| Summary: | The Arctic is an area of potential large-scale economic activities of production, processing and transportation of mineral raw materials conducted in a sensitive environment. Considerable risks of emergencies exist due to the natural and technical character of these activities. The Arctic is a vital area, whose global character is determined by: • availability of sources of vital mineral and biological raw materials, • potential of large economic developments, • considerable reserves of pristine natural areas, • its being a climate influencing region - the “weather backroom” on a planet scale, • its rendering a significant amount of “ecoservices” aimed at assimilating negative anthropogenic impact on the global climate system. At the same time, the Arctic environment is extremely vulnerable as biological processes there are slow and its assimilation capacity is limited and can be rapidly exhausted. The combination of these factors brings the issues of safe use of land and offshore Arctic areas into the sphere of international interests thus creating a crucial arena for international cooperation. Taking into consideration international obligations of the countries in the circumpolar region, safety of economic activities in the Arctic is the most important condition for realizing national economic interests and ensuring global economic growth on the basis of provision of critically important primary resources.
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