“For the Forest, for the Water, and for Our Nature”: Scenarios and Features of (De)Politicization of the Environmental Agenda in Russian Regions

Abstract

The article discusses the peculiarities of politicization and depoliticization of environmental issues in Russian regions. We examine the most common patterns of public involvement in political actions related to environmental problems. The first scenario is the politicization of the environmental agenda through the citizens’ encounter with an environmental problem that is significant to them and which they are trying to solve. As a rule, this problem has a local character and social implications. The second scenario is the greening of the political agenda, that is, letting out political discontent through the environmental sphere. As a rule, such a scenario is possible in an already politicized community. The third scenario is the depoliticization of the environmental agenda, associated with the stigmatization of political action and distancing from politics. Finally, the fourth scenario can be called quasi-politicization, since it is associated with the use of the environmental agenda by political actors to solve certain political tasks. Based on the degree of politicization of eco-activists, we identified several main types of grassroots eco-activism that exist in Russian regions: patriotic, pragmatic, civic eco-activism, and environmental volunteerism. We pay particular attention to the peculiarities and factors of politicization of eco-activists in Russian regions. The analysis is based on a qualitative study carried out in 2023–2024 in three Russian regions: Krasnoyarsk Krai, Zabaykalsky Krai, and Sverdlovsk Oblast. The main research methods were semistructured interviews and focus groups.

Article in Russian