Environmentally Unfavorable Areas in Russian Law and Post-Soviet Space

Abstract

The article suggests a new view on the issues of protection of environmental human rights in environmentally unfavorable areas. A diversity of approaches in Russia and republics of the former USSR granted a special legal status to areas which caused environmental harm due to natural disasters and manmade disasters, In addition, ineffective environmental policies allowed hazardous industries to pollute the environment for many years. New environmental legal solutions must be developed and implemented in developing countries with the active assistance of the international community to ensure environmental human rights on a global rather than national scale. The new proposed legal requirements should focus on the most environmentally impaired areas based on utilizing specific classifications and criteria.