Rosprirodnadzor detects 85% of violations using satellite images

Rosprirodnadzor detects 85% of violations in the field of environmental legislation thanks to satellite images. This became known on October 21 at a meeting between Vladimir Putin and the head of the department Svetlana Radionova. Moreover, this option is especially important for remote areas, such as the Amur region, where inspectors can only work seasonally. Other topics include efforts to reduce emissions into the atmosphere and the creation of the environmental code of the Russian Federation.

What was discussed at the meeting

Vladimir Putin asked the head of Rosprirodnadzor about the situation with reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere. The head of the department spoke about the work of the federal Clean Air project, which has been joined by over 40 Russian cities. By 2026, they will reduce the volume of pollutant emissions by 2 million tons, which is more than 20%. Most of them are located in Siberia and the Far East. In total, the results of this work will affect almost 7 million people. Svetlana Radionova assured the president that the government requires real results from the department — "not on paper, but a report on the results of instrumental measurements."

The head of Rosprirodnadzor proposed to the president to create an environmental code of Russia, in the creation of which the agency is ready to participate. Such a measure will help the authorities to systematize legislation, and business to understand the basic requirements. Svetlana Radionova added that it would take more than one year to implement this measure, but "it's time to do it," and there is already international experience. "Our colleagues from Belarus are working on this, and China is currently developing a very good draft environmental code," she said.

The agency determines 85% of violations of environmental legislation thanks to satellite images together with Roscosmos. The head of Rosprirodnadzor took the initiative to introduce legally significant requirements for remote sensing of the Earth. Recognizing satellite images as legal evidence when considering cases of violations of environmental laws will reduce the burden on the inspection staff and will have other positive effects, she believes.

"We get a picture, then we go to the place – in 100% of cases we confirm the result. We haven't had any unconfirmed results. This means that our satellite images are very reliable, and we can see it all. We want to introduce the legal significance of such a tool, because it is very important for us. As soon as we do this, we will ease the burden on the inspection staff. We will see what is happening in the Amur region, Magadan, Chita, in distant, remote regions, where we can only get based on weather conditions, sometimes seasonally, sometimes only by helicopter," Svetlana Radionova added.

The head of the department spoke about the introduction of the reform of extended producer responsibility, which sets out the requirements for packaging disposal: manufacturers must either do this on their own or pay an appropriate environmental fee. A record 20 billion rubles have already been collected, she said. This money will be used to create processing facilities.