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Environmental Activism in Russia: Strategies and Prospects

Photo: OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP/Getty Images

Commentary by Angelina Davydova

Published March 3, 2021

Despite growing pressure on civil society activists and opposition leaders, grassroots environmental activism is on the rise in Russia. How have these movements evolved and adapted? What forms do they take now? And what is the future of environmental activism in Russia?

The last few years have witnessed growing environmental awareness across Russia’s regions, both according to polls and the number of observed protest movements and campaigns. (A good mapping of such protests can be found on crowd-sourcing platform Activatica .) These campaigns aim to tackle regional, local, or hyper-local problems and address a range of concerns: locally polluting enterprises, new and potentially hazardous factories and waste incinerators, the expansion of coal mines, a lack of access to trustworthy data about environmental pollution, the destruction of green spaces in urban areas, illegal logging, and the water pollution. 

A number of factors contribute to this growing environmental awareness and activism. For one, the international “green” agenda has brought environmental concerns to the forefront of domestic political, societal, and media discussions. Research increasingly draws a link between high income levels and environmental awareness (even as the increased consumption of high earners raises their carbon footprint ). Although Russians’ real disposable incomes have mostly declined since 2014, the country’s GDP per capita has nearly doubled since 2000. Russians now find that it has become “normal” to care about environmental issues, demand access to environmental data, and worry about potential health hazards from environmental pollution. Indeed, 35 percent of Russians are ready to take part in environmental protests, according to a survey conducted by a number of sociological centers in the fall of 2020, with particular concern over industrial water pollution, illegal logging, illegal or mismanaged waste landfills, and urban water pollution. Another study from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VSIOM) published in August 2020 revealed one in four Russians has begun to think more about environmental issues during the pandemic due to overall increased attention to health. The Levada Center, an independent pollster, found that 84 percent of Russians are worried about environmental problems; of those, 25 percent expressed highest concern over air pollution, 15 percent over water pollution, and 11 percent over waste management.

This growth in environmental awareness in Russia has coincided with a growing concern that local natural resources—“our land” and  “our forests”—are exploited or mismanaged by multinational or domestic companies, and that profits from these resources are whisked away to Moscow or foreign capitals to the detriment of local communities. In this sense, heightened environmental awareness intermingles with Russia’s traditional center-region cultural and political divide and growing regional inequalities .

The landscape for environmental activism in Russia is more fluid and decentralized than in the West—but it has grown. New environmental groups in Russia are informal and frequently do not register as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Rather, they spring up around a particular issue and often dissolve once it has been addressed, only occasionally evolving into a larger and more permanent association. Despite their informal structures, many of these new civil society groups have managed to attract impressive levels of public attention and support, aptly utilizing both traditional and new media and building up capacity and involvement structures through online tools. One example is the successful campaign around the Shies settlement in the Archangelsk region of northern Russia, where for months local activists have sustained an encampment to block the construction of a landfill for household waste from Moscow.

These grassroots movements and groups provoke a range of reactions from state authorities. Some are tolerated and even brought into the policy process (e.g., “officially” invited into advisory councils). Occasionally, these campaigns also lead to real change. Such was the case in Bashkiria, where recent protests over limestone mining in a hillside viewed by local residents as sacred led to the cancellation of the project .

More often, however, campaigns butt up against political realities, leading to the prosecution of activists and even physical threats and abuse toward to them by state institutions, often on behalf of a private company. A case in point would be persecution of activists from the Voronezh region for fighting against copper and nickel exploration plans on agricultural lands, even though these plans have been put on hold. A recent report by the Russian Socio-Ecological Union highlights 169 episodes of pressure on 450 eco-activists in 26 regions of Russia in 2020. One activist was killed, 15 were injured or had their property damaged, and 14 criminal and 264 administrative cases were initiated against eco-activists. “Most cases of pressure on eco-activists are connected with the extraction of natural resources, waste management, polluting industries and construction projects,” the report says.

Types of Activism

Environmental activism in Russia falls into several categories.

