Russia in the Global Natural and Ecological Space

The evolution of the role of natural-geographical factors in the spatial organization of society is considered. It is shown that despite the high growth rates of the service sector, the distribution of mineral, water, and forest resources, as well as climatic conditions, remain the key factors in Russia’s spatial development. A brief geoecological description of Russia’s natural resource complex in the global context is presented. On the basis of intercountry comparisons for a wide range of parameters, it is shown that Russia is one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. Of planetary and ecological significance are: Russian forests (45% of Russia’s territory), waterlogged lands and swamps (22% of the territory), and the largest array of practically undeveloped lands (almost two-thirds of the territory). Therefore, Russia’s territory acts as a compensatory area for global pollution and natural disturbances in general, and an ecological donor of many national ecosystems. Russia stands out against the world background by the concentration of sources of potential risk and high environmental capacity. However, in general, the contribution of the Russian economy to the global transformation of the natural environment does not exceed the country’s share in Earth’s territorial resources, the population, and the global economy. The features of Russia’s ecological and geographical position are revealed: its location with respect to foreign sources of environmental hazard. In environmental terms, Russia suffers more from neighboring countries than they from it. Due to the western transfer of air masses, atmospheric pollution enters Russia’s territory from all over Europe; their main “exporters” are Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. The centers of concentration of external threats to Russia’s environmental security have been identified: the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Seversky Donets River basin, the Kazakh Irtysh River region, and the Chinese Amur River region. The leading role of natural resources in the country’s economy determines the priority in domestic Earth sciences, including geography and geoecology.