research and development of optimal technological solutions for the processing of the Pyakyakhinskoye gas condensate field in the Bolshekhetskaya depression

The article deals with the results of a complex physical and chemical study of gas condensates. The research was carried out on gas condensates of the Pyakyakhinskoye gas condensate of productive formation BU18 in perforation intervals 3 153–3 277 m, 3 208–3 239 m, 3 455–4 060 m, 3 685–4 293 m, 3 781–4 429 m. Attention to this topic is due to the fact that this information is necessary for the calculation of reserves of natural resources, design, development of the field, and optimal technological solutions for its processing.

Taxation of natural resource extraction: problematic questions and digitalization of tax administration

The subject of this research is the theory and methodology of taxation of natural resource extraction, including raw hydrocarbon materials and solid minerals, approaches towards allocation of tax burden between economic agents, development trends in taxation system of extraction of different types of minerals. Special attention is given to the questions of improvement of tax administration of extractive sector based on implementation of the new digital information technologies of transmitting data on the output of minerals and reform of the institution of declaration of tax. Research methodology includes: consideration of the principles of taxation system of natural resource extraction; determination of interconnection between the elements of this system and its disturbance; formulation of theoretical conclusions on the basis of studying the practice of taxation and tax administration. The scientific novelty consists in identification of vulnerability of taxation system of natural resource extraction from external factors, including world prices for mineral raw materials; substantiation of measures on neutralization of such dependence; proof of the need for harmonization of the key concepts of Taxation Code of the Russian Federation and legislation on the depth, and formation of the system of direct assessment of reasonableness and effectiveness of point-based and categorical incentives on extraction of natural resources. The article substantiates the vectors of reform of tax declaration system regarding the extraction of natural resources and determination of tax liabilities on the records of government reserve of natural resources. An algorithm is developed for organization of direct oil metering at the wells, using the modern digital technologies.  

Criteria for Auditing the Efficiency of Natural Resource Use. Example of the Karaganda Region

The limited reserves of many natural resources, as well as their irrational use, poses an urgent problem of increasing the efficiency of their use by conducting a proper environmental audit. The article discusses the criteria for the audit of the effectiveness of the use of natural resources in international practice, as well as the adaptation of these criteria to the practice of conducting a state environmental audit in the Republic of Kazakhstan (on the example of industry in the Karaganda region). The article also considers the environmental and economic criteria for the efficiency of natural resource use, as well as the interrelation of these criteria by the method of correlation of indicators.

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ ВЕЧНОЙ МЕРЗЛОТЫ НА ЕВРОПЕЙСКОМ СЕВЕРО-ВОСТОКЕ РОССИИ В ПЕРВОЙ ПОЛОВИНЕ XX в.

On the basis of a wide range of sources, the research analyzes the history of the study of permafrost in the territory of the European Northeast of Russia in the first half of the 20th century. The documentary sources revealed in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), the National Archive of the Komi Republic (Syktyvkar), the Scientific Archive of the Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Syktyvkar), the Vorkuta Museum and Exhibition Center (Vorkuta) are introduced into the scientific use for the first time. The 1920s became the period of the birth of a new scientific direction – permafrostology. This science gave an impetus to the systematic study and development of the North and the Arctic. The beginning of systematic geocryologic studies was connected with the development of the European Northeast in the 1920s–1930s. It has been determined that the USSR Academy of Sciences played the leading role in carrying out these studies: it organized special scientific expeditions for studying the cryolithozone of this region. The main results of the studies and their motives interconnected with the government’s interests in the development of valuable northern mineral resources are shown. The results of the expeditions were conclusions about the possibility of constructing large industrial facilities in the regions of the explored reserves of natural raw material resources. Following scientists’ recommendation, the industrial development of the Pechora coal basin and the colonization of the polar region began. The climatic and natural features of the region demanded stationary scientific research in the field of design and construction. The Vorkuta Research Permafrost Station (VRPS) (1936–1958), created under the supervision of the USSR Academy of Sciences, began to carry out this research. Today, the history of this station’s activities is poorly studied. The article presents the main directions of VRPS research: engineering permafrostology and general issues of permafrost studies. The staff of the station were researchers of the Committee on Permafrost Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences and scientists from among prisoners of GULAG. The role of the staff who made a great contribution to permafrost studies is shown. Under the leadership of the scientists of the station, on the basis of their techniques, large industrial structures of Vorkuta District and Vorkuta, among them the first railroad in the conditions of permafrost, were designed. The conclusion is drawn on the leading role of scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences in carrying out studies of permafrost soil in the European Northeast in the first half of the 20th century which became the basis in the successful solution of construction problems in the Arctic territory.

