On May 29, 2020 a fuel tank collapsed near city of Norilsk in Arctic Russia, liking 20,000 toons of diesel in the nearby waters. The leaked oil drifted 12km from the accident site, turning the Ambarnaya river crimson red. Environmentalist and scientists advert that the spill could soon reach Arctic Ocean [3]. |
Because of bad maintence and permafrost melting 20,000 tonnes of oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle from an electric plant supplying the largest Russian mining company. Rivers may take a decade to clean.
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Arctic Oil Spill in Norilsk, Russia |
| Country: | Russian Federation |
| State or province: | Krasnoyarsk Krai |
| Location of conflict: | Norilsk |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Infrastructure and Built Environment |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Pollution related to transport (spills, dust, emissions) Climate change related conflicts (glaciers and small islands) |
| Specific commodities: | Rare metals Nickel and palladium Crude oil |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | That company is called Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Co., a subsidiary of Nornicel. The company is co-owned by Russia’s richest billionaire. In 2020, his wealth surpassed $20 billion. It is currently at $25.5 billion. The oil spill cleanup costs are likely to continue to mount, because it will take at least a decade to properly clean up the mega spill [6]. |
| Project area: | 2,000 (20 km (so far)) |
| Type of population | Semi-urban |
| Affected Population: | 177,506 |
| Start of the conflict: | 29/05/2020 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Norilsk Nickel from Russian Federation |
| Relevant government actors: | The Russian Investigative Committee (SK) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | -Greenpeace - World Wild Life Fund |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | Mobilization for reparations once impacts have been felt |
| Groups mobilizing: | International ejos Local scientists/professionals |
| Forms of mobilization: | Media based activism/alternative media |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Global warming, Oil spills, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors Potential: Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Outcome
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Environmental improvements, rehabilitation/restoration of area |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | Enormous environmental damage of the Arctic rivers both locally and globally due to old infrastructure and electricity demand for one of the biggest mining company in Russia--- the Norilsk Nickel company. |
Sources & Materials
|
Meta information
| Contributor: | KH and JMA ENVJUST Project (ICTA-UAB) |
| Last update | 14/06/2020 |
| Conflict ID: | 5093 |
Related conflicts
Comments