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In recent decades, economic growth in developing economies and the growth of the middle class lead to a surge in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Within the framework of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals established in 2015, the solution to poverty and inequality thus comes into conflict with climate change mitigation. The existing international system of climate regulation does not address this contradiction. Today, global climate governance relies on estimates of aggregate emissions by countries without considering their level of development and the distribution of emissions among income groups within each country. Emissions from production are being monitored, while consumption-related emissions, albeit known to experts, rarely underlie decision-making. Meanwhile, income distribution has a higher impact on consumption-based emissions in comparison to production-based ones. Decisions on emissions regulation are made at the national level by countries with different development agendas in which climate change mitigation often gets less priority in comparison to other socio-economic objectives. This paper proposes a set of principles and specific mechanisms that can link climate change and inequality within a single policy framework. First, we highlight the need to modify the global emission monitoring system for the sake of accounting for emissions from consumption (rather than production) by income groups. Second, we suggest the introduction of a new redistribution system to address climate change which would include the imposition of a "fine" on households with the highest levels of emissions. Such a system follows the principles of progressive taxation but supports climate mitigation objectives and should be understood not as taxation of high incomes but rather as payment for a negative externality. Third, we outline the need to adjust climate finance criteria; priority should be given to projects designed to reduce carbon-intensive consumption by social groups entering the middle class, or to help the poorest population groups adapt to climate change. A special role in the implementation of these principles may belong to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which may view this as an opportunity for a proactive transition to inclusive, low-carbon development.

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of various aspects of the financial integration of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) at its present stage of development. Opportunities and prospects, risks, and limitations were analyzed from the point of view of Russia's national interests, taking into account the country's EAEU presidency in 2018. Financial integration should be deepened; it could have a powerful systemic effect and help accomplish several interrelated goals, such as giving a new impetus to Eurasian integration and overcoming the relative stagnation caused by the exhaustion of the natural integrational effects of the EAEU's "start-up stage." At the same time, the authors assume that (in the absolute majority of cases) EAEU countries have common interests in the financial aspect of integration. A successful Eurasian project could lead to the adoption of a multilateral approach with an emphasis on concerted actions, which would make financial integration beneficial to all members of the EAEU, individually and collectively alike. The article presents an in-depth analysis of the Eurasian Economic Commission's (EEC) regulatory documents and compares the EAEU's financial integration with that of other integration associations (such as the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). The analysis identifies the most promising areas of financial integration in the medium term, taking into account members' obligations. The list of priority measures to step up integrational cooperation aimed at creating a single financial market is presented at the supranational (for the EAEU) and national (for Russia) levels.

This article analyzes the political and philosophical views of the Russian philosopher and sociologist F.A. Stepun. The study briefly outlines his views on the nature of politics, as well as the basic principles of building it in the era of ideocracies and the triumph of ''secular utopias''. Stepun's article "Christianity and Politics'' (1933), where he proclaims the basic principles of his political doctrine, forms the basis for this study. Stepun argues that Western modernity, due to its abandonment of Christian cultural foundations, is at risk of "sacralization" of the political, turning politics into a tool for radical correction of human life on secular grounds. Stepun believes this view is dangerous, as it leads to an increase in violence and the emergence of radical utopian ideologies. Instead, Stepun proposes a return to the principles of "political realism". The study presents the point of view that Stepun's idea is an organic continuation and development of the main line of Russian political philosophy. Its main objective used to be the "conservative legitimization" of the Western project of modernity, designed to find the necessary philosophical tools for the rehabilitation of the Christian foundations of culture in the world of "modernity".

The article explores France's territorial disputes in Europe and beyond (in French overseas territories), as well as disputes settlement approaches adopted by Paris. The author outlines the historical background of the disputes and the motives of France to allocate significant funds in order to maintain high-cost overseas territories, some of them are disputed by regional countries. In Europe France relies on both bilateral mechanisms and EU instruments to settle disputes. The French territorial disagreements with other countries remain more acute overseas. Paris promotes a method of gradual settlement based on the idea that the joint development of disputed areas allows to mitigate contradictions and to create conditions for a long-term territorial settlement. The French overseas Department of Mayotte as a special territorial case is outlined. The Union of the Comoros claims are supported by the UN. The French rationale for retaining Mayotte as part of France despite the UN decision is based on the results of several referendums, when the island's residents voted for this idea.

Global inflation is one of the most significant challenges for the post-pandemic world economy. After several decades of low inflation and even elements of deflationary processes in developed countries, the danger of falling into a new period of great inflation had seemed insignificant. Dovish monetary policy during the 2009–19 period did not provoke a spike in inflation, and the slowdown of the economy during the lockdown period put the vigilance to rest. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-crisis measures it triggered, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and sanctions and anti-sanctions solidified inflationary processes around the world, both in developed and developing countries. In this article, we show the inertial nature of inflation in both the U.S. and the European Union (EU) and argue that there has been a transition to a high inflation regime, despite the decline in developed country inflation in the first quarter of 2023 mentioned in the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) January report. Getting out of this high inflation regime will require much more serious and time-consuming measures than those used to manage inflation in the low inflation regime.

The present paper is a contribution to the study of cancer metaphors in contemporary English. It focuses on the ways cancer is conceptualized in teen sick-lit, a relatively new genre of children's literature which presents stories of severe illnesses that afflict teenagers, cancer being the most important of them. The analysis is based on four novels that employ the first-person narrative mode. It rests upon the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, utilizing such specific research instruments as the Career of Metaphor Theory (B. Bowdle and D. Gentner) and the concept of metaphorical creativity (Z. Kövecses). The novelty of the research angle is that the paper takes a differentiated approach towards cancer metaphor analysis, first identifying thematic groups relevant to cancer experience and then tracing patterns of metaphor use within each group. The four groups presented in the study are metaphors of cancer itself, cancer patients, diagnostic procedures and treatments, and physical and emotional conditions of patients. It is proved that there are metaphors that demonstrate a strong inclination to reflect only one aspect of cancer experience. Thus, the actively promoted journey metaphor appears suitable only for conceptualizing procedures and treatments, while war metaphor proves versatile. Further on, the paper analyzes instances of the war metaphor use proving that far from being obsolete, it has a considerable conceptual and communicative potential and can be developed further.