Prof. G. Gold 
VIEMS, Moscow, Russia

 

 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCE SPHERE THROUGH THE PRISM OF SOCIAL CHALLENGES OF TIME.

GEOETHICAL APROACH

 

 

Generalisation of the results of our long-lasting investigations and development in the sphere of geosciences and their applications first of all should conclude:

 

1. Methodological foundations of the development of social and geoethical problems in the mineral resources complex of Russia. It involves the following questions: problems of realising a system approach to the development of resource strategies; mineral raw resources and resource policy of Russia, social view on the problem. Efficiency criteria for developing resources systems (geoethical approach).

 

2. The problems of analysing the provision of the country with mineral raw material resources,  including  the analysis of the structure of mineral resources (MR), of their social availability, etc.

 

3. Social-economical mechanisms for rationalising MR use, the processes of  optimising development of mineral resources sectors; the problems of rationalisating external  economic relations, social problems in the geo-society, social problems of the population in the country, etc.

 

4. Applied sociological investigations, including  the examples of such investigations in large geological regions.

 

5. Large scale resource expert examinations, involving the problems of the expert examination of large resources projects; analysis of social aspects of expert examinations of vital resource systems (for example - energetic systems); the technology of examinations of large resources systems.

6. Triad „Culture, Morals, Economics“ involving the development of such important problems as: ecology of human beings; social aspects of education, development of social sciences, geoethics, etc.

 

7. Choice and substantiation of alternative resources, involving the strategy of choosing the most favorable alternatives: the problems of the Present; scenarios for the Future. Such an approach creates the paradigm of national and global scale. As a whole, there is a number of principally new milestones  in these investigations that gives essentially new results due to the complex of social criteria, the mineral demands for 50-70 years as a minimum forecast period for the mineral resource systems, etc. We propose a holistic use of some principles, such as adequacy, social availability of MR,  special approaches to analysing peculiarities of the country, verification of forecasts, etc.

 

8. It is impossible to solve economical problems on the base of special economical criteria.

 

9. The programs for developing strategic resources should have a strategic character, unconditionally. They should ground on strategic thinking and the actions on this base.

10. Criteria of the development of the mineral resources sector of the national economy, at any case, should reflect its social aims and destiny so to maintenance entirely inner mineral resource requirements of the Russian Federation with accessible prices for its economy and population without any time limitation. Such a formulation of the problem is, in essence, geoethical.

 

At the proposed scheme for developing resources conception the following main components are included:

-         problems of economic development of the country;

-         socio-cultural and ethno-demographic analyses;

-         history of the country and its economy;

-         socio-economic and political realities;

-         future tendences, etc. (12 components in total).

We need to underline that all main ideas and suggestions under consideration have been realised or at least testified.

 

However now a complex of new and very acute problems arises; it is connected with prospecting, mining, treatment and utilization of mineral production and with many principally new tendences and views. The main among these problems consist in estimating the further development of the mining sector and in the strategic analysis and forecast of developing large mineral resources systems.

Every of the mentioned problems can be solved only if based on system, multi-branch and multi-disciplinary foundation. The main approach has to be anchored on geoethical principles.

Moreover, in the first section of any important material: state reports, overlong prognosis etc., special attention should be paid to the explanation and substantiation tasks and problems; full and distinct formulation of principles, limitations, models, instrumental etc. tools,  etc.

 

 

 

Proceeding from essence of strategic problems, it is necessary to note the following:

а) created programs of developing strategic resources should be strategic, based on theoretical, methodological and practical principles and should be responsible for not only immediate but also for long term economical, social and political consequences. The authors of such programs should be personally responsible for their recommendations in various scenarios of future situations. The technology of forming proper groups of program - makers should be discussed at the proper time;

b) a serious transition to the socialisation of the resources projects is absolutely necessary;

c) growing social challenges of time also urgently demand a deep analysis of civilisation challenges. For such a situation an essential over-estimation of many approaches and ways for their realization and new gnoseological mechanisms will be needed.

 

Certainly the transition to practical realization of the problems under discussion would need very serious scienfitic investigations in technology of development, estimation and realization of the complex of offered recommendations through their examinations at the active, energetically saturated discussions.