Climate Actions

There is a vast surplus of units in Kyoto's cap-and-trade system. Russia and Ukraine spoke in favor of the carry-over of AAUs to the second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol (KP2) and beyond. If no solution for the carry-over of this surplus from commitment period to commitment period is found, countries that have put forward a target for KP2 may be under no pressure to deviate from business-as-usual emissions.

Limiting the volume of Russian Joint Implementation (JI) projects is not reasonable, and profit losses are clearly foreseen, if Russia does not join the second period of the Kyoto Protocol. This is the conclusion by experts from Climate Change Global Services in the report on implementation of "Kyoto projects" in Russia.

The first three days of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha (COP18) have not resulted in any significant decisions so far, as predicted. Russia is practically not ready to take part in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. This will result both in lost opportunities for joint implementation projects and a reduced input of the country to climate mitigation. KP is losing participants, but gaining new ones –Australia announced the willing to join.

EU economic downturn has created an oversupply on the carbon market. Therefore, the European Commission restricts "free" reductions to maintain the market. According to experts, the demand for Russian potential emission reductions can be preserved only if Russia takes meaningful goals to reduce the impact on the climate and makes the carbon market regulations transparent. This is one of the main expectation form Russia at the COP-18 in Doha, Quatar.

Global leaders explain their inability to respond to the problem of global warming by economic interests. These excuses have no grounds: scientists concluded that the slowdown of the global economy due to climate change and dependence on fossil fuels has already caused losses of 1.6% of the global GDP, or $ 1.2 trillion a year. The deficit of real action can double this number by 2030 At the start of International UN Climate Conference in Doha (Qatar), politicians are expected to take real action.

Conference participants consider it important to note that the constitutional right of Russian citizens for healthy environment is the basis of legal and regulatory state actions for environmental protection, and environmental security is an integral part of national security as stipulated by the Federal Law "On Environmental Protection".

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) note the importance of the documents on climate change adopted by Russia, including the Climate Doctrine of the Russian Federation and the Comprehensive Plan for Implementation of the Climate Doctrine of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020, as well as governmental decisions to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy intensity of the Russian economy.

A few days ago the Russian Foreign Ministry has once again confirmed that, from next year, Russia is not going to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol, but Russia stands for the transfer of quotas. The global amount of unused quotas for CO2 emissions could reach 17 billion tons by 2020. Experts believe that this enormous amount threatens the viability of any future climate agreement.

By data of recent researches, introduction of a tax on carbon dioxide emissions will give a USD 1.5 trl. increase to American budget and will become an instrument for the “therapy” of financial deficit. If Russia does not adopt a system of control on greenhouse gas emissions, it will make itself vulnerable against international carbon taxes after it declined to participate in the second stage of the Kyoto Protocol, - experts believe.

Active participation of the RF delegation in the discussion on the future of the second stage of the Kyoto Protocol at the UN session of climate negotiations, which has just ended in Bangkok, gave a hope that the country is intending to join the climatic agreement. However, Presidential Advisor on climate issues Alexander Bedritsky resolutely refuted any gossips on Russia’s possible participation in KP-2 and stated that “as long as the decision was made by the President, this issue should be resolved at the same presidential level…”