ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY OF MINING COMPANIES IN THE ARCTIC

The article deals with the environmental policies of large mining companies operating in the Russian Arctic. The introduction of mandatory requirements for the submission of environmental reporting is directly related to corporate social responsibility, which cannot be ignored by mining companies that calculate the risks associated with the negative impact of industry on the environment and take into account the interests of stakeholders in the Arctic. Inconsistency of the norms and legislation on subsoil with the norms of land, water, forest and faunistic legislation, as well as with the environmental safety norms, contradictory law enforcement practice make the topic of this article relevant and needed. It is necessary to develop a unified concept of environmental protection and environmental safety on the use of subsoil at the state level, which would provide for an optimal combination of social, economic and environmental interests. In this article, based on the adopted strategic documents and established practice in Russia and the world, we will talk about taking into account the environmental factor in the development of deposits in the Arctic, concluding agreements with residents of the Arctic zone, and applying the liability standard by subsoil users. At the same time, at present, for the majority of mining companies in Russia, the submission of social, environmental and sustainable development reports, information on the company’s strategy in the field of ethical business conduct, taking into account the opinions of stakeholders, is not provided for by law.

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