Protest groups

The first category tends to work mostly on short-lived campaigns directed against a local source of pollution (i.e., a factory or an incineration plant) or against plans to erect new infrastructure on an existing green space, particularly in urban areas. Participants in this category tend to be residents of the region or neighborhood who organize through social networks and then dissolve once their cause is addressed. Occasionally, these groups form networks or associations based on common interests and causes, such as the Green Coalition of St. Petersburg , which aims to unite all grassroots groups fighting against demolition of parks and green zones, or the Association of Eco-Groups of Moscow and Moscow Region

Grassroots environmental groups

The second type of group tends to focus on issues that are absent from the governmental agenda: recycling , sustainable or ethical consumption , urban greening , and more. An example here would be the movement Razdelny Sbor (“Separate Selection”), which created a system of recycling points across many Russian cities. These types of groups rarely engage in protest activities and tend to focus their energies and resources on lobbying and engaging the general public though traditional and social media.

Environmental watchdogs

The third genre of environmental activism in Russia focuses on public monitoring and oversight of environmental and urban policy at the federal, regional, and municipal level, including project implementation and public funds spending. Watchdogs might also provide alternate estimations of environmental data (especially when data is not available or reliable) or initiate campaigns for access to environmental data, demanding transparency and accountability. Examples here include grassroots initiatives to create alternative, civic-based monitoring of air pollution in Krasnoyarsk , Chelyabinsk , and Moscow .

Activists also use a variety of tactics to achieve their goals.

Social media and informational technology

Social media platforms, including VK, Facebook, WhatsApp, and increasingly Telegram, are the lifeblood of new environmental groups. They are used to report news and provide updates on activities and achievements, publish statistics, mobilize public support, and raise awareness over the campaign’s cause. A number of activists from environmental campaigns have also launched their own personal blogs, which act as self-run media sources offering personal takes on recent changes in legislation and synchronizing campaign updates and news. Anna Garkusha of Razdelny Sbor, for example, runs a popular blog on recycling and waste policy.

Another distinct feature of the new wave of environmental movements in Russia is the use of information technology and open-source data tools, including mapping, organized hackathons, and web platforms, apps, and other user-friendly interfaces that facilitate wider communication and greater involvement of the general public. Several environmental groups cooperate closely with experts or activists from the tech industry. An interesting example here is Teplitsa Sozialnykh Technologiy (“A Greenhouse for Social Technologies”), an NGO resource center that helps activist groups better use online technologies and digital tools and solutions in their work and campaigns.

Engagement with authorities

Although civil groups face growing pressure in Russia, there are plenty of examples of environmental NGOs and activists working through more formal channels to achieve their political aims. For example, Moscow’s annual Russian Civil Forum provides a space for representatives of established environmental NGOs and new environmental groups to try to coordinate with each other and align their positions on environmental policy issues. In addition, the Russian Social Ecological Union’s annual conference convenes representatives of Russian civil society groups (both registered and grassroots groups) working on energy efficiency and renewable energy issues to develop positions in support of or against international and Russian climate policy. These position points are later shared with Russian decisionmakers on climate change policy and with the international community at UN climate conferences. However, productive engagement with authorities is not always politically feasible—in particular when the object of protest concerns an investment project or a corruption scheme involving both local authorities and companies. Here, too, there are no set rules. Citizens may organize protest campaigns and attempt to attract the attention of regional or federal authorities via media and popular mobilization; go to the courts with the backing of professional lawyers, many of whom are also supported by NGOs such as Bellona or Greenpeace; enter into a dialogue with the local authorities via the civic chamber or similar structures; or combine these tactics to build pressure at multiple levels. In some cases, activists are persecuted by regional authorities and forced to leave the region (and even the country).

Regional authorities must walk a fine line between effectively managing environmental grievances and avoiding the heavy-handed persecution of activists or suppression of public opinion that could potentially damage their reputation. Indeed, a number of regional governors have lost their positions following large-scale environmental protests that they failed to tackle properly, at least in Moscow’s view. With this in mind, some governors are more willing to initiate dialogue with local activists just to avoid escalation.

