Social and Ecological Risks of the Petrochemical Industry Development

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of social and ecological risks in the Republic of Tatarstan and the influence of the activity of chemical city-forming enterprises on the ecological situation. The example of single-industry towns shows that the unfavorable ecological setting is a consequence of the increase in production dangerous to public health and the environment, which leads to a decrease in the quality of life, the outflow of the population, increased mortality, and depopulation. The analysis of the situation in the sphere of ecology and nature management shows that in recent years the Republic of Tatarstan has accumulated a number of serious problems that do not allow fully achieving the desired quality of the environment and ensuring the protection of natural resources and their sustainable use and reproduction. The state of the environment in many municipalities of the republic continues to be unfavorable. The level of air and water pollution significantly exceeds the established standards, and there is the pollution, depletion and degradation of soil and a constant increase in the volumes of production and consumption waste. Due to excessive anthropogenic pressures, landscapes are being changed, and there is a growing problem of preserving the biological diversity of plant and animal communities.