A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF MINING ANTHROPOGENIC DEPOSITS: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS FOCUSED ON NORTHERN REGIONS

The depletion of mineral reserves and the growing anthropogenic impact on the environment highlight the urgency of developing anthropogenic deposits (ADs). The significant mineral potential contained in ADs, together with the pressing need to reduce economic losses caused primarily by air and water pollution, makes waste utilization one of the most critical issues in resource use. Reclassifying mining wastes as ADs requires demonstrating the feasibility of such a transition. This study aims to trace the evolution of Russian methodologies for assessing the environmental and economic efficiency of mining ADs, to identify avenues for their improvement, and to determine the specific factors relevant to northern regions. The research draws on systems analysis, analogy, comparative methods, forecasting, and grouping, covering the period from the 1970s to the present. The novelty of this research lies in identifying key directions for improving the assessment of the environmental and economic efficiency of mining ADs and in determining the regional characteristics that must be considered under northern conditions. Analysis of numerous studies shows that improvements in the economic justification for converting wastes into ADs are concentrated around four issues: estimating economic damage from environmental impacts; substantiating evaluation criteria; incorporating the time factor; and accounting for investment risks. The study identifies several region-specific considerations for assessing AD development in the North. These include: (1) the fragility and low assimilative capacity of northern ecosystems in evaluating environmental impacts; (2) the consequences of AD development for indigenous peoples of the North and their traditional land-use practices in assessing social impacts; and (3) the effects of AD development on permafrost areas when analyzing natural and geographical factors. The practical significance of this work lies in identifying bottlenecks and opportunities that can inform the development of methodological guidelines for assessing the environmental and economic efficiency of AD development, an area that remains a scientific challenge and requires further research.