Environmental and Science Politics in Russia

Abstract

This chapter focuses on understanding the narratives and practices that have emerged around environmental problems and the science-policy interface in Russia and the Soviet Union more generally, as background for the three case study chapters that follow. The historical role of scientists in Soviet politics and the role of science in the Soviet project are first examined, followed by a brief discussion of Russian science in the 1990s. The weak, but not non-existent, concern for the environment in the Soviet Union and Russia is then presented. This provides context for the brief overview of Russian climate politics that concludes the chapter.