Regional Analysis of Differentiation of Industrial Atmospheric Pollution in the Post-Soviet Space

Abstract—

The article examines the regional dynamics of atmospheric emissions of 12 post-Soviet countries depending on changes in gross domestic product (GDP) or gross regional product (GRP), volumes and structure of industrial output, and changes in the structure of the fuel balance and energy intensity. During the 1990s crisis, pollution declined in all countries and most regions, but more slowly than production due to the dirtiest industries being more resilient to the crisis. The most persistent was pollution in regions and countries with high volumes of emissions. During the period of economic growth, pollution increased, primarily in hydrocarbon production regions. Regional differences in emissions are mainly due to industrial output for Russia and Ukraine, with a high consistency of production and pollution trends. In Russia, gross emissions are geographically linked to GRP; in Ukraine, a decline in production in the eastern regions has led to a shift in pollution to areas with concentrated populations. In Kazakhstan, the territorial structure of emissions is determined by the volumes of electricity produced by coal generation and the location of energy-intensive industries. In the post-Soviet space, inherited development factors determine pollution from the energy sector, where the most obsolete funds and structure of the fuel balance have been preserved. At the same time large industrial regions in countries have a general tendency to stabilize the level of emissions, while small regions either reduce their emissions, or, conversely, increase them.