Environmental Challenges for Fragile Economies: Adaptation Opportunities on the Examples of the Arctic and Iraq

Abstract

The impact of climate change in the Arctic, due to the nature of its ecosystem, the wealth of natural resources and the intensification of activities for their production, is becoming more and more significant and leads to an aggravation of environmental problems in this territory. The situation is even more complicated by the imperfection of legislation and the lack of agreement between neighboring states. Despite the special location of the Arctic zone, similar problems can be found in other states. The purpose of this work is to consider environmental challenges for unstable economies on the example of the Arctic zone and the state of Iraq, to determine the possibilities of adapting similar methods to eliminate existing problems. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were solved in the article: 1. The environmental problems of the Arctic were identified and their similarity with the problems of Iraq was substantiated. 2. It is demonstrated that in order to solve environmental problems related to the impact of climate change, environmental protection and resource management in fragile economy states, it is necessary to create an effective management system at the global, regional and national levels; it is proved that there is a need to improve legal provisions for effective protection of fragile states from risks associated with human activities. The research methods used in this study include a systematic analysis of economic, social, and cultural conditions, including a review of statistical data and various sources. Emerging opportunities for Arctic exploration and exploitation pose a threat to the Arctic environment. Its protection is currently based on too many, often conflicting, international agreements, the domestic legislation of the Arctic states and the recommendations of the Arctic Council. It has been shown that the risk of irreparable damage is particularly high in the case of gas flaring or oil spills from an oil rig or tanker. The problems identified in this article are applicable not only to the Arctic but also to other territories with “fragile” economies such as Iraq, where the oil and gas industry is a strategic factor. Despite the obvious differences, in particular, in climatic conditions, territorial development management has common methodological approaches. The political aspects of such research are the development of unified approaches that enable territories with challenging conditions to adopt the best-integrated practices in the field of management.