On the question of youth participation in the urban environmental protection

The issue of urban environmental protection has recently become increa‐ singly important for human health, as it is in cities that transport and industrial capacities tend to be concentrated, and hence the main sources of pollution. At the current stage, priorities were being redefined, so that environmental pro‐ tection could take precedence over economic interests. Since the environmental specificity of each city determines the living conditions of people, the study of this issue is relevant.

The risk of global environmental change makes it necessary to seek solutions, primarily through a centralized environmental policy to reduce pollution [1, c. 54]. The elements development of the legal regulations mechanism improves the envi‐ ronmental quality and the city law enforcement. The elements of legal regulation are legal rules in certain legal forms, which constitute legislation, and law enforce‐ ment activities, which are an integral part of law enforcement activities.

The performance efficiency in regard to environmental protection and man‐ agement of natural resources hinges on the quality of federal legislation, the norms of which regulate such relations directly or indirectly. In order to solve environmen‐ tal problems, it is necessary to analyse the present methods and mechanisms of le‐ gal regulation in this area, to combine forces and to work on systematizing and ge‐ neralizing the instruments and methods of environmental policy.

Young people must also be involved in environmental issues. To do so, legal platforms must be in place to provide guidance. The success of any environmen‐ tal project is primarily determined by ecological culture as part of the general cul‐ ture of the population. The formation of an environmental culture provides for basic principles of ecological knowledge in the system of education and aware‐ ness building in environment for different social groups of the community. The active participation of civil society, the interest and the personal involvement of the people at large determine the success of this issue. To this end, there must be a strong development platform in the form of entrenched provisions in existing regulations.

The United Nations has played a significant role in raising awareness of the need for and defining the content of youth policies. Between 1965 and the present, the United Nations has adopted a number of instruments that set out new principles for the treatment of young people. In our country, the first docu‐ ment on youth was the Law of the USSR «On the Fundamental Principles of Na‐ tional Youth Policy in the USSR», which was adopted in 1991 and after the events of the same year ceased to be valid. Subsequently, several legislative documents were published, as well as several draft laws on youth (Doctrine of Youth Policy of the State, Framework of the National Youth Policy of the Russian Federation, etc.).

Current Russian Federation legislation includes all types of legal and consti‐ tutional references with respect to youth policy of the State: regional, federal‐ regional, federal, and international1. While the Russian Federation Constitution contains comprehensive, fundamental provisions that are applicable to establish‐ ing and adopting youth policy of State, the law‐making activity of the Russian Federation territorial subjects is carried out mainly in the following areas: noted by the federal legislator.

At the federal level, such legal acts as: «Federal Law of the Russian Federa‐ tion 98‐F3 of 28 June 1995 «On State Support for Youth and Children’s Public As‐ sociations»1, which defines the general principles, Maintenance and State sup‐ port for youth and children’s voluntary associations. November 29, 2014. The Government of the Russian Federation approved the Fundamentals of State Youth Policy until 20252, which defines the principles, priorities and mechanisms providing youth policies. According to this strategy, the «State youth policy» re‐ fers to the system of State conditions and opportunities for successful socializa‐ tion and effective self‐realization of young people, capacity building for the bene‐ fit of our country and, hence, on socio‐economic and cultural advancement of the country, ensuring its competitiveness and strengthening homeland safety.

Local law should also be noted, as it presupposes the existence of other by‐ laws that develop the legal regulation of various aspects of youth policy. In the Republic of Bashkortostan there is the Law «On Policy of Youth in the Republic of Bashkortostan»3. The law outlines the principal areas of youth policy in the Re‐ public. It also lists legal, economic and social guarantees of their implementation. The Republic of Bashkortostan Act of 31 October 1996 is also in force: 53‐3 «On support of activities of children, teenagers, youth clubs and centers»4.

The present local rules and regulations call for strengthening the role of environmental culture and strengthening environmental education and aware‐ ness among all institutions of civil society and the State. It should be noted, that ecological problems are an integral feature of working oil refineries, petrochemi‐ cals, chemical enterprises on the Republic territory. Based on the Rosstat’s data, it is possible to observe the dynamics of environmental degradation. The study of the number of offences and crimes in the field of environmental protection, based on the data of the Central Information and Computing Centre of the Minis‐ try of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, shows an upward trend of eco‐ logical offences. Taking into account the established practice in applying the law, the evolution of the amount of offences in the environmental field, as well as the dynamic pattern of changes in the ecological quality, it is clear that the develop‐ ment of ecological education and awareness, enhancement of environmental cul‐ ture requires upgrading the regulatory basis and consolidating the role and active State and civil society participation in the process.

In our view, ecological educational projects should be updated, which will motivate youth, activists and local residents to clean parks and beaches, give ex‐ perience in waste sorting, teach to work in teams. It is necessary to offer an al‐ ternative to city Saturdays, for example using game techniques, mobile technolo‐ gies. The experience of the organization of ecological quest «Clean Games» is remarkable. Since 2014, the organizers have held 42 games in eight cities of Rus‐ sia, involving 4,000 people. Players collected 116 tons of garbage, more than half of which was recycled.

