High standards and modern solutions: Environmental achievements discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO
A plenary session on key results and achievements in the sphere of ecology was held at the RUSSIA EXPO. It was timed to coincide with the thematic day of the National Achievements Forum: Ecology, which takes place at the exposition site from February 3 to 27.
Today society demands from the state and industry to comply with high environmental standards, so adequate solutions to modern challenges are needed, said Victoria Abramchenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
"Just 20-30 years ago, no one thought about ecology. It was not customary to fine businesses for emissions and discharges. We had no idea about environmentally friendly transport or closed-cycle economy. The paper was the best packaging, and plastic bags were concidered to be a fashion accessory that you had to try to get your hands on. And thanks to the unwavering support of the President, the Government has managed to achieve positive changes in many environmental and ecological areas," said Victoria Abramchenko.
One of the main tools here is the national project "Ecology", under which a number of federal programs operate. In particular, the Clean Air Project, which operates in 12 cities. They are upgrading transport, generation facilities and enterprises to reduce the amount of harmful emissions. 698 new units of environmentally friendly transport have already been put on the routes in the cities. More than 545 billion rubles have been invested in the modernization of production - this allowed to reduce emissions by 292 thousand tons.
"For each direction we work individually within the framework of comprehensive plans. Emission quotas have been brought to attention of all the polluters. Fulfillment of all activities of the federal project allowed to reduce the volume of pollutant emissions in the participating cities by almost 13%," said Victoria Abramchenko.
According to the plan, the Clean Air Project will work in 29 new cities from 2025.
In addition, Russia has eliminated 128 landfills in the city limits and 80 objects of accumulated harm, said Deputy Prime Minister. In 2024, the project will be completed in full, eliminating 191 dumps. At the same time, one of the main challenges now is industrial waste, emphasized Victoria Abramchenko.
According to statistics, almost 8.5 billion tons of waste are generated in Russia every year. The first place is taken by subsoil waste: it amounts to more than 8 billion tons. And municipal waste is only about 50 million tons a year. In this regard, a number of necessary laws have been adopted. In particular, owners will no longer be able to abandon industrial sites with accumulated waste. In addition, there is a requirement to ban the burial of useful fractions from waste from 2030, the responsibility of business for the disposal of goods and packaging is established, and the reform of extended liability of manufacturers and importers has been completed, said Deputy Prime Minister. This will make it possible to switch to a closed-cycle economy in Russia.
"Over the years of reform, 249 facilities with a total capacity of more than 20 million tons per year for sorting and 6 million tons per year for disposal have been created. Now 53% of solid municipal waste (SMW) is sent for recycling, and the share of utilization has exceeded 12%," said Victoria Abramchenko.
Much attention is paid in Russia to the improvement of water bodies. Within the framework of the national project "Ecology" tens of thousands of measures on ecological improvement of water bodies have been implemented, said Deputy Prime Minister. Thanks to this, 17 million people have improved their living conditions. One of the main achievements is the construction of 105 treatment facilities in the Volga basin. As a result, the volume of untreated wastewater has almost halved.
In addition, with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the country has reformed its forestry industry by creating a system of traceability of timber at every stage of its movement. From the plot to processing and export. All forest warehouses and production facilities are registered in the departmental information system. For each batch of timber they issue an electronic accompanying document - a kind of "passport", without which it is impossible to transport any batch of timber.
"As a result - the illegal export of timber from the country has been prevented, and the volume of illegal logging has decreased by 58%. Thanks to the reform it was possible to increase the budget system revenues from the use of forests by 21% to 74 billion rubles," said Victoria Abramchenko.
One of the requests of Russian residents is ecological education and upbringing of eco-culture, she noted. According to the poll of the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Measurement (VTSIOM), 88% of Russians consider it important. The number of eco-volunteers is growing every year, Victoria Abramchenko said, recalling that on Vladimir Putin's instructions, the Ecosystem All-Russian Youth Movement was created, which united many environmental volunteers - those who collect garbage, clean water bodies, plant trees, give a second life to waste or help homeless animals.
The state is facing serious environmental challenges, said Deputy Prime Minister.
"One of the national development goals of the country until 2030, outlined by the President, is associated with the achievement of several important results. We must halve emissions of hazardous pollutants, improve water bodies, eliminate landfills and create an effective system of waste management so as to sort 100% of waste and reduce the volume of burial by half," Victoria Abramchenko emphasized.
During the plenary session the municipal waste management, environmental protection and the impact of the environmental agenda on the regions were discussed. The Ecology industry day is held within the framework of the National Achievements Forum, which will last at the RUSSIA EXPO until February 27.
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