Russia’s dirty smelting plants
The environmental impact of the metal industry
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Ten of the twelve cities in Russia with the worst air pollution are home to the metal industry. The industry is also responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions. The state supports the position taken by the five large corporations in the sector that investments to reduce the level of sulphur and carbon dioxide emissions are only appropriate when they are of economic benefit. Serious national environmental standards are almost non-existent, and the environmental authorities are powerless to act. These are the reasons why the modernisation and replacement of old plants from the Soviet era is making such slow progress.
(Osteuropa 7-9/2020, pp. 149–175)