Kommersant: "Vladimir Putin admits climate change"
A year and a half after the signing of the climate doctrine up to 2020, the government has published an action plan on its implementation. Although it is not backed by money or other resources, environmental experts see it as evidence that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin believes in the climate's anthropogenic change.
The government endorsed the comprehensive plan for implementing the climate doctrine up to 2020 through its resolution dated April 25.
Almost a year and a half have passed since the doctrine was adopted in December 2009. According to climate-and-energy programmes head at World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) – Russia Alexei Kokorin, it took the government one year to draft a plan consisting of 31 items and another six months to endorse it.
"But even this version of the plan encountered much resistance," Yevgeny Schwartz, the director of WWF's environmental policy, said. "The government was trying to decide whether it corresponds to its current industrial policy."
Under the plan, from 2011 to 2020, the Economy Ministry will introduce changes into long-term macroeconomic forecasts with due account of climatic risks, and the alleviation of anthropogenic impacts on climate and adaptation to climate change.
The Natural Resources Ministry, which is charge of implementing the plan, must prepare in 2011 guidelines for drafting branch methods for appraising the consequences of climate change to elaborate branch, departmental, regional and territorial adaptation schemes.
In addition to a package of preventive measