The environmental conflict: risks and consequences (by the case study of Vladikavkaz)

In environmental sociology, the forecasting of social risks, the development of mechanisms for their prevention and elimination of consequences are among the priority tasks. The study examines, using the example of a local environmental conflict in Vladikavkaz, the results of the elimination of hazardous production and the consequences of such a decision, which caused new social risks. The framework of the empirical basis of this study is focused interviews with direct participants in the environmental conflict, which made it possible to identify their interpretations, behavioral forms, and motivations. The form of an informal interview made it possible to obtain more complete and reliable information, which does not always correspond to official information and significantly complements the prevailing ideas about the conflict and its consequences. The study clearly confirms the need to analyze all the causes and features of the risk, determine its direct carriers, qualitatively and quantitatively calculate the possible consequences, activation factors, and design secondary risks.