MinKul’tury – Ministry of Culture;
MinNauki – Ministry of Science;
MinOborony – Ministry of Defence;
MinObrazovaniya – Ministry of Education;
MinPrirodi – former name of State Committee of the Russian Federation of Protection of the Environment;
MinResursov – Ministry of Natural Resources;
MinSel’Hoz – Ministry of Agriculture;
MinSel’HozProd – Ministry of Agricultural Production;
MinStroy – Ministry of Construction;
MinTopEnergo – Ministry of Fuel and Energy;
MinTrans – Ministry of Transportation;
MinZdrav – Ministry of Health;
MinZdravMedProm – Ministry of Health Services Industry;
MPR – Ministry of Natural Resources;
MPS – Ministry of Rail Roads;
MVD – Ministry of Internal Defence;
NEAP – National Environmental Action Plan;
NEHAP – National Environmental Health Action Plan;
NGO – non-governmental organisation;
NIIAT – Research Institute of Automobile Transport;
NIS – Newly Independent States;
NPGO GGP – Neva’s Geological Holding of State’s Geology Enterprise «NevskGeologiya»;
OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;
OGSNK – State Monitoring Service for the Pollution Control and System for the Complex Monitoring of Background Pollution;
PP – public participation;
RAEN – Russian Academy of Natural Science;
RAN – Russian Academy of Science;
RAO – Russian Academy of Education;
RKA – Russian Space Agency;
RosComLes – Committee of Forestry;
RosComMetallurgy – State Committee of Metallurgy;
RosComNedra – State Committee of Resources of the Entrails;
RosComNefteHimProm – State Committee of Oil Processing;
RosComPechati – State Committee of Publishing;
RosComRibolovstva – State Committee of Fisheries;
RosComVod – State Committee of Water Resources;
RosComVUZ – State Committee of High Education;
RosComZem – State Committee of Soil Resources;
RosGidromet – Federal Service for the Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of the Russian Federation;
RosLesProm – State Committee of Forest Industry;
RosRibHoz – former name of Committee of Fishery;
SEMK – System of Environmental Monitoring for the Cosmodromes and Rockets Launches;
SoER – State of Environment Reporting;
SoES – Socio-Ecological Union;
UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme;
USSR – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics;
VNIEMS – Russian Research Institute of Economy of Mineral Resources and Using of Entrails;
VNIILM – Russian Research Institute of Forestry and Mechanisation;
VNIINMASH – Russian Research Institute of Standardisation and Certifying of Machine-Building;
VNIIPRH – Russian Research Institute of Ponds Fish Production;
VNIRO – Russian Research Institute of Seas Fishery and Oceanography;
VOOP – Russian Society of Environmental Protection;
VSEGINGEO – Russian Research Institute of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology;
ABSTRACT
A Review of the System of Environmental Monitoring in the Russian Federation and the former Soviet Union and Related Environmental Policy Issues
A thesis submitted to the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy of the Central European University in part fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Science’
1998
Vladislav I. Larin
Budapest
A system of environmental monitoring has existed in the former Soviet republics (Newly Independent States at present) for several decades. As a result of total secrecy over many years, environmental information was inaccessible for independent researchers. Now that information is not secret, it does not mean, however, that has become more accessible That is why there are very few completed research works devoted to this problem.
This dissertation considers the system for collecting environmental information in the former Soviet republics as a whole and by departments involved in the system of environmental monitoring. This research represents part of a broader study including the systematising of environmental information which is partly presented in Appendix 4. Moreover, another aim of this dissertation was an attempt to study ways of implementing results of environmental monitoring into the state of environmental reporting and environmental policy of the Russian Federation.
The institutional and legislative framework for environmental policy in the Russian Federation and ways of using environmental data for decision-making are briefly analysed and ways of improving this practice are discussed. The diversity and acceptability of environmental information and different limitations for its in the governmental and non-governmental organisations are considered. In the conclusion, the following are discussed: the state of system for collection of environmental data; ways of improving the process of adoption of environmental policy; and ways of collaborating between governments and NGOs in this way.
KEYWORDS
environmental information, environmental data, environmental monitoring, environmental indicators, environmental policy, state of environment, environmental legislation, censorship, former USSR, Russian Federation, GosComStat, RosGidromet, GosComEcologii, State of Environment Reporting, NGO, public participation.
INTRODUCTION
The system for data collection on the state of the environment and on physical, chemical, meteorological and hydrological processes in nature has been created in the USSR back in 1929 (GosComGidromet, Reference book, 1990). It was named State Hydrometeorological Service of the USSR (GosComGidromet for short).
Later (from the mid 70es), when global environmental pollution had increased, and there was universal concern about the state of the environment, all countries began to develop environmental monitoring networks. Similar system was created in the USSR on the basis of the existing grid of hydrometeorological stations of GosComGidromet.
Moreover, plants, factories, transport enterprises and agricultural farms were bound to supply data about amount of emitted pollutants for statistical organisations. There was data collected on felling forests and forest fires, on air, water and soil pollution, on soil erosion, on epidemic and other illnesses possibly linked with the changing state of the environment.
All collected information was kept in departments of different ministries, but a very narrow group of people could only use it because all information on the state and pollution of the environment