Overall, the landscape for environmental activism in Russia is becoming more decentralized and less formal. A growing number of new groups and movements choose to remain unregistered entities—with no office, no full-time staff, and little or no budget—for a variety of political and societal reasons. First, repressive foreign agent legislation has raised the stakes for established NGOs who receive part of their financing from outside of Russia; increasingly, new environmental groups in Russia try to avoid any direct financing from abroad. Second, new groups try to preemptively avoid pressure from the authorities in the form of tax audits and health and fire code inspections that can lead to legal charges, fines, and even closure. Third, by skirting typical organizational or foundational structures, these groups can also claim to be closer to the ground and more connected to the immediate interests and concerns of local communities—working on local as opposed to global issues. More and more often, activism takes the form of crowdfunding campaigns or private donations only in an attempt to remain transparent to donors and accountable to constituencies.

Global movements

Even as activist structures have become more local and decentralized, youth climate activism in Russia has begun to gain steam over the past two years, in part due to the global “Fridays For Our Future” (FFF) and “Extinction Rebellion” movements. The first youth climate protest in Russia took place in March 2019, and FFF has existed in digital form throughout the pandemic, organizing online protests and forming policy positions.

Though part of a global movement, these youth groups have attempted to formulate a Russia-specific agenda and apply global climate rhetoric to local environmental campaigns. These groups combine the experience, expertise, and technologies of Russia’s environmental tradition—honed in fights against new coal and gas infrastructure and for accountability over oil spills and landfill mismanagement—and the language of the global youth, emphasizing unsustainable economic and social developments and calling for major policy reforms in the energy, waste, and transportation sectors. At times, however, these structural demands can sound too radical and unrealistic for some of Russia’s more established green groups.

Principles of Successful Activism

The past and current experiences of grassroots movements illustrate a framework for subsequent campaigns to follow. For an environmental activist movement to be successful in Russia, a number of factors must be in place: 

• The campaign must be truly local, with limited foreign support (which would be described and promoted as “meddling” and lead to accusations of “foreign agent” involvement that might ruin the reputation of a campaign or its leaders). 
• The cause must have widespread public support (including people eager and ready to invest their time and money into the cause). 
• The cause must be supported by the expert community. Support from Russian Greenpeace and WWF Russia, as well as other expert centers, environmental lawyers, registered NGOs, think tanks, and scientists, can help to raise the problem to the federal level.
• There must be a professional media and social media campaign to build up a network of trusted supporters across the country.
• The campaign needs passionate and courageous leaders who are willing to dedicate their time and energy for a significant amount of time. 

The Future of Environmental Activism in Russia

The development of environmental and climate activism in Russia is gradually changing the political and societal landscape. “Green” topics are gaining importance within the overall political agenda, both at the federal and regional level. As public awareness of environmental issues grows in Russia, companies are beginning to pay more attention as well. So far, most of these movements are concentrated around the local environmental agenda, but youth are bringing a more international outlook to the focus and methods of Russian environmental activism. In many ways, this activism lays the groundwork for a new and more engaged civil society in Russia, one that resists easy categorization but appears in many forms across Russia’s diverse regions.

Angelina Davydova is a visiting fellow with the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Commentary is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

© 2021 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.

Angelina Davydova

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Annual Review of Environment and Resources

Volume 33, 2008, review article, environmental issues in russia.

