Архив «Экологической гласности». 1988-2016

Владислав Ларин

Книга объединила статьи автора и беседы с экспертами об экологических проблемах и путях их решения, опубликованные с 1988 по 2016 годы. Является наиболее полным справочником для интересующихся проблемами экологии, энергетики и экономики охраны природы бывшего СССР и современной России. В эту книгу не вошли статьи автора, по материалам которых были опубликованы отдельные книги.

From the Author

Almost 50 years ago, when I wrote my very first school papers on human ecology and nature conservation, research in this area was just beginning. Most recently, the 1972 Stockholm UN Conference was held, which initiated a broad discussion and study of environmental problems generated by human economic activity, and this topic, as they say, «entered the world agenda». At that time, I was already interested in geography and biology, realizing that ecology was my future. I have to conduct my own research, investigate environmental atrocities, write articles and books on this topic, educating both citizens and decision makers.

Several decades have passed since then. I have written and published dozens of studies and books, hundreds of articles on problems related to natural and anthropogenic habitat change. I have participated in dozens of thematic conferences, advised government agencies and legislative bodies of different countries. Participated in international environmental leadership programs, the task of which was to form groups of young people, peers in different countries who know each other personally, are able to understand each other and have a high enough status to enter the circle of decision makers and defend the «global environmental agenda» there.

At the beginning of the two thousandth years, it became clear that the resource state, of which I was a citizen and for whose benefit I worked, needed environmentalists mainly in order to collect environmental payments and fines from owners of enterprises objectionable to the regime and at the same time justify the need for environmental atrocities by friendly resource industries. Of course, such a discovery did not contribute to enthusiasm in the work. In addition, examples of harassment of environmental organizations, journalists and researchers began to appear. It began to seem that doing ecology in Russia is not only useless, but also dangerous.

Scepticism about the need for my work for my country worsened and turned into complete pessimism in 2022, when it became clear that I, an ecologist with a Russian passport, had no place with my research not only in Russia, but also in many other countries.

At the same time, another global economic crisis loomed on the horizon. Experience suggests that the economic crisis will inevitably give impetus to the development of research in the field of ecology, ways to preserve the environment and the development of new energy sources. So it was 50 years ago, so it will be now. The main thing is not to grow moss during the waiting time and not to lose interest in your work.

Unable to work for the future, I decided to shake up the past — to recall completed projects, reread my previous publications and select from them those that have not lost relevance for future Russian environmentalists. Unfortunately, there were many such publications. The achievements of the late 80s and 90s of the XX century in environmental legislation, environmental control and industrial environmental practice in Russia were thoroughly «rammed» by the resource lobby. There is nothing to do — you will have to start all over again.

The hope that all is not lost is inspired by the observation of young people who continue to enroll in universities to study environmental sciences and are going to continue working in this field. Among them is my youngest daughter, a graduate student of Moscow State University with a degree in ecology and environmental management. I have prepared this book for her and her future colleagues. They should have an understanding that they are not the first in Russia to preserve the habitat — information, knowledge, methods, connections, traditions have already been accumulated — which in any science is the basis for creating a «critical mass» of success.

So, let’s plunge into the «ecological publicity» of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, which describes the problems that are still waiting to be solved in the future.

Moscow, October 18, 2023.