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NDI Briefing Note: The urgent need for standardized assessment of microplastic pollution in the Arctic Ocean

Northern Dimension Institute Briefing Note | August 2021 Konstantin S. Zaikov, Northern Arctic Federal University, Arkhangelsk, Russia, k.zaikov[a]narfu.ru Nikita A. Sobolev, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, n.a.sobolev[a]outlook.com Microplastic (MP) pollution has become a problem that challenges the modern environmental science. The complex nature and behavior of the marine ecosystem causes high uncertainties for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of microplastic pollution …

NDI POLICY BRIEF 16: Decarbonizing road passenger transport in the ND area

This policy brief elaborates recommendations for road passenger transport decarbonization in the Northern Dimension (ND) area. On the one hand, road transport emits 25% of total greenhouse gas in ND countries and produces dangerous local pollutions, and the share of passenger transport of these emissions is more than 75% [1] Nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide and particular matter emissions are the …

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NDI POLICY BRIEF 15: Accident information is needed to prevent emergencies in the Arctic waters

Increasing economic activity in the Russian Arctic has resulted in the growth of vessel traffic related to trade, exploration and research, marine tourism, and natural resource extraction activities. This has heightened the risk of maritime accidents. Navigation and rescue response are challenging in the High North due to its harsh weather and ice conditions, long distances, and vulnerable nature. Therefore, …

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NDI Briefing Note: Prospects for the development of the White Sea-Baltic Canal

Northern Dimension Institute Briefing Note | February 2021 PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPEMENT OF THE WHITE SEA-BALTIC CANAL  By Maksim Zadorin, Northern Arctic Federal University, Arkhangelsk m.zadorin [a] narfu.ru The White Sea-Baltic Canal, constructed in 1931-1933 as a large-scale Soviet infrastructure project and therefore commonly referred to as the “Stalin’s Canal” [1], often evokes negative connotations due to its history. The …

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NDI POLICY BRIEF 14: Healthy ageing policy in Russia needs to consider gender, age, and territory

The Russian government has adopted various national policies and programs in the last decade in response to population ageing in the country. We analyzed the targets and actions of two ongoing healthy ageing policies, and how their effectiveness could be improved. We suggest the national (Federal) level authorities to take the following recommendations into account: Recommendation 1: To separate program …

POLICY BRIEF: NDEP as a platform for nuclear cleanup of sunken objects in the Arctic Sea

This Policy Brief summarizes the key outcomes and recommendations from the Northern Dimension Expert Seminar1: Nuclear Waste Cleanup in the Arctic, which gathered together leading international experts and key stakeholders on nuclear cleanup projects. The Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership’s Nuclear Window (NDEP NW) is an established platform for eliminating nuclear hazards inherited from the Soviet nuclear fleet operations in the …

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NDI POLICY BRIEF 13: Analysis of subjective wellbeing is important for wellbeing development in the Northern Dimension area

Actors in the social and health care often aim to improve wellbeing of the population in various interventions and development projects. The evaluation of their outcome is usually based on objective wellbeing criteria only, although people’s subjective wellbeing (SWB) is the foundation of the wellbeing of the population. Therefore, the viewpoint of families and experiences of individual people should always …

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NDI BACKGROUND PAPER 2: Polar Code and other measures to improve safety of shipping in the Arctic

Summary: The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, better known as the “Polar Code”, came into force on 1 January 2017 to improve safety for ship operations in remote waters of the polar regions. It was developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a legally binding international framework that builds on existing mandatory regulations set by IMO …

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NDI POLICY BRIEF 12: Wind Energy is a key solution for remote area energy supply in the High North of Russia

The energy supply in the Russian Federation is characterized by a large number of remote northern settlements which are powered by imported fossil fuel, mostly diesel fuel. Therefore, sustainable development of remote northern territories is a major challenge. One solution to this challenge is to increase the use of wind energy. The replacement of a majority of diesel power plants …

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NDI POLICY BRIEF 11: Arctic shipping needs anti-avoidance rules to mitigate environmental disasters

Global warming will accelerate the melting of ice and release some of the Arctic territories for shipping. On the one hand, it will have a positive impact on world trade but on the other hand, the risk of ship accidents and environmental disasters will increase. In the period from 2010 to 2019, 512 ship accidents in Arctic Circle Waters were …