• Laura A. Henry 1 , and Vladimir Douhovnikoff 2
• View Affiliations Hide Affiliations Affiliations: 1 Department of Government and Legal Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 04011; email: [email protected] 2 Department of Biology, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; email: [email protected]
• Vol. 33:437-460 (Volume publication date November 2008) https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.environ.33.051007.082437
• First published as a Review in Advance on June 02, 2008
• © Annual Reviews

This review examines the literature available on the state of the environment and environmental protection in the Russian Federation. As the largest country on Earth, rich in natural resources and biodiversity, Russia's problems and policies have global consequences. Environmental quality and management are influenced by the legacy of Soviet economic planning and authoritarian governance, as well as by Russia's post-Soviet economic recession and current strategies of economic development. Russia achieved a reduction in some pollutants owing to the collapse of industrial production in the 1990s, but many environmental indicators suggest growing degradation. Russia has signed on to a number of international environmental agreements, but its record on implementation is mixed, and it discourages environmental activism. Scholarship on the Russian environment is a limited, but growing, field, constrained by challenges of data availability, yet it offers great potential for testing scientific and social scientific hypotheses.

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Publication Date: 21 Nov 2008

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How Russia Is Cashing In on Climate Change

Global warming may pose grave dangers around the world, but as one tiny Russian town on the Arctic Ocean shows, it can also be a ticket to prosperity.

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Marine endangered and threatened species in russia: a review of current conservation strategies and management legislative tools.

1. Introduction

2. general methodology, 3. legal framework for the conservation of endangered and threatened species, 4. national strategies for biodiversity and res conservation, 5. red book of the russian federation, 6. international agreements for the protection of aquatic ress and birds, 7. federal state supervision in the field of protection of res, 8. liability for the damage caused to res, 9. exceptions to restriction on harvesting res, 10. conclusions and identified gaps, author contributions, institutional review board statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Samy-Kamal, M.; Shulezhko, T.; Lisitcyna, N. Marine Endangered and Threatened Species in Russia: A Review of Current Conservation Strategies and Management Legislative Tools. Fishes 2023 , 8 , 399. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8080399

Samy-Kamal M, Shulezhko T, Lisitcyna N. Marine Endangered and Threatened Species in Russia: A Review of Current Conservation Strategies and Management Legislative Tools. Fishes . 2023; 8(8):399. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8080399

Samy-Kamal, Mohamed, Tatiana Shulezhko, and Natalia Lisitcyna. 2023. "Marine Endangered and Threatened Species in Russia: A Review of Current Conservation Strategies and Management Legislative Tools" Fishes 8, no. 8: 399. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8080399

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• DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202015702023
• Corpus ID: 216478625

Global environmental problems in Russia

• G. Semenova
• Published in E3S Web of Conferences 2020
• Environmental Science

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Environmental Policies in Russia: Problems of State Funding and Implementation

Sosnovskikh, S. (2023). Environmental policies in Russia: Problems of State Funding and Implementation. In: S. Sosnovskikh & S. Alam, eds. Environmental Finance and Green Banking: Contemporary and Emerging Issues. London: Routledge, pp. 169–208. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003206194-10

44 Pages Posted: 19 May 2023

Sergey Sosnovskikh

Manchester Metropolitan University - Business School

Date Written: April 24, 2023

Russia has entered the contours of the modern global ecosystem in sustainable finance and responsible investment practices. Its national projects are complex and ensure a balance of all three components of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental factors. In 2019, the active formation of the green finance market took place in Russia. The green economy was officially proclaimed by the federal government and industry experts. Target programmes for environmental protection were adopted at the national and regional levels, taking into account the ecological specifics of the regions. However, the Russian economy is highly dependent on the extraction of mineral resources and hydrocarbons (e.g., oil and gas). This chapter investigates the Russian federal government’s policies to resolve the ongoing environmental issues in the country, including a critical evaluation of various state programmes, the effectiveness of their implementation and an examination of legislation and macro statistics. The following conclusions are made. The national strategy for financing sustainable development has an unclear structure with incomplete coverage and an unsystematic approach. Hence, the transition to the model of green economic growth is questionable. The definition of a green economy is not adequately formed; thus, it is challenging for the government and businesses to measure, manage and regulate it. As a result, it complicates the formation of financing mechanisms for green investments. This is also constrained by the lack of general agreement on which sectors of the national economy are recognised as negatively affecting the environment.

Keywords: environmental policy, green economy, state funding, pollution, government, Russia, green investment

JEL Classification: H76, K32, O13, O38, O44, Q38, Q5

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Sergey Sosnovskikh (Contact Author)

Manchester metropolitan university - business school ( email ).

