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The Government, in its work on drafting strategic planning documents and the 2017–2025 comprehensive government action plan, has been instructed to include as one of the main aims Russia’s transition to an environmentally sustainable development model that will ensure long-term effective use of the country’s natural assets while at the same time reducing the impact of environmental threats to public health.

The Government shall, in this work, pay particular attention to the use of a system of sustainable development indicators and gradual resolution of environmentally sustainable development tasks in the regions over the period from 2030 to 2050, and to establishing targets for energy efficiency in the economy and implementing measures to increase energy efficiency, including the development and use of renewable energy sources.

The Government has been instructed to make the necessary legal amendments needed to reduce harmful atmospheric emissions, and also amend laws concerning procedures for state environmental appraisals of investment projects, procedures for issuing comprehensive environmental permits, open public access to environmental information published by state and local government bodies on the internet, and encouraging industrial and household waste treatment and recycling.

Other instructions to the Government concern, in particular, drafting an action plan to strengthen Russia’s influence on shaping the international environmental protection agenda and on discussions concerning creation of a compensation system for ecosystem services, based on an understanding of Russia’s role as an environmental donor; developing a national methodology for evaluating the ability of different types of forest, swampland and steppe in Russia to absorb carbon dioxide; use the state automated information system ERA-GLONASS to obtain, process and transfer navigation information when transporting waste and dangerous goods; and construction of needed facilities for processing, making safe, and recycling waste, and using the best available technology.

The Government has also been asked to draft, together with the main business community organisations, proposals on having Russian development institutions and public companies use ‘green’ financial instruments; encouraging the use by Russian development institutions and organisations of environmentally sustainable development practices; and encouraging public companies, state organisations, state corporations and companies with state participation to use voluntary environmental responsibility mechanisms.

The Government has been instructed to present proposals for including in the federal state educational standards requirements concerning basic knowledge of environmental protection and sustainable development. This should also take into account the international community’s current priorities, particularly the agenda for sustainable development through to 2030, the Paris Agreement, concluded on December 12, 2015, and the Russian Federation’s commitments to counter climate change and protect the environment.

Some instructions were given jointly to the Government and the relevant regional executive authorities.

The Prosecutor General’s Office was instructed to check compliance with Russian legislation regarding safe handling of hazard class I and II waste.

The Supreme Court has been asked to summarise court practice concerning application of environmental protection laws and draft recommendations for lower instance courts to harmonise practice in this area.

Recommendations to the regional executive authorities concern using environmentally friendly transport to reduce harmful emissions, and supporting volunteer organisations and carrying out other public initiatives to resolve to environmental problems in the regions.