Top Asks for Russia
Russia is quite powerful politically in the UN, G8 and G20. The country has vast opportunities
for energy efficiency improvements as well as increased renewable energy production. Russia’s
focus under the UNFCCC is the adoption of a long-term global agreement with legally binding
commitments for all major emitters, especially China and the United States. Russia has clear
intension to remove “boundaries” between Annex I and non-Annex I countries because such
division in many cases is not correct in new global economic realities. Russia is growing climatic
donor for most vulnerable developing countries, but the country underline voluntary status of
donorship and own right to select countries-recipients and channels of support. In 2013 the
government adopted projection of the economic ministry on “peak and decline” of the Russian
GHG emission with a peak near 2020 and 5% decline by 2030 with level of 30% minus 1990.
Problem of Russian national GHG goals is in absence of clarity about inclusion/exclusion of the
LULUCF. The government is discussing the goal as 25% below 1990 level at 2020, what is quite
ambitious excluding LULUCF, but ridiculous including LULUCF.
#1 – Russia implements its domestic energy efficiency and renewable measures that will lead
to a stabilization of greenhouse gases at 25% below 1990 levels by 2020.
This stabilization should be achieved without LULUCF and without Assigned Amount Units
(AAUs) from the 2008 – 2012 1st Kyoto Commitment Period.
#2 – Russia should announce goals-2030 for sectors of national economy, keeping LULUCF as
sector, and plans for implementation to achieve level of 50% below 1990
This reduction should be achieved without Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) from the 2008 –
2012 1st Kyoto Commitment Period. Russia should announce it’s support to put in place a Zero
Carbon Action Plan (ZCAP) with the ultimate goal of full decarbonization of it’s energy by 2050.
#-3 – Russia should provide clear financial pledge for Green Climate Fund
Because of its economic history, Russia views its position of “Economy in Transition”, which has
only voluntary commitments on financial support for developing countries. However in modern
economic realities and as “energy exporting superpower” Russia has ability to support the
urgent needs of the most vulnerable countries.
#-4 – Russia should acknowledge that only fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement
based on clear equity principles is a tool to avoid disproportions in the UNFCCC system
Russia should avoid being regarded as blocking of multilateral decision-making process
irrespectively from potential long-term importance of a point leading to interruption of
negotiations.