Legal Regulation of Atmospheric Air Protection

General Provisions

The legal regulation of atmospheric air protection in the Russian Federation is aimed at creating a system of measures ensuring the protection of human health and the environment, as well as maintaining and improving the quality of air.

It includes actions by state authorities at all levels, local self-government bodies, legal and physical persons aimed at preventing and minimizing harmful effects on the atmosphere.

Harmful effects on atmospheric air manifest in two main forms: pollution and physical effects.

Pollution refers to the introduction into the air of chemical, biological or other substances at concentrations exceeding established state standards, which may negatively affect human health and the condition of the surrounding environment.

Harmful physical impact is expressed through the effect of noise, vibrations, ionizing radiation, temperature and other physical factors capable of changing air properties and causing damage to humans and nature.

Legislation</a> in this area provides for the establishment of permissible emission levels and air quality standards, regulation of permits for emissions of pollutants, monitoring of air conditions, accounting of pollution sources, and <a href="/enc/32073/">control</a> over compliance with requirements.

State supervision and <a href="/enc/4562/">production control</a> ensure the implementation of these norms, as well as prevent violations, ensuring systematic protection of the air environment.

In general, the legal regulation of atmospheric air protection combines normative regulation, control and consideration of the impact on the atmosphere, ensuring a comprehensive approach to protecting the natural environment and public health.

Protection of atmospheric air is a system of measures implemented by the state authorities of the Russian Federation, state authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation, local self-government bodies, legal and physical persons aimed at improving the quality of atmospheric air and preventing its harmful impact on health of a person and the environment (paragraph 15 of Article 1 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Atmospheric Air"). Thus, the objectives of atmospheric air protection are: 1) prevention of the harmful impact of atmospheric air on human health and the environment; as well as 2) improvement of quality of atmospheric air.

To the types of harmful effects on atmospheric air belong pollution of atmospheric air and harmful physical impact on atmospheric air. Pollution of atmospheric air is understood as the introduction into atmospheric air or formation within it of harmful (polluting) substances at concentrations exceeding the hygienic and ecological standards for atmospheric air quality established by the state (paragraph 4 of Article 1 of the Federal Law "On the Protection of Atmospheric Air"). Then, harmful physical impact on atmospheric air refers to harmful effects of noise, vibration, ionizing radiation, temperature and other physical factors that change the thermal, energy, wave, radiative and other physical properties of atmospheric air, on health of a person and the surrounding environment (paragraph 5 of Article 1 of the Federal Law "On Atmospheric Air Protection")