One of the main problems currently facing Scandinavia comes from the east. The northern territories of Russia's Kola Peninsula, which neighbour the northern territories of Norway, Sweden and Finland, are a nickel-producing region. These mines and processing plants are the sole source of livelihood for a large part of the population. The Russian waste, carried by the wind, is a serious threat to these areas. Russia produces an estimated 280,000 t of sulphur every year, which is five times more than the annual quantity of sulphur waste in Norwegian industry.
Damage is already visible in Norway.
The dumping of nuclear waste, solid waste, radioactive waste and reactor parts in the Barents Sea is common practice on the Russian side. Co-operation is currently under way between the authorities involved, aimed at introducing purification methods and at the same time modernizing plants. This work has already started, but the magnitude of the problem involves a lot of time and huge sums of money. Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands all depend on the North Atlantic for their livelihood. Its waters have a reputation for freshness and purity.