Проблема статусу Аляски в сучасній російській політичній риториці

The problem of the legal status of Alaska and its reflection in the modern political rhetoric of the Russian Federation are considered in the article. The main reasons for the sale of Alaska by the Russian Empire to the United States of America were researched: the loss of the Russian empire in the Crimean War; remoteness of Alaska from the Russian capital; unprofitability of Alaska in then conditions; the desire to establish friendly relations with the US and other countries. It is found that the main reasons for the growing interest of the Russian Federation in changing the geopolitical status of Alaska at the present stage are the following: the presence of significant reserves of natural resources on the peninsula, including oil, gas, zinc, gold, wood, etc.; the importance of the geopolitical location of the peninsula, the possession of which gives access to the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route; imperial policy of the Russian Federation, etc. It is noted that the main political forces in Russia, advocating the return of the territory of Alaska to Russian jurisdiction, are the LDPR and its leader Volodymyr Zhyrynovskyi; Party of Veterans of Russia; Communist Party of the Russian Federation; individual political scientists, journalists, political figures. The nature of their statements about the revision of the status of Alaska, the active use of social networks to disseminate the opinion that Alaska should be returned under the jurisdiction of Russia, are revealed. It was determined that the Russian political rhetoric to change the geopolitical status of Alaska sounds only from certain political forces, but is not an official position of the current Russian government. At the same time, it was shown that the Russian Federation is strengthening its military presence in the territories adjacent to Alaska, that can be regarded as a desire to strengthen the influence and presence in the Arctic.

Natural Resource Potential as a Factor in the Formation of the Region’s Natural-Economic System

The need to deepen theoretical research on the reproduction of regional natural-economic systems, the mechanism of their economic transformation and the development of methodological foundations for further improving the development of the region is one of the basic issues in the implementation of the strategy for sustainable development, determining the most effective directions for solving environmental management and environmental protection problems. The processes of transformation of natural-economic systems of a regional level are caused, first, by factors that contribute to the transfer of part of the reserves of natural resources into the natural-resource potential of the regions. Thus, the development of scientific and technological progress contributes to the reduction of current and investment costs for the extraction and processing of natural resources in the context of new technical capabilities. The role of the latter is also high in solving the problem of exceeding the growth rate of the use of natural resources in comparison with their reproduction and restoration. The rationalization of the use of reserves of natural resources, which is justified by the ever-increasing needs of society, necessitates the economic assessment of different gradation of natural resources in terms of quantitative and qualitative analysis. In this regard, the article attempts to find an answer to a number of questions about the content, object, mechanism of development of the natural-economic system based on the natural resource potential of the region.

Dynamic resilience assessment for process units operating in Arctic environments

The Arctic is known for its abundant reserve of natural resources. Last decade has seen some exploration and production activities in this region. The assurance of safe operations in this region is a critical and challenging task because of the harsh environment, the remoteness of operation sites, the limited infrastructure, and resources available in response to emergent situations, the application of costly equipment and facilities, and the sensitive marine environment. For complex process systems operating in a harsh environment, the scope of conventional risk assessment is not enough because of the highly uncertain environment, and its impacts on equipment performance. Risk assessment needs to be extended to include both the pre-failure and the post-failure phases. Additionally, risk assessment approaches under normal operating, and environmental conditions may not be applicable in the Arctic regions with unique and uncertain characteristics of the harsh environment. Therefore, this study aims to develop a quantitative resilience assessment method for process units operating under Arctic extreme conditions. Dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) is applied to model the probabilistic relationships between causes and effects in a dynamic manner. The proposed method is applied to the resilience assessment of a separator (as part of an oil production system). The proposed approach will help reveal the critical operating parameters under extreme conditions for process units. It also helps identify potential design improvement to enhance process safety.