In recent decades, there has been a positive trend in world politics in the field of promoting territories’ sustainable development. At the same time, one of the most relevant areas is to promote the transition to renewable energy sources (RES), which correspond to one of the UN’s goals—Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) “Ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for all”. This article is devoted to the study of the renewable energy sources’ impact on the sustainable development of the Russian Arctic zone. The authors chose the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions as an indicator reflecting the impact of RES on sustainable development, since this factor is one of the main factors for assessing trends in the activities of countries aimed at achieving progress on most of the Sustainable Development Goals of territories. The hypothesis of the relationship between the use of renewable energy sources and the achievement of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, one of the indicators of which is the level of CO₂ emissions, was tested and confirmed. An econometric analysis of panel data for 15 countries that are actively implementing the concept of sustainable development, including decarbonizing policies, was carried out, where the resulting indicator for achieving progress on the SDG was the amount of CO₂ emissions. The factors influencing the resulting variable were indicators selected based on a review of existing models, as well as indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals’ achievement. Using an econometric analysis of interdependence, the indicators of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals that are more likely to have an impact on the level of CO₂ emissions were identified. These are electricity consumption, the share of renewable energy sources in the energy balance, the average per capita income of the population, and carbon intensity. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that renewable energy sources are a factor contributing to the achievement of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. The results obtained are also applicable to the Arctic region, since all countries that have territories in the Arctic zone adhere to the policy of decarbonization and try to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Maintaining a certain level of environmental safety is one of the most important goals in exploring the Arctic region, taking into account its intensified industrial development. This study offers an approach to achieving environmental safety of industrial single-industry towns of the Arctic region of Russia. In order to implement an environmental safety strategy insingle-industry towns (with the Murmansk Region discussed as an example) and tailor it to the changing conditions, we have proposed a system of indicators reflecting the goals of preserving and restoring the ecosystem of single-industry towns of the Murmansk Region, taking into account the severe conditions and high vulnerability of the Arctic nature. The indicators were determined using the Balanced Scorecard system which components were adapted in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Strategy of Ecological Security of the Russian Federation in view of the unique features that Arctic single-industry towns have. When choosing the methodology of the study, we have found and analyzed the indicators of sustainable development, including environmental safety, proposed by international communities or organizations, such as UN Commission, World Bank, OECD European Commission, World Wildlife Fund, etc. The strategic map we have constructed allows to reconcile the interests of different stakeholders and can be used as a basis for decision-making at various levels of governance (industrial enterprises, regional and municipal authorities, local communities, and others).

The concept of inclusive development is gaining momentum in both the academic and policy-making arenas. There are a plethora of definitions and several indicators with which to monitor its progress at the national level. However, the regional level has been relatively overlooked in the analyses carried out by academics. This is particularly serious for large countries marked by deep regional disparities. The aim of this paper is to address this gap by proposing and applying a framework to assess inclusive development at the regional level. Drawing on a critical analysis of the concept and existing indexes, the paper proposes an index of Regional Inclusive Development and applies it to the regions of the Russian Federation. Moreover, it compares the suggested index with established indicators of regional socio-economic development, namely quality of life and gross product. The results support the idea that at the regional level, there is a significant correlation and interdependence between all dimensions of the sustainable development concept—environment, the economy, and society—and that inclusiveness should not be ignored or undervalued in the analysis of development processes. Furthermore, the results show significant differences in the positioning of the regions in terms of the inclusive development rankings as compared to their positions in the quality of life and gross product rankings. The results also reveal small interregional differences among Russian regions, which are unexpected given the size of the country.

The article presents an approach to sustainable environmental development of the Murmansk region of the Russian Federation based on the complex regional indicators as a transformation of a balance scorecard method. The peculiarities of Murmansk region connected with sustainable environmental development are described. The complex regional indicators approach allows to elaborate the general concept of complex regional development taking into consideration economic and non-economic factors with the focus on environmental aspects, accumulated environmental damage in particular. General strategic chart of sustainable environmental development of the Murmansk region worked out on the basis of complex regional indicators concept is composed. The key target indicators of sustainable ecological development of the Murmansk region are presented for the following strategic chart components: regional finance; society and market; industry and entrepreneurship; training, development and innovations. These charts are to be integrated with international environmental monitoring systems.

This paper examines the impact of transport infrastructure on the economic development of regions, with an emphasis on sustainable development. Econometric models were used for the analysis, including generalized models and models with fixed and random effects. An assessment of factors such as the number of cars and the inflow of foreign direct investment showed their significant positive impact on the GRP per capita. At the same time, the consumer price index and the number of buses showed a negative impact. The best results in considering the specifics of the regions were obtained when using models with fixed effects. The results of the study highlight the key role of transport infrastructure for economic growth and highlight the importance of integrating sustainable development principles into the planning and development of transport systems. Sustainable development requires increasing economic activity and minimizing negative environmental impacts and ensuring social justice. Embedding sustainability principles in transport planning is expected to contribute to the creation of balanced and environmentally friendly infrastructure solutions that will ensure long-term prosperity. The models developed in the study can become the basis for the development of recommendations for improving transport systems aimed at maintaining sustainable economic growth and environmental stability.