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RUSSIA
Climate Change Policy
Whitney Jones
Background
From CIA World Fact Book
► Russia
is the world’s largest nation in terms of land
area.
► Due to the cold and arid climate much of the land
is unfavorable for living or farming and out of the
way of common trade paths.
► Russia has been an independent since the
dispersal of the USSR in 1991 and is currently
struggling to work past the effects left from years
of communist rule towards a democratic political
system (with judicial, executive and legislative
branches using checks and balances) and a
market economy.
Background
From CIA World Fact Book
17,075,200 square miles (about 1.8 times the size
of the USA)
► Has a population of 143,782,338 people as of
2004
►
► Population
► 2003
growth rate of -.45%
GDP of $1.282 trillion and $8,900 per capita
GDP, 6.5% growth rate since 1998:
► 5%
agriculture
► 35% industry (mining of coal, oil, gas and metals, equipment
production, and chemical production)
► 60% services
► Exports have grown since economic crisis of 1998, 80% are
composed of oil, natural gas, timber, and metals.
Background Continued…
► Oil
Consumption (2001) = 2.595 million
bbl/day
►Oil
production (2001) = 7.286 million bbl/day
►Yields 2.4 billion tons of CO2 1990
► Electricity
kWh/yr
Consumption (2001)= 773 billion
►Electricity
► 17.4%
production (2003) = 915 kWh/yr
of world CO2 emissions
Emissions
► Between
► CO2
1990 and 1994:
down 30%
► CH4 down 26%
► N2O down 43%
► Energy production causes 98% of CO2 Emissions
► Of CO2 emissions 45% are from Natural gas, 31%
from coal, and 24% from oil
► There has been a drop was a drop in economic
activity after 1990
► Due to large forest coverage, relies heavily on
sinks (up to one quarter of emissions)
Climate Change and Government
►
►
1998 the State Committee for the Protection of Nature
1992 Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural
Resources
► Agencies
►
in each of the 89 sub-national jurisdictions
1994 Interagency Commission of the Russian Federation on
Climate Change (ICC)
► Releases National Communications
► Composed of representatives from economic
government agencies
► Is currently rather weak
►
►
and environmental
Monitoring done by Ministry of Environmental Protection
and Hydromet (the Federal Service on Hydrometeorology
and Environmental Monitoring)
Duma has little influence in environmental affairs
National Communications
► Available
only in Russian
► National Communication 1(1997):
► Research
programs to meet needs of climate change
► Change energy structure towards renewable sources
► Criticized by UNFCCC for lack of urgency
► National
Communication2 (1998):
► Similar
vague strategies with low funding
► Similar criticism
► Russia claimed to be an Economy in Transition
► National
Communication 3 (2002):
► Updated
information on emissions and sinks
PROBLEMS
► Government
lacks strong central policy making
body
► NGOs are weak
► Policies are not connected to the majority of
people
► Industry is favored (especially energy production
industry)
► Large economic benefits from Oil exports,
pressure to comply with competitor OPEC’s views
on climate policy
Policies
►
►
1993 “Energy Strategies of Russia” highlighted reducing
CO2 emissions in all economic sectors
1996 Russian government adopted “Federal Climate
Program on Prevention of Dangerous Climate Change and
Their Negative Consequences”
► Establishes
monitoring systems of emissions of GHG, adaptation
measures, and regulation measures.
►
1997-2000 only $40million were allocated to climate
change program
► $28
million in the federal budget
► Budget does not allow for much influence in IPCC
► Policies ride on the notion that there will be some sort of technology
developed to help solve the problem of GHG emissions
International Co-operation
► Holds
a generally skeptical point of view, however
much of Russia is at significant risk
► Signed the UNFCCC in 1992 listed as a nation in
transition
► Berlin 1995- was not progressive, asked for
assistance thru JI, thought regulation was more
effective than voluntary co-operation of industry
► Geneva 1996- maintains skeptical point of view,
can’t come up with solid national plan for
reductions
Continued…
►
Kyoto 1997- maintained skeptical position however took a
slightly more active role
► Favored
emissions trading (which was a topic of dispute), played a role
in the Umbrella Group.
► Favored the “three-gas basket” (CO2, N2O, CH4)
► Wanted highly flexible regulations for nations in transitions
►
►
►
Bonn 1998- Joined with “umbrella group” to outline
emissions trading and fought to ignore the hot-air problem
Through 2003 Russia was very hesitant to support Kyoto
Protocol because of the impacts it could cause on
economic growth
Russia (Putin) signs Kyoto Protocol Nov. 2004 in return for
EU’s support of Russia joining the WTO
Future
► Due
much to the economic break down after the
collapse of the USSR it is estimated that 20082012 emissions will be lower than the 1990 levels
(this depends on the level of growth)
► Russia has the potential to be a major supplier in
ET
► Will
require rigid national monitoring policies, establishment of a
national registry, and reports to be made using international
reporting standards by 2007
► Stands
to gain a lot though JI and CDM
Sources
► Cia
World Fact Book
► Arild, Tangen. The Kyoto Mechanisms and
Russian Climate Politics
► www. Russiansaboard.com
► www. Enviroleteracy.org
► www.oecd.org