The relevance of the research is due to the necessity of improving Russia's environmental and economic policy at the present stage and ensuring sustainable environmental and economic development of the Russian economy. One of the main strategic priorities of the latter is the development of alternative energy, which will contribute to higher energy and environmental efficiency as well as to easing the load on the environment. It will also involve optimization of the structure of the country's balance of energy owing to reducing its dependence on the export of organic fuels and to ensuring innovation development of the energy industry for the long term. With regard to this, the paper is aimed at finding the most efficient way for solving the said problem; as one, it is shaping the interregional cluster of alternative energy that is suggested by the authors. The leading approach to studying this problem is the systemic approach enabling an integrated view of the diverse elements (alternative energy, cluster approach, interregional interaction) that used to be considered individually. In the paper, the necessity of developing alternative energy is justified as one of the focus areas for ensuring Russia's sustainable environmental and economic development which requires the relevant material, labor and financial resources, technologies and equipment. In order to generate these, it is suggested to form the interregional cluster of alternative energy based on one of the four presented interregional interaction models, namely, the multilateral cross-sectoral model which is going to incorporate mutually associated sectors of the economy (producer sectors, supplier sectors, and consumer sectors) located in several regions and aimed at solving the shared problems. The materials of the paper are of practical value for the state and municipal authorities of Russia in terms of improving the policy implemented by them within sustainable development. Moreover, the results of the paper can be taken into account in forming an entire range of regulatory instruments and social and economic development programs for Russia in general and its regions in particular.

Reduction of the negative impact on the environment, improvement of the energy efficiency, optimization in the structure of the global energy balance and ensuring innovative energy development are important tasks in achieving sustainable development. The aim of this article is to justify the need for the development and feasibility of switching to renewable energy sources (RES) in order to solve the abovementioned issues. In this regard, it is necessary to study the prerequisites for intensifying the process of transition from traditional energy sources made up of renewable ones, analyze their current state and prospects for further development. In addition, it is necessary to identify the necessary measures to stimulate the transition from traditional energy sources to RES. Eventually, the expected results of transition to RES are identified and allow proving the economic, social and environmental efficiency of their use.

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The paper representing the author’s study of the role of Russian oil and gas companies in combating climate change considers the issue of ensuring sustainable development, which is currently becoming more and more relevant. Using the analysis and synthesis techniques and the analytical and statistical study results, the authors have concluded that the climate change issue is a huge threat to humanity and requires an immediate solution. Oil and gas companies being one of the largest environmental pollution sources should first and foremost take appropriate measures to combat climate change. A systematic approach as the main one has been chosen to study this issue, due to which such diverse elements as sustainable development, the state, and oil and gas companies that have previously been studied separately are considered from a holistic perspective. The paper has proven that the largest Russian oil and gas companies such as Gazprom PJSC, LUKOIL PJSC, and Rosneft OC PJSC recognize the importance of actions to combat climate change and not only include sustainable development goals in their policies and strategies but also implement specific responses to climate change, thereby making a significant contribution to achieving the goal of combating climate change. The paper materials are of practical value for state authorities in terms of improving policies implemented in the field of sustainable development and drawing up regulatory documents and programs. Also, the research results may be considered by oil and gas other industry companies that have not yet passed to more sustainable business development models.