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Russia: Environmental Issues, Policies and Clean Technology

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The Soviet Union was marked by limited personal freedoms, a lack of personal property, a massive displacement of ethnic populations and military might. After World War II, the Soviet Union used political influence, which was supported by its impressive military, to impose its will over much of Eastern Europe. In the 1980’s, sweeping reforms passed by Mikhail Gorbachev led to the opening up of the Soviet Union and a failed military coup d’état in 1991 led to the country’s collapse, which ultimately formed what is now Russia and 14 other republics.

Environmental Issues of Russia

One of the biggest environmental issues facing Russia is deforestation, which has run rampart due to heavy illegal logging in accessible woodland regions. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the rates of illegal logging in northwest Russia and in the country’s Far East are at extremely high levels. Heavy logging leads to high levels of erosion and greater carbon dioxide levels. Additionally, the WWF also noted that illegal logging negatively impacts numerous species in the boreal forests. According to the Center for Russian Environmental Policy, Russia loses approximately 16 million hectares of forest each year. Despite these growing deforestation rates, the Russian government has not made any apparent efforts to implement robust forest policies, nor implement any conservation or reforestation projects that could potentially protect the vast forests of this country.

Since a staggering 19% of the world’s forest reserves are located in Russia, the deforestation in this country alone accounts for anywhere between 300 to 600 million tons of the 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) that are sequestered each year as a result of global deforestation. Unfortunately, during the 2015 Paris Agreement, little focus was made on Russia’s role in degrading the environment as a result of their astonishing deforestation rates 3 .

Cooling towers cogeneration - Khabarovsk, Russia. Image Credits: ANNI-SANNI/shutterstock.com

Between Russia’s historical nuclear weapons program and nuclear energy sector, nuclear contamination of the countryside is another major environmental concern for the country. Many of Russia’s first generation nuclear reactors are at the end of their life span, therefore, continued operation of this reactors only increases the already present risks for disaster at these locations. Additionally, Russia’s nuclear weapons program has resulted in permanent damage in southern Siberia, and near Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains. In late September of 2017, French and German officials identified a spike in ruthenium 106 concentrations, a radioactive isotope, which were 986 times higher than a month earlier, that Russia, at the time, denied having any contributing role to this spike. Although law officials of Russia claim that these levels cannot cause harm to human health, there is a relative distrust that Russians in regards to nuclear contamination events as a result of the tragic accidents that took place in 1957, as well as following Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986 5 .

Significant neglect during the Soviet Union area has also led to degradation in the quality of Russian land and water. In particular, lands in the industrial belt along the southern section of the Ural Mountains have been degraded beyond repair.

Despite being a country that is rich in water supplies, with 2 million lakes, 210,000 rivers and approximately 25% of the earth’s total freshwater reserves, Russia continues to face difficulties in maintaining the cleanliness in their water supplies. Hydroelectric dams on the Volga River have decreased the river’s volume of water, causing it and other rivers to retain even more of the pollutants than they normally would have. Additionally, water contamination in the country’s capital of Moscow has also become increasingly concerning, especially following a recent report conducted by Greenpeace that found mercury levels within the Moskva to be 20 times higher than the minimum accepted levels, whereas manganese levels were up to 120 times higher 7 . As urbanization of Moscow is continued to rise, water demands will also rise, thereby posing a risk of increasing human exposure to these toxic substances through the water supply.  

Environmental Policies of Russia

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Russian environmental policy has evolved significantly since the neglectful days of the Soviet Union. Despite these improvements, critics have pointed out that the enforcement of these laws is somewhat lax. Critics of Russian environmental policy also point to a dismantling of the country’s environmental agencies. For example, the State Committee for ecological matters ( Goskomekologiya ) was eliminated in 2000 and its duties were transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources, an agency focused on developing natural resources.

