Russia Has No Plans To Cap Carbon Emissions

April 28, 2008

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Russia says it has no plans to cap carbon emissions under a new climate regime, currently being negotiated to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, Reuters reports.

Under Kyoto, Russia is considered an industrialized country. But the implosion of the Soviet Union left Russia’s economy a little worse for wear, and emitting a lot fewer greenhouse gases than Kyoto holds it accountable for.

But Russia doesn’t have any obligation to curb emissions and doesn’t want any obligation in the future.

When asked if the country would resist capping the use of fossil fuels under a new climate deal after 2012, Vsevolod Gavrilov, the official in charge of Russia’s Kyoto obligations, said: “In the foreseeable future, this will not be our model, no.”

Gavrilov pointed out that the U.S. had also declined to impose emissions caps.

“Energy must not be a barrier to our comfort. Our emerging middle class… demands lots of energy and it is our job to ensure comfortable supply,” he said.

Gavrilov said Russia welcomes investment from other industrialized countries to help it clean up its energy and industry, saying in this way it could prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide.

A report found that rapid economic growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China means that by 2030 the annual emissions of these four countries together will exceed those of the 30 OECD countries combined.

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Reader Comments

It’s just this sort of thing that makes me froth at the mouth. While the US is constantly under pressure by the rest of the world, as well as the rabid environentalists in this country, countries like Russia and China and India are given a free pass. Well, guess what folks? Our economy could use some help as well. Does that mean that our regulatory requirements are going to loosen up? Heck no. I am completely against signing the Kyoto Protocol as long as this double standard exists. It’s absolute hogwash.

Glennis | April 29th, 2008

Leadership is needed from all nations. The US economy needs to go on a debt, and defense diet. If we implemented efforts to rework infrastructure with the tax pool instead of the war on terror it would stimulate the economy and provide for future generations.

Ben | April 29th, 2008

Looking at historical carbon, which got us to where we are today, the U.S. is responsible for 30%. Including other industrialized economies in the EU and Japan, the total is around 60%. If I were a growing economy in China or India, I would not feel obligated to make cuts similar to those in the U.S. and other industrialized economies. The U.S. led the way with high emissions, now we should lead the way towards lower emissions. Other economies will follow.

Kent Ragen | May 1st, 2008