On December 6 in his official COP18 speech Mr. Bedritsky, Head of the Russian delegation, confirmed the country’s intention to commit to an “up to 25%” emissions reduction from the 1990 level by 2020. This may imply both constraining the emissions to 75% of the 1990 level by 2020 and rather unrestricted emissions growth. The carry-over of 6 billion tons of Russian AAUs to the period of time until 2020, the hot air, must not substitute actual implementation of renewable energy, say NGOs.
Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan plan quadrilateral meetings to develop a coordinated position on the second period of the Kyoto Protocol. The countries are unhappy with the amendment adopted at the last climate meeting of the parties in Doha not to exceed the emission level of 2008 – 2010 during 2013 -2020, on the average. Environmental NGOs call to stop considering climate agreement as a mechanism to benefit, to refuse from the “hot air” and to take stronger commitments to reduce emissions.
In the end of 2012, the President of Russia signed the Order "On the interagency working group of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation on issues related to climate change and sustainable development." Representatives of environmental organizations urged the country's leadership to create such an authority to address climate change already four years ago.
Since 2013, the Russian government increased the fee for emissions through flaring more than 5% of the associated gas volume. These are the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Russia refused to participate in the second period of the Kyoto Protocol and in the JI projects. Therefore, it needs incentive tools for gas utilization projects at the national level.
The international community is not going to put up with the falling prices for carbon credits. Representatives of different countries are prepared to act for establishing appropriate prices to stimulate development of the carbon units market and to support measures for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Russian business and the environmental community are interested in creation of the internal market for emissions trading in our country, not waiting for external sanctions.
The main justified expectation of the UN climate conference in Doha was the amendment to the Kyoto Protocol that extended its time period. Continuing to keep the intrigue, Russia did not quit the Protocol, but will participate without obligation. According to the presidential adviser Alexander Bedritsky, the value of this participation is in "the system of annual reporting on emissions" ...
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the Climate Forum in Doha that he will bring together world leaders in advance for negotiating the agreement of 2015, because he is afraid of a repetition of Copenhagen. What should be the climate process in the future and what place may Russia take in it?
Several analytical agencies included Russia in the list of countries consistently claiming for leadership in greenhouse gas emissions. According to representatives of environmental organisations, Russia risks becoming an outsider, if it remains the country of raw materials.
On Saturday, December 8, the Doha round of climate negotiations finally came to an end. COP18 approved Kyoto-2, but failed to provide any significant emissions cuts. Russia remains with a huge but useless amount of hot air.