In addition to an apparent decline in governmental policy, conservation organizations like WWF Russia and Greenpeace Russia have noted that they feel they have a lack of support from the Kremlin. Some domestic conservation organizations have a closer relationship with the government and as a result, critics say, these groups tend to be less critical of Russian policy. These organizations tend to focus on small regional issues.

Coal burning power plant with smoke stacks, Moscow, Russia. Image Credits: VLADJ55/shutterstock.com

Recently, the Russian government has been signaling that it will be updating its environmental policy for the 21 st century. In November 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin said environmental conditions in 15 percent of the country is unsatisfactory and added that Russia must change its environmental policies or else be “left with nothing” despite having vast territories and quantities of resources.

The adverse effects associated with climate change in Russia have been predicted to cause economic damage that can reach up to $4.3 billion each year by 2025, thereby increasing the push to encourage government officials to address concerns on patterns that are contributing to climate change in this country. Recently, an adaptation plan was presented for Moscow to address some of the major issues associated with climate change in Russia. For example, the rise in sweltering temperatures contributed to an increase in forest fires and smog that have caused approximately 11,000 deaths in only 44 days during the summer of 2010. Therefore, the adaptation plan incorporates the modernization of hospitals to better cope with heat waves, particularly for the elderly populations in hospitals, as well as establish free water supplies that will allow senior centers and elementary schools to have improved access to air conditioning during these extreme heat events 8 .

Clean Technology in Russia

In 2012, Russia was ranked dead last out of 38 developed countries by the Global Cleantech Innovation Index for clean tech start-up companies. The ranking was based on several factors including business culture and government support. As one of the top fossil fuel producers in the world, Russia has not had much of an incentive to adopt clean technology; however, the country has recently started to make incremental, yet substantial investments.

In 2013, the Russian republic of Tatarstan announced the development of a €100 million fund to invest in biofuels and electric car batteries. The fund is said to mete out funds in increments of €5 to €25 million for various clean technology projects.

Currently, only 3.6% of Russia’s total energy consumption is attained by renewable energy sources, which is comparable to approximately the United States that utilizes about 10% of renewable energy sources to meet its energy demands. According to a recent International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report, the Russian Federation’s current plants will allow the country’s renewable energy usage to increase to 5% by 2030; however, a steadfast increase in green technology development in Russia could increase this number to as high as 11.3% by the same year 9 . Although this endeavor will cost the country about $15 billion to achieve, recent remarks by Putin appear to support the notion that this change in heart is in the foreseeable future for Russia.

A Clean Future for Russia?

Putin's comments about upgrading the country’s environmental policies should be seen as a sign that Russia will be embracing clean technology more than it has in the past. How much Russia embraces clean technology will likely be a function of oil prices and international politics. Other countries are moving slowly away from the mass consumption of fossil fuels, therefore, Russia will be forced to embrace this movement or risk being left out in the cold.

Sources and Further Reading ​

• “Analysis: Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, a Peep into Russian Deforestation” – A Greener Life, A Greener Wordl
• Environmental Issues in Russia - Naturvernforbundet
• “Russia, in Reversal, Confirms Radiation Spike” – The New Work Times
• Russia's Crumbling Environmental Safeguards
• “Pollutants and Heavy Metals Taint Moscow’s Water Supply” – Circle of Blue
• “Russia wants to protect itself from climate change – without reducing carbon emissions” – Science Magazine
• “Russia Tells the UN It wants to Produce more Renewable Energy” – Technology Review

This article was updated on the 24 th July, 2018.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.

Brett Smith

Brett Smith is an American freelance writer with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Buffalo State College and has 8 years of experience working in a professional laboratory.

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Here's some more: "Currently Russia faces various issues, including air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities, industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts, deforestation, soil erosion, soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals, scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination, groundwater contamination from toxic waste, urban solid waste management, abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides."

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Environmental Issues and the Green Movement in Russia

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What are the environmental problems in Russia?  

