MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Development of the Arctic, and specifically extraction of minerals, will boost the Arctic economy’s input in the national GDP from 5.5 to 14%, Academician Sergei Aldoshin told an international forum on materials and nanomaterials.

"The estimations are that within a few years, the input in the Russian GDP from the Arctic economy will grow from about 5.5 to 14%. <…> Though the Arctic’s share in population is slightly over 2%, the region’s role is very high," he said. "For example, most metals the economy needs - nickel, cobalt, copper, minerals, the platinum group - they all are produced in the Arctic."

According to the expert, the Russian Academy of Sciences has two councils looking into the Arctic’s problems - one of them in on the Arctic’s development and the other is on materials and nanomaterials. Besides, the Academy has a program of scientific research in the Arctic, which covers different aspects - the environment, social and economic, political problems, oil and gas and mineral resources, as well as deep production and deep processing of hydrocarbons.

"Though the program’s funding was limited, scientists have done great work, at least they have a clear idea about what we know about the Arctic and what not," the academician said. "The Academy’s opinion is to have two programs - one would be purely fundamental, it could address general aspects of the Arctic’s development, and the other would be applied, as the task is to adapt existing technologies and materials to the harsh Arctic conditions and also to make new materials and technologies for the Arctic.".