Russia modifies its discourse and promises changes in its environmental policy

Russia, one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the world, modifies its discourse to promise more changes in environmental policy, but the NGOs believe the official statements are insufficient and call for more concrete actions and commitments.

“Global warming is a challenge for the entire planet and a very serious threat to Russia, where it is already ending with destruction and damage to its inhabitants and the economy,” Vasili Yablokov, Greenpeace observer in the COP26 in Glasgow.

CHANGE OF SPEECH

Climate change has never made the headlines in this country, because until recently the authorities downplayed this phenomenon.

However, the official discourse has been modified as the effect of the change in temperature became more and more noticeable in the country.

And it is that Russia is heating up 2.5 times faster than the rest of the world, a process that has taken on especially alarming dimensions in the Arctic, where the permafrost, which occupies vast territories in this country, has begun to melt.

“This year Russia has changed a lot the way it deals with the climate issue,” said the Greenpeace activist, adding that despite the absence of Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, Moscow has sent a large delegation of more than 300 people to the event.

The Russian Government approved this week a new strategy to face climate change and ensures that it follows all the commitments acquired in the framework of international conventions.

By virtue of that document, Russia intends to “reduce its emissions by 2050 by 60% compared to 2019 levels and by 80% from 1990 levels.”

The country will allocate between 1.5% and 2% of its GDP to reach that goal during the years 2031-2050, announced the Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, when presenting the new strategy.

In addition, by 2060, the country, considered today as the fourth most polluting in the world, plans to achieve carbon neutrality.

“We must adapt the economy to the challenges we face and take advantage of them to make the technological changes that are required,” explains the Greenpeace expert.

FROM SAID TO FACT

Yaklokov believes that the targets set could be achieved even before 2060. “It can be done faster,” he insists.

In general, the Greenpeace representative asks the countries, which at the time supported the Paris Agreement, for more concrete actions to implement their commitments in order to save the planet.

At COP26 in Glasgow, he continues, the details of the Paris Agreement, as well as other issues and forms of cooperation between states, are discussed. “There are many beautiful words, but in reality it hardly changes anything,” he laments.

According to Yablokov, the impression is created that many countries are trying to put on “their good face” during the climate summit without having to change their policy.

“Everyone makes promises for the future or talks about what they did in the past,” he denounces and insists that the time to act is “now” as it will be too late later.

And is that, despite all the promises in the climate conferences, “emissions continue to increase and fossil fuel projects continue to develop,” he warns.

GAS AND OIL DEPENDENCE

In the case of Russia, dependence on fossil fuels does not allow the country much room for maneuver when it comes to diversifying its economy.

However, the authorities assure that the process to reduce the weight of oil and gas in the economy is already underway.

“70% of the budget is already formed without counting the oil and gas revenues,” said the Russian leader a few months ago, adding that Russia “is not a gas station” and if someone intends to present it as such, his words lack a real foundation.

However, the head of the Kremlin admitted that dependence on the income generated by the oil and gas industry is “still very high.”

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