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Environmental pollution poses significant socioeconomic global problems, impacting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the most . The consequences include a wide range of issues such as declining agricultural productivity, poor health, unemployment, poverty, conflicts, migration, population displacement, and insecurity . The pollution of air, water, and soil by human activities leads to diseases that cause millions of deaths annually, with toxic chemicals increasingly becoming a major threat to children's health in LMICs . Furthermore, the economic costs of diseases caused by pollution are substantial, affecting national development trajectories and necessitating improved public health and environmental protection programs globally . Addressing these challenges requires the transfer of pollution control strategies and technologies from high-income countries to LMICs to prevent further environmental and socioeconomic damage .

Environmental pollution leads to significant socioeconomic problems, including declining agricultural productivity, poor health, unemployment, poverty, conflicts, migration, population displacement, and insecurity, particularly in regions like the Niger Delta . Pollution, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is a major cause of disease and death, with substantial economic costs due to direct medical expenses, reduced productivity, and healthcare system burdens . Urban environmental pollution in valley-cities in western China results in economic losses and negative impacts on residents' physical, psychological, work, recreation, studies, and social activities, hindering sustainable development and necessitating stricter government regulations . Moreover, the relationship between environmental pollution and labor income share in China shows a positive correlation in the short term but an inverted-U shape in the long run, emphasizing the complex interplay between environmental governance, income distribution, and social welfare loss .

The main problems of ecotourism include lack of government support and infrastructure, lack of knowledge among local populations, and shortage of specialists in the field . Other issues include pollution, distortion of local identities, and preservation of local culture and history . Additionally, unclear ownership or control of land, lack of awareness of environmental cleanliness, and lack of knowledge and technology are identified as problems in specific ecotourism areas . The lack of a common national concept for the development of rural tourism, absence of standards and rules, and inadequate legal acts further hinder the development of ecotourism . These problems highlight the need for improved government policies, increased awareness and education among local communities, and the establishment of regulations and standards in the field of ecotourism.

Environmental pollution caused by human activities is a pressing issue that affects various aspects of the environment. It disturbs natural cycles, generates pollutants, and leads to the contamination of air, water, and land. The pollutants include toxic metals, persistent organic pollutants, and hazardous materials . Energy production, transformation, and end use also contribute to environmental problems, such as resource degradation and waste exergy emissions . Pollution of air is caused by gases emitted from thermal plants, motor vehicles, and chemical industries, leading to greenhouse effects, acid rain, and respiratory problems . Noise pollution is another significant environmental problem affecting human health, causing sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive deterioration, and mental health problems . Overall, environmental pollution poses a threat to human health, ecosystems, and the survival of living organisms, and it is crucial to address these issues through research and environmental protection efforts.

Environmental problems have various negative effects. Excessive exploitation and rapid development without considering the environment lead to a decrease in the carrying capacity of the environment and damage to ecosystems and habitats where flora and fauna live . Careless and intensive human activities in natural areas cause serious environmental problems such as global warming, acid rain, ozone depletion, environmental pollution, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity, which can threaten the lives of current and future generations . Human civilization and globalization contribute to constant changes in the global environment, resulting in pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, depletion of natural resources, overpopulation, waste disposal, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity . These processes have highly negative impacts, including pollution, temperature fluctuation, ozone hole, change in Earth's climate, loss of forests, damage to water bodies, and massive extinction of species . Environmental problems also have health implications, such as elevated child blood lead levels and pesticide exposures . Additionally, the discharge of organic and inorganic wastes into the environment leads to serious environmental problems and deterioration of agroecosystems, posing risks to human health .

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Incorporating technical and professional training into the education of students with special needs yields numerous benefits, such as enhancing their socialization, full participation in society, and effective self-realization . Additionally, integrating technical and professional training can lead to the comprehensive development of students, equipping them with social, generic, and technical skills essential for the world of work . Moreover, adequately trained teachers play a crucial role in promoting inclusive education for students with special needs, emphasizing the importance of teacher professional development systems and programs in this regard . Furthermore, the organization of future teachers' professional training to work with children with special educational needs is vital, requiring an individualized approach and the formation of professional readiness to ensure successful inclusive education . Overall, incorporating technical and professional training enhances students' educational inclusion, improves the quality of education provided to all students, and prepares them for successful integration into the workforce .

