Russia to Slash Funding for Air Quality, Environment Projects in 2024 Budget
Russia plans to cut funding for several state environmental programs in its 2024 budget, the Vedomosti business daily has reported. Russia is planning to cut funding for several state environmental programs in its 2024 budget, including the Clean Air Federal Project, which aims to reduce air pollution in industrial cities. The project will see funding reduced by almost 30% and other programs such as the Rejuvenation of the Volga Federal Project reduced by 12%. This comes as Russia increases its budgetary allocations for the military and “patriotic education.’s environmental belt-tightening has raised concerns given its potential impact on the already troubling ecological situation in many Russian cities. A press representative from Russia's Natural Resources Ministry stated that the project's implementation is ahead of schedule, with the cumulative volume of toxic pollutants already reduced by 11% compared to its goal of 8%.
نشرت : منذ عامين بواسطة The Moscow Times في Environment
Russia plans to cut funding for several state environmental programs in its 2024 budget, the Vedomosti business daily has reported.
According to the draft federal budget for 2024-2026, the Clean Air Federal Project, which aims to reduce air pollution in dozens of industrial cities, will see its funding nearly halved, with cuts of 6 billion rubles ($62 million), Vedomosti reported.
The Clean Country Federal Project, which aims to eliminate toxic waste sites, will see funding reduced by almost 30%. Other programs will see more modest reductions, such as a 12% budget cut for the Rejuvenation of the Volga Federal Project.
As Russia hikes its budgetary allocations for the military and “patriotic education,” the environmental belt-tightening has raised concerns given its potential impact on the already troubling ecological situation in many Russian cities.
“With such reduced funding, one wonders how the goals set by the president to reduce air pollution levels will be achieved?” Dmitri Kobylkin, the chairman of the State Duma's Environmental Committee, told his colleagues, according to Vedomosti.
A press representative from Russia's Natural Resources Ministry told Vedomosti that the ministry's assessments found no risk of the Clean Air Project missing its targets.
The representative said that the program's implementation is ahead of schedule, with the cumulative volume of toxic pollutants already reduced by 11% compared to its goal of 8%. Moreover, the project's expenditures will be increased in 2025 and 2026.
The Clean Air project includes positive aspects, such as the establishment of more than 100 new air quality monitoring stations in the country and the fact that a significant portion of its planned activities will genuinely lead to a reduction in air pollutant emissions, veteran environmental expert Ivan Blokov told The Moscow Times.
المواضيع: Russia, Russia-Ukraine War, ESG