Konstantin Tsyganov: "The Republic of Tatarstan performs all assigned environmental tasks efficiently"
Today, Kazan hosts the XX All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference named after A. I. Shchepovskikh "Industrial ecology and safety".
The conference, which brings together leading representatives of government, science, business and the public from different regions of the country — from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Krasnoyarsk and Chelyabinsk, as well as specialists from specially protected natural areas of federal importance - has once again become a key platform for discussing topical issues of environmental protection and the development of environmental safety.
"You are efficiently fulfilling all the tasks assigned to the Republic of Tatarstan. We see real improvements and would like to wish further success so that the level of well-being and happiness of people increases," said Konstantin Tsyganov, First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, in his welcoming speech.
He recalled that the national development goals outlined by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a May Decree include environmental well-being as one of the priorities until 2030 and prospects for 2036. Specific tasks include the formation of a closed–loop economy, a twofold reduction in emissions of hazardous substances into the air, the elimination of at least 50 hazardous industrial sites and landfills, as well as a significant reduction in polluted wastewater in reservoirs.
"Starting this year, a new national project "Environmental well-being" is being implemented, which will become a key tool for achieving the national goal. It includes six large-scale federal projects, ranging from closed-loop economics and general harvesting to forest conservation and the development of eco-tourism," Konstantin Tsyganov emphasized.
Alexander Shadrikov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Tatarstan, noted in his speech that thanks to the support of Rustam Minnikhanov, the Head of Tatarstan, a unique model of open dialogue has been formed in the republic with the participation of government agencies, the scientific community, business and society, which allows achieving concrete measurable results.
"Over the past 30 years, with a 3.1—fold increase in the gross regional product, emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere have decreased by 143.8 thousand tons, which is 25.6%. The volume of polluted wastewater discharge decreased by 67.9%. Tatarstan is traditionally among the top three ESG ratings, and in 2022 it took the first place in terms of environmental indicators," the minister noted.
The conference pays special attention to traditions and innovation: 2025 was marked by three significant anniversaries at once — the 180th anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society, the 65th anniversary of the Volga-Kama Biosphere Reserve and the 80th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding ecologist A. I. Shchepovskikh, after whom the conference is named.
Emil Shamsutdinov, Head of the Technical Sciences Coordination Department at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, stressed the importance of joint work between science and government:
"The Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Ecology of the Republic of Tatarstan actively support the implementation of projects to create functioning air pollution monitoring systems.
Comprehensive studies of water bodies are constantly being conducted with the development of practical recommendations for their improvement. Special attention is paid to assessing the current state of the Blue Lakes, the pearl of Kazan. We hope for the support of the Ministry of Ecology and the continuation of these works, which are important in the context of the development of ecological and popular science tourism in Tatarstan, including the creation of ecological routes."
The A.I. Shchepovskikh Conference expands the geography of participants every year and becomes a strategic center for sharing experiences and developing solutions for sustainable environmental development, uniting the efforts of all stakeholders and maintaining a high level of environmental well-being in Tatarstan and Russia as a whole.