The State is aware that environmental well‐being can be achieved only through a high level of culture among young people. This is why a number of ac‐ tivities have been targeted, including the development of environmental educa‐ tion in schools, the development of non‐formal education, environmental educa‐ tion, and as well as supporting environmental activities in all aspects of the youth movement. The most important activities in this area are:

• 1)    Summer Profile Shift «Ecological Quest»;

• 2)    The National Convention for Young Environmentalists and Foresters;

• 3)    City Festival «Ecology. Creativity. Children».

Regarding youth participation, it is useful to highlight in this regard the eco‐ logical education and awareness state, as well as measures aimed at improving environmental literacy in the Republic. 5.10.2021 Bashkortostan Law 449‐3 «On Making Changes to the Environmental Code of the Republic of Bashkortos‐ tan»1 [7] was introduced.

Ecological education, awareness and shaping public ecological culture are the foundations of the construction of a human image aimed at maintenance of the steadfast development of the country. Consequently, one of the most impor‐ tant conditions is a shift in the guidelines and people’s world views, which can be achieved only through the establishment and development of environmental education, beginning in childhood. In connection with this significant event is that ecological‐educational project «Green Planet» (Republic of Bashkortostan) be‐ came a winner in the contest of Presidential Grants Fund in the direction «Envi‐ ronmental Protection and Animal Protection». This project is aimed at fostering an environmental culture among children and adolescents, youth and students engaged in the ecological education field in Bashkortostan. The "Green Lessons" Best Methodological Development Competition has been organized, followed by the publication of a compendium of supplementary education teachers, and it is intended to encourage the winners of the best environmental education and education practices.

In the furtherance of this goal, the project consolidates the efforts of edu‐ cational establishments, community, government agencies and specialized organ‐ izations responsible for environment preservation.

Moreover, the development of the environmental awareness training sys‐ tem includes the retraining of personnel of industrial enterprises and State envi‐ ronmental protection bodies. Another condition for implementation is logistical support for environmental protection structures. Non‐governmental organiza‐ tions and the community should be widely involved in environmental manage‐ ment.

The Constitution of Russia states that education, science and culture, as well as environmental protection and environmental safety, are matters of joint responsibility between the Federation and its territorial subjects. Thus, regula‐ tions concerning formation of the environmental consciousness are under control of the federal legislation and the legislation of the territorial subjects of the Fed‐ eration.

The basis for regulating legal relations in the sphere of environmental edu‐ cation is the federal law «On Environmental Protection». The Act establishes the organization and development of the system of environmental education, the fostering and formation of environmental culture as a mandatory principle to be carried out by the State governments of the territorial subjects of Russia and by local government bodies, legal entities and natural persons carrying out activities having an impact on the environment. The legislator has established not only the obligatory nature of environmental education and training, but also its connec‐ tion with activities that may have an impact on the environment.

Article 73 of the Law on Environmental Protection explicitly states that the leaders of organizations responsible for taking decisions that may affect the envi‐ ronment must be trained in environmental protection and environmental safety. Article 55 of the Constitution provides that human and civil rights and freedoms may be restricted only to the extent necessary to protect the morals, health, rights and legitimate interests of others. Thus, compulsory environmental educa‐ tion can (and should) be introduced only to the extent that it aims to prevent and reduce risks to the natural environment and to the health of citizens associated with anti‐ecological negligence, destructive or aggressive behaviour. Evidence of the impact of anti‐ecological stereotypes of domestic or professional behaviour is the justification for the development of appropriate standards for education and academic curricula.

However, there is another aspect of the legal relationship in the field of en‐ vironmental education. Article 58 of the Russian Federation Constitution states that every citizen of Russia is in charge of the preservation of nature, environ‐ ment and careful treatment of natural wealth. The requirement of environmental protection is a constraint on the ownership of land and other natural resources (art. 36).

Taking into account the complexity of contemporary environmental problems, the magnitude of the impact of human activities, ambiguities in the assessment of risks, remote and indirect effects of activities, it is clear, The ability of a citizen to ful‐ fil his constitutional duty is directly linked to his or her education. Consequently, it can be said that the obligation to preserve the environment implies the right of citi‐ zens to receive the environmental education they need. The State is obliged to en‐ sure the quality and accessibility of the relevant educational services, including through the establishment of educational standards and material, organizational and informational support for programs in ecological education.

The national educational standards form the basis for the working out of academic programs and teaching aids, so the responsibility for compliance lies with the institution. It is therefore very important to legislate procedures that will enable parents and the public to monitor compliance with these standards and the quality of educational services.

We believe that the efforts of the public authorities should be combined and coordinated in laying the groundwork for ecological education, awareness and the environmental responsibility creation; environmental, educational and other public organizations, scientific and cultural institutions, the media, the business community and all interested citizens. In turn, young people are an ac‐ tive participant in environmental protection measures and a «strategic resource» of the nation, a carrier of progressive change. In our view, youth policy and envi‐ ronmental education seem to be the priority vector of State development. The success of solving many problems is determined by a stable concept, which is en‐ shrined in the law.