Environment matters

Shortly after taking office, at a meeting in the Kremlin in June 2008, Russian  President Medvedev called for higher standards of environmental protection and for the state to finance renewable energy projects.

Russia's relationship with China is becoming increasingly interesting, especially in the light of the looming environmental crisis on China’s borders.

Thousands of tropical fish have died at a Russian airport after being held in customs in the summer heat. The state-run RIA Novosti news agency says that more than 4,000 fish worth £297,000 died in the Black Sea resort of Sochi after customs officials spent 15 hours clearing the cargo on Saturday. The fish had been shipped from China for Sochi Discovery World,the county's largest oceanarium, due to open this month. Amin Azzam, the oceanarium's director, said the loss was an "atrocity unseen anywhere else in the world".
 

"This Security Council meeting today is to examine the Food Security Doctrine. I hope that this document will be entirely practical in nature and will be one of the means for implementing our National Security Strategy for the period to 2020, which I recently approved. I hope the Strategy and the Doctrine will help to resolve a number of practical tasks: making food affordable, increasing control over food safety, and helping in general to ensure normal food supply in the country.
 

"I want to talk about the global problem of climate change on our planet. There are already existing arrangements in most countries to work together in this area. Incidentally, some of them have been around for quite a while, namely the Kyoto Protocol.

Mr Chairman, Mr Secretary-General of the United Nations, heads of state and government, ladies and gentlemen, 

When McDonalds first opened for business in Moscow, the city itself was the main shareholder in the joint venture, which negotiated a 49-year rental agreement on a number of properties back in 1992. This agreemeent made the venture look extremely attractive, and so eventually McDonalds (Canada) eventually bought out the city's shares. Now that the city is no longer enjoying the benefits of this contract, it has imposed a 1.200-fold increase in the rent. Tough luck, Ronald McDonald!
 

President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a statement congratulating the staff of the Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund, on the 15th anniversary of its establishment.
 

As Russia prepares for the Winter Olympics of 2014, environmentalists are raising serious concerns about the potential impact on the local environment. President Medvedev, however, appears to be far more aware of environmental issues than his predecessor.The Winter Olympics are hugely important for Russia, for political and economic reasons. When assessing the potential environmental impact, western observers must bare in mind these other factors. Dmitry Medvedev stated at a meeting this week:
 

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has decreed that a paper mill on the shores of Siberia's Lake Baikal can resume production despite years of complaints about pollution of the world's largest freshwater lake. The lake contains 20% of the world's surface fresh water. Putin has allowed the plant to resume making pulp, paper and cardboard in the area surrounding the lake.