Radionova: Melting permafrost in the Arctic won’t be a problem if enterprises monitor their facilities
© Press service of the Siberian Federal University

Radionova: Melting permafrost in the Arctic won’t be a problem if enterprises monitor their facilities

The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor) does not believe that melting permafrost will be a problem for enterprises: it is the enterprises’ job to monitor the state of the facilities they use.

“With the right maintenance, this [melting permafrost] will not be a problem. You do not wake up on Monday to see that everything has melted, because you do not live in Africa,” said Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic   Forum.

She added that enterprises must be prepared for thawing ground in the Arctic zone.

“They should invest in science and study this issue, which means they have to monitor their facilities,” the head of Rosprirodnadzor stressed.

At the same time, Radionova noted that there were no significant improvements in the state of facilities right now.

“We hear that a company is improving and building new capacities – yes, but I would not give a satisfactory mark to a manufacturing facility that has been in operation for more than 20 years. On a five-point scale, they don't get more than a three,” Radionova summed up.