THE GEOGRAPHICAL SUBSTANTIATION

The paper considers the concept of sustainable development of Russian regions according to documentation of UN. It is emphasized that the core reason of social, economic and ecological instability is the military and economic competition. Till now this contradiction exists, and the well-being of states is interrupted by crises. The development can be considered as sustainable when crises can be eliminated. The critical situation in Russia, possible ways out, and corresponding tasks of the "geography of sustainable development" are clarified. The content of the atlas is suggested reflecting the problems and showing the ways of their solution. PROBLEM OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The modern understanding of mankind sustainable development appeared in WCED report “Our common future ” (1987) and documents of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (Program..., 1993). It was noted in these documents, that current economic and demographic processes in the world are accompanied by deeping of poverty, unequality between the countries, degradation of natural environment, and other negative phenomena, fraught with danger of destruction of life on the Earth (Our..., 1987, p. 13). These processes should be changed so that to make development sustainable- to ensure that it satisfies needs of the present people generation without exposing to risk the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs. “Sustainable development is the way of struggle against poverty and environment degradation (Program..., 1993, pp.V-IX a.o.). To achieve the development sustainability, it was recommended to the rich part of mankind to reconsider its exessive pretensions and prodigal life style, to the poor one- to put the population growth into ecologically permissible limits (Program..., 1993, pp.6-9). It was supposed, that shortcomings of development policy and practice of all countries ca