RUSSIAN OIL AND GAS COMPANIES AND THEIR ARCTIC OPERATIONS: THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF RESILIENCE IN THE DECARBONIZATION ERA

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Natalia Yu. Titova1, 2

1Vladivostok State University, Vladivostok, Russia, n.titova@ksc.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-0263-8636

2Luzin Institute for Economic Studies of the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia

Abstract. Addressing global climate change presents a shared challenge, particularly for the development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) and for industrial companies operating in the region, including oil and gas producers. Given the strategic role of hydrocarbon development in the AZRF for ensuring Russia’s energy security and the responsibility  of oil and gas companies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is critical to examine their role in enhancing the resilience of the AZRF amidst global decarbonization efforts. This article aims to provide a theoretical and practical analysis  of the relationship between organizational and territorial resilience in the context of climate change. It focuses on the measures taken by Russian oil and gas companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the anthropogenic impact of their operations in the AZRF. The empirical basis for this study is drawn from the corporate reports of the largest Russian oil and gas companies. Through a review of contemporary Russian and international research, key risks to the resilience of economic systems in the AZRF are identified. A conceptual framework is proposed, highlighting the role of oil and gas companies  in supporting the resilience of the AZRF, particularly through decarbonization initiatives aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change, such as permafrost thawing. Content analysis has been used to categorize the environmental and industrial safety measures, as well as decarbonization efforts, undertaken by Russian oil and gas companies in the AZRF. The study concludes  by outlining the various decarbonization scenarios and strategies implemented by these companies in the AZRF.

Keywords: decarbonization, resilience, organizational resilience, territorial resilience, oil and gas companies, global climate change, greenhouse gases, AZRF, industrial safety, environmental safety, decarbonization initiatives

Acknowledgments: This research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation under Grant Number 22-78-10181, titled “Decarbonization of the Russian Oil And Gas Sector: Concept, New Interfaces, Challenges, Technological, Organizational,  and Managerial Transformations”, https://rscf.ru/project/22-78-10181/.

For citation: Titova N. Yu. Russian oil and gas companies and their Arctic operations: The theory and practice of resilience  in the decarbonization era. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming  the Economic Order], 2024, no. 3, pp. 149–168. doi:10.37614/2220-802X.3.2024.85.010.

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