Nizhny Tagil is one of the Ural region’s leading industrial centres, with over six hundred factories operating within the city. Smokestacks belching harmful chemicals into the atmosphere crowd the urban skyline, giving rise to Nizhny’s local nickname: ‘City of the colourful sky.’ ^[1] Nizhny Tagil Metallurgical Plant is the city’s largest polluter, accounting for roughly 60% of local air pollution. During the Soviet period, the plant poured 660 thousand tonnes of harmful fumes into the air annually.^[2] By 2020, modernisation had substantially reduced emissions to 60,000 tonnes per year. Nevertheless, the figure represents more than 100kg of dust per person. ^[3] Tellingly, in that same year, Nizhny Tagil came second in an official list of 12 Russian cities with the worst air pollution.^[4]

[1] Katsis A. and Louka M. (2015) ‘Pollution, Prisons, Sickness, and Raves: Inside Russia’s “City of the Colorful Sky,”’ VICE, 22 April.
Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/yw4aj7/pollution-prisons-sickness-and-raves-inside-russias-city-of-the-colorful-sky
Accessed: 18 March 2021.

[2]Terletsky, V. (2010) ‘Money in the air and “foxtails” of Evraz Group,’ 22 September.
Available at: https://www.rusbiznews.com/news/n880.html
Accessed: 18 March 2021.

[3] NEWIZV.RU (2020) ‘Orange sky and black lungs: why the clean air in Russia is only in projects,’ 11 November.
Available at: https://en.newizv.ru/news/society/11-11-2020/orange-sky-and-black-lungs-why-clean-air-in-russia-is-only-in-projects
Accessed: 28 April 2021.

[4] Interfax (2021) ‘Chelyabinsk ranked first among Russian cities with highest pollution levels,’ Interfax, 29 January.
Available at: https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/70945/
Accessed: 18 March 2021.