Dear friends,
If Russia and Ecology were relatives, what would they be to each other? Distant, wary cousins, connected by a vast and often unspoken inheritance? Or perhaps conflicted siblings, whose immense natural wealth is both a blessing and a burden? Anyway, they'd be connected with the kind of invisible, yet undeniable bond — one that is both intimate and strained.
Russia extracts immense subsurface wealth across the same lands that sustain global environmental systems. In 2025, oil production stands at around 516 million tonnes, drawn from proven reserves of 80 billion barrels. Natural gas output reaches 695 billion cubic meters, supported by the world's largest reserves of 48 trillion cubic meters. Coal production nears 440 million tonnes from reserves exceeding 176 billion tonnes.
These activities overlay territories holding 809 million hectares of forest, permafrost covering 65% of the land and storing vast amounts of methane, Lake Baikal's 20% share of global unfrozen freshwater, and Arctic regions that drive planetary climate patterns.
And from an observer's point of view, Russia`s left to exist with the impossible paradox: can a state, so rich in fossil fuels, truly be green? Can an energy superpower of this scale embrace sustainability?
This issue does not shy away from this profound contradiction. We delve into the heart of Russia's environmental dilemma, exploring the tension between its resource-based identity and its ecological destiny. Carbon projects, protected areas, renewables, mining remediation — we track all these steps toward aligning resource strength with ecological protection.
We hope you will find the issue both informative and entertaining.
If Russia and Ecology were relatives, what would they be to each other? Distant, wary cousins, connected by a vast and often unspoken inheritance? Or perhaps conflicted siblings, whose immense natural wealth is both a blessing and a burden? Anyway, they'd be connected with the kind of invisible, yet undeniable bond — one that is both intimate and strained.
Russia extracts immense subsurface wealth across the same lands that sustain global environmental systems. In 2025, oil production stands at around 516 million tonnes, drawn from proven reserves of 80 billion barrels. Natural gas output reaches 695 billion cubic meters, supported by the world's largest reserves of 48 trillion cubic meters. Coal production nears 440 million tonnes from reserves exceeding 176 billion tonnes.
These activities overlay territories holding 809 million hectares of forest, permafrost covering 65% of the land and storing vast amounts of methane, Lake Baikal's 20% share of global unfrozen freshwater, and Arctic regions that drive planetary climate patterns.
And from an observer's point of view, Russia`s left to exist with the impossible paradox: can a state, so rich in fossil fuels, truly be green? Can an energy superpower of this scale embrace sustainability?
This issue does not shy away from this profound contradiction. We delve into the heart of Russia's environmental dilemma, exploring the tension between its resource-based identity and its ecological destiny. Carbon projects, protected areas, renewables, mining remediation — we track all these steps toward aligning resource strength with ecological protection.
We hope you will find the issue both informative and entertaining.
Vladislav Tsyman,
Magazine Editor,
Meeting Russia