Journal articles - Arctic and North
All articles: 1008
Ecological tourism as a factor of sustainable development of the Western Arctic
Scientific article
The article is based on the expert assessment of ecological tourism as the priority and competitive type of recreational nature management in the Western Arctic. The theoretical provisions are developed and the importance of the tourism industry in the sustainable development of the Russian Arctic is determined based on the analysis of problems and prospects of the modern development of ecological types of tourism in the regions and centers of tourism. The specificity of tourism is discussed considering the increased interest in the Arctic, the growth of cruise tourism and the increase in the anthropogenic load on the polar landscapes. Proposals are given and priority strategic tasks for the development of Arctic tourism are formulated: minimization of anthropogenic impact on the environment and preservation of the cultural and natural heritage of the Arctic, increasing the availability of Arctic territories for tourists. Development of competition in the field of transport, simplification of logistics, the combination of sea cruises with air travel to reduce the cost of travel for those wishing to visit the unique high-latitude Arctic territories and increase the tourist flow. Due to the predominance of expensive types of tourism in the Arctic, support for low-cost and high-income tourism destinations is needed. Innovative investment projects in the field of the Arctic tourism based on clusters could attract tourists and additional investments in infrastructure modernization.
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Ecological tourism in protected natural areas of the Russian Arctic: prospects and challenges
Scientific article
The article focuses on the problems and prospects of the ecological tourism in the natural protected areas (NPA) in the Russian Arctic. It is proposed to create a unified terminological basis for the concept of “ecotourism”. We analyzed the systemic problems that hinder the development of ecotourism in the NPA of the Arctic region. The article shows arising recreational conflicts, caused by environmental and traditional land use issues and the existence of NPA in the Arctic. We also discuss promising aspects of the ecological tourism, preservation of the heritage of indigenous peoples of the North and opportunities for involving local people in economic activities and environmental education.
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Ecological-economic preconditions of politicians transition to alternative source of the energy
Scientific article
The article discusses the reasons for the transition to alternative energy sources. The comparative characteristics of the fuel component quantities of heat when using different fuels and justify the economic benefits of biofuels. Environmental benefits of biofuels are considered, the economic preconditions for increasing its consumption.
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Economic Conjuncture of Arctic Natural Gas in the New Geopolitical Conditions
Scientific article
The special military operation (SMO) organically fits into the logic of the century-long confrontation between Russia and Britain, and later — the USA, known since the late 18th century as the “Great Game”. One of the goals of the SMO on a national scale is not only to restore Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, but also to counteract the achievement of such a goal by NATO countries. Russia uses various sources of funding the SMO, including oil and gas revenues of the Federal budget. Natural gas, unlike oil, is not under sanctions. There is nothing to compensate for the loss of revenues from the reduction of gas exports to Europe: practically all Russian pipelines (except for the Power of Siberia-1 with a capacity of only 38 billion m3) are oriented to the West; liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG and Sakhalin-2 projects is contracted for many years ahead. The EU countries have nothing to compensate for the lost volumes, except coal, but only Russian coal. Europe needs gas, Russia needs currency for the SMO, so it is necessary to find a solution to the problem.
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Economic Security of Russia’s Northern and Arctic Territories: Problems and Solutions
Scientific article
In the context of modern geopolitical instability and increasing competition for Arctic resources, ensuring the economic security of the northern and Arctic regions of the Russian Federation is of strategic importance for strengthening the country’s defense capability and protecting its national interests. This research is aimed at a comprehensive analysis of the factors determining the dynamics of the gross regional product as a key indicator of sustainable growth and competitiveness of the economy, as well as the level of economic security of the northern and Arctic territories of Russia. The purpose of the work is to identify the main problems hindering the sustainable development of the region and to develop scientifically based recommendations aimed at increasing the effectiveness of government support measures and strengthening the economic potential of the region. The research used methods of system and statistical data analysis, as well as expert assessments. An assessment of the effectiveness of existing government support measures was carried out and key factors influencing the economic security of the region were identified. Promising areas for increasing the economic potential of the northern and Arctic territories were identified, including the development of innovative industries, modernization of production and social infrastructure, intensification of entrepreneurial activity, increasing the level of development of entrepreneurial structures and creating conditions for the use of alternative sources of financing entrepreneurship. Based on the results obtained, recommendations have been developed to improve the assessment of the effectiveness of state support measures, and elements of a regional economic security program have been proposed, adapted to the specific conditions and challenges facing northern and Arctic territories. The results obtained can be used by government authorities in developing additional regional measures aimed at stimulating GRP growth and strengthening the economic security of northern and Arctic territories. The materials of the article can also be used in further scientific research devoted to studying the role of the state, development institutions and business in ensuring the economic security of the region.
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Scientific article
The study of economic processes in the regions of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) using economic-statistical modelling methods is an important area of Arctic research due to the possibility of displaying statistically significant relationships of economic processes and phenomena and forecasting economic dynamics, but the potential of such modelling is limited by the specificity of the processes of a number of regional economies in the Arctic, distorted by the increased state presence and active management intervention in the Arctic. Therefore, economic and statistical studies of the Russian Arctic regions are rare in relation to the popularity of the Arctic topics in regional studies. The aim of the study is economic- statistical modelling of production processes in the regions of the AZRF using the production function (PF) toolkit. At the first stage, the analysis of correlations between GRP and factors of production was carried out, on the basis of which the AZRF regions were divided into three groups: 1) regions in which the mutual behavior of the main factors of production (labor and capital) fits into the generally accepted concepts (the Russian Federation as a whole, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)); 2) regions in which the mutual behavior of the main factors of production does not fit into the classical concepts: there is a sufficiently strong positive relationship with only one of the factors of production (the Arkhangelsk Oblast, the Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Komi Republic); 3) regions for which there is no sufficiently strong positive relationship between GRP and factors of production (the Murmansk Oblast, the Republic of Karelia, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug). At the second stage, at least 4 PF models were built for the regions of group 1 (the best model was selected using the Akaike information criterion adjusted for small samples). For the regions of group 2, Cobb-Douglas PF models and single-factor models were built, in which a factor with a positive relationship with GRP was included. The construction of PF models for the regions of group 3 is impossible.
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Scientific article
Instability of production and the decline of the export share in the world commodity turnover show increasing problems in the forest industry of Nordic countries. The article represents the retrospective analysis of the Northern forest industry development in Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada and Denmark. The obtained results give us an opportunity to identify the main economic and environmental problems of the Northern forest industry and its development prospects.
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Scientific article
The article provides a systematic analysis of the critical economic and legal factors affecting the current state of cargo flow in the Northern Sea Route in the convergence of the Asian and European markets. First of all, these are legal norms, environmental standards, economic efficiency and organizational and managerial motives, and the development of transport and port infrastructure along the route of the “historically developed national unified transport communication of Russia in the Arctic”. The authors propose specific steps and recommendations to overcome obstacles that create an unfavorable barrier environment for logistics companies to strengthen cooperation and interaction on an equal and mutually beneficial basis with Russia and counterparty partners in the market. These include irregular deliveries due to the seasonal functioning of the transport route and ice conditions, a high level of tariffs due to low cargo flow, and the inability to transport return goods. Particular attention is paid to the need for international cooperation to implement large infrastructure projects for the development of the NSR and the industrial and economic development of the Arctic territories. The authors propose specific steps and recommendations to overcome obstacles that create an unfavorable barrier environment for logistics, stevedoring and insurance companies, infrastructure operators, ship-owners and regulatory authorities to enhance cooperation and interaction on Russia’s equal and mutually beneficial basis and counterparty partners in the international market.
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