The condition of elderly people in Bangladesh is concerning due to various factors such as lack of awareness, limited access to mental health care, dependency issues, and substandard living conditions. Research indicates that older individuals face challenges like discrimination, abuse, and neglect, impacting their quality of life and human rights . Additionally, many elderly individuals in Bangladesh are dependent on their families due to lower education levels, leading to issues of abuse and negative family relationships . Furthermore, elderly people living in slum areas of Chattogram city lack basic civic facilities, access to healthcare, and social security, highlighting the need for improved livelihood conditions and support systems for this vulnerable population . Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach involving government policies, community support, and healthcare initiatives to enhance the well-being of elderly individuals in Bangladesh.

Current scientific studies have been investigating the efficacy of THC (Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol) in treating various medical conditions. THC, a major active cannabinoid derived from Cannabis sativa, has shown promising results in clinical trials for conditions such as cancer, neurological disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pain, and metabolic disorders . Additionally, research has demonstrated THC's potent anti-inflammatory properties, particularly in the context of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) induced by Staphylococcus aureus infection, where THC treatment led to improved survival rates in mice by suppressing inflammatory cytokines and promoting the induction of regulatory T cells and Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) through the CB2 receptor pathway . These studies highlight the potential of THC as a therapeutic agent for a range of medical conditions, emphasizing its role in mitigating inflammation and improving patient outcomes.

The Human Genome Project (HGP) has inadvertently harmed Indigenous communities in several ways, primarily through the perpetuation of historical exploitation and the exacerbation of mistrust. Indigenous peoples have often been targeted for genomic research without adequate benefits or protections, leading to a legacy of extractive practices that offer little to no advantage to these communities . The underrepresentation of Indigenous populations in genomic studies has resulted in less accurate polygenic risk scores and a lack of understanding of population-specific genetic variations, which can misclassify novel genetic variations and hinder effective healthcare interventions . Additionally, Indigenous communities face significant health disparities, such as higher cancer rates, which are compounded by their exclusion from genomic research that could potentially identify unique genetic mutations and improve health outcomes . The creation of background variant databases (BVDs) for precision medicine has highlighted the "genomic divide," where Indigenous peoples benefit the least from scientific advancements due to a lack of culturally safe and relevant healthcare services . Historical research misconduct, such as unauthorized collection and use of biological specimens, has further fueled mistrust and reluctance to participate in genomic studies . Ethical concerns in paleogenomics, such as the misuse of DNA from ancestral remains, have also complicated community claims and potentially harmed identities . Indigenous peoples' vulnerability to exploitation and the clash between their worldviews and Western ethical norms have led to collective cultural harms and discrimination . The open science environment's push for unrestricted genomic data access has raised issues of trust, accountability, and equity, emphasizing the need for greater Indigenous participation to ensure equitable benefits . The historical exploitation and lack of meaningful engagement have resulted in Indigenous communities opting out or being left out of major genomic efforts, further marginalizing them . Finally, ethical issues such as group harm, cultural beliefs, and the need for community engagement and collective consent underscore the complex relationship between Indigenous peoples and genomic research .

Deforestation is the process of clearing forests for various purposes, such as agriculture, urban development, and timber extraction, leading to the conversion of forested areas into non-forest land cover . This widespread practice, particularly prevalent in tropical rainforests, has significant environmental consequences, including increased carbon dioxide emissions, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of ecological balance, ultimately impacting climate change and habitat destruction . Deforestation not only affects the natural environment but also poses challenges for monitoring and managing forest resources, necessitating the use of advanced technologies like satellite imagery and machine learning algorithms to track changes in forest cover and predict deforestation patterns accurately . Efforts to address deforestation include implementing land use policies like conservation and reforestation, which have the potential to reduce atmospheric mercury fluxes and mitigate global mercury pollution .

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