Russian official position at the climate negotiations tends to extremes: either it cannot be heard or it is impossible to remain silent about it. Some experts call the Russian climate policy "window dressing." However, kingpins of the Russian climate say that the real policy is not in conversations, but in national programs. Here is the latest official information regarding the major climatic issues from A. Bedritskiy, the presidential advisor on climate.
The third part of the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that it is possible to avoid the catastrophic climate change consequences, but only if the immediate and long-term reduction of carbon pollution will be started by every country.
The Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation has started discussions of the "Energy Strategy of Russia until 2035." The last update of the document was made five years ago. The Climate Secretariat of the Social Ecological Union comments the paragraphs of the Energy Strategy, most important from the standpoint of public environmental organizations.
International conference of Climate Action Network of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia was held from 19 till 23 of February in Tbilisi. Climate Secretariat of Russian Socio-Ecological Union has participated in this event. Public stands for ambitious national CO2 reduction targets corresponding to global challenges to slow down the climate change. For Russia greenhouse gas emissions reduction should be a priority in the energy sectordevelopment.
ОNatural hazardous events were registered in more subjects of the Russian Federation in 2013 than previously. Experts say that the "nervosity" of the environment is growing. Representatives of environmental organizations and scientists are confident that prompt action on adaptation to climate change may reduce the impact of these trends.
Speaking at an economic forum in Davos, the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim called the coming year "the year of fight with climate change" and called on financial leaders to take responsibility for this fight.
Russia is the sixth world largest coal producing country and the third coal exporter after Indonesia and Australia. Experts note activation of the coal industry - one of the "climate- unfriendly" segments of the energy market. Representatives of environmental organizations believe that the coal industry must be radically diversified, and "green" energy shall be developed instead.
Russian Socio-Ecological Union endorsed the statement of environmental organizations addressed to the World Bank. The public calls to help the poor of the world, instead of promoting giant energy projects of international corporations under the guise of good intentions. Instead of financing large-scale hydropower and other megaprojects of energy corporations, it is necessary to invest in green energy and sustainable development of local communities!
Alexander Novak, the Russian Energy Minister, has doubts in feasibility of national plans for reduction of energy consumption. Representatives of Russian NGOs are convinced that the government shall not give up the original plans for energy efficiency - the energy saving potential is huge!