At the end of May, Nornickel officially released its 2024 Sustainability Report. Together with the flagship report, specialized reports on climate change, responsible supply chains, and human rights were also released.
Chita, Norilsk, and Murmansk hosted the final of the SVET ON forum. It was the fourth time Nornickel has held large-scale activities for those wanting to try their hand at entrepreneurship, volunteering, engineering, and information technology.
Svetlana Mikhailenko is the founder of the team, which helps homeless animals, and the head of the volunteer project in Monchegorsk. The project is very popular and teaches children to treat our feline friends responsibly.
In addition to the traditional stages – SMM, EcoDelo (Eco Business), and Prosvetitelsky (Educational) – the organizers added six more environmental areas to the anniversary marathon. These include scientific and zoo volunteering, as well as creative projects on environmental education.
Pollution is a sure threat to the people and wildlife of the Arctic. However, it is a secondary consequence for polar bear populations, while the primary driver is climate change. Warmer temperatures cause more snow and ice to melt rapidly, and for polar bears, it is a prime habitat and hunting ground.
There is an opinion that Russia will only win from global warming, which is nothing but a shallow judgment. Climate change is not only about rising temperatures. Extreme droughts, heavy precipitation, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, and wildfires are already our current reality. Climate change will make them worse.
Clearly, it may be impossible to restore climate on Earth to early 20th century levels in the near term. The modern world and conveniences that we are so used to require massive amounts of hydrocarbons for use in the power and transportation sectors.
Many effects of climate change are distant from most people living in well-protected regions with developed infrastructure and capability to withstand most natural disasters. Our climate concerns are limited to weather forecasts for tomorrow just to choose what clothes to wear.