Putin pledges Arctic clean-up
Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has called on Russian business to join the state in cleaning up the Arctic of fuel and lubricants waste.
The Prime Minister pledged a massive clean-up of industrial and toxic waste in the Arctic region. Pollution levels are currently six times higher than normal and Putin warned that "nature is vulnerable here. If temperatures rise by three to four degrees, the problems we see now will aggravate."
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Snow pollution Image: Thoth |
There are an estimated 40,000-60,000 tons of fuel and lubricants "stored" in the region, with thousands of barrels containing used lubricants. Plane, car and other wreckage also litters the Artic, a throwback to the collapse of the Soviet Union and a reduction in Russia's military presence.
However, Prime Minister Putin is also well aware of the need to protect the Russian Arctic region for strategic purposes. "Arctic hosts our naval bases and aviation patrol routes. There are also economic interests, natural resources. Stockman (one of the largest gas fields in the world) is just 300 kilometers from here. Major transport communication of the Northern Sea route are here," he said.
Although calling on Russian businesses to join in the clean-up efforts, he believed that the state must set an example and will be leading the way in determining the scope of the problem and the recycling methods to be used.
