Ch. 14.3- People and the Environment in the Russian Core

1. Ch. 14.3- People and the Environment in the Russian Core 40% of Russia's territory began demonstrating symptoms of significant ecological stress by the 1990s, largely due to a diverse number of environmental issues, including deforestation, energy irresponsibility, pollution, and nuclear waste.

2. What is the Trans-Siberian Railroad? • the major link between Moscow and Europe • the shortest railroad in Siberia • the world’s longest continuous railroad line • the best way to travel between Russia and Afghanistan

3. Video Intro- Boreal Forests • 1. How large is the Boreal forest? • 2. What is causing the forest to suffer in recent years? • 3. What is the solution to the harmful spruce bark beetle?

4. Answers to video • 1. The Boreal forest contains one-third of all the trees on Earth. The forest stretches around the entire northern hemisphere. • 2. Summers have been very dry in recent years, followed by summers that are very wet. Also, warmer winters have lead to more pests and diseases. Millions of trees have died due to these factors. • 3. To kill the spruce bark beetle, one must cut down an affected tree and burn it.

5. People and Their Environment: The Russian Core • Managing Resources • Russia’s rapid expansion in the oil and gas sectors has led to conflicts with organizations seeking to protect the environment. • Drilling inside the Arctic Circle and pipelines travelling through protected areas generate billions of dollars, but these also threaten the surrounding environment. • The use of supertrawlers with huge trawl nets has led to the unnecessary death of millions of fish and marine animals.

6. Russia’s rapid expansion in the oil and gas sectors has led to conflicts with organizations seeking to protect the environment.

7. Drilling inside the Arctic Circle and pipelines travelling through protected areas generate billions of dollars, but these also threaten the surrounding environment.

8. Any undiscovered resources deep under the seabed that have long been considered out of reach will be accessible.

9. Canada disputes the claim and has declared Russian actions to be a symbolic act and without any legal consequence.

10. The use of supertrawlers with huge trawl nets has led to the unnecessary death of millions of fish and marine animals.

12. People and Their Environment: The Russian Core • Human Impact • Soviet-era industrialization has damaged Russia’s water, air, soil, and forests. • Nuclear wastes, the by-products of producing nuclear power and nuclear weapons, pose a devastating impact on the environment. • The Chernobyl disaster, toxic waste dumping, and overuse of pesticides have polluted the air and water, resulting in health problems and sometimes even deaths.

13. Soviet-era industrialization has damaged Russia’s water, air, soil, and forests.

14. Nuclear wastes, the by-products of producing nuclear power and nuclear weapons, pose a devastating impact on the environment.

16. Chernobyl Nuclear Fallout

18. The Chernobyl disaster, toxic waste dumping, and overuse of pesticides have polluted the air and water, resulting in health problems and sometimes even deaths.

20. People and Their Environment: The Russian Core • Addressing the Issues • Environmental groups have come together to demand an improvement in environmental standards. • International regulation has encouraged steps to prevent further contamination. • Conservation efforts continue to help Russia better manage its resources.

21. Russian Environmental Concerns

22. Electric cars now used

23. Putin helped to release five Amur tigers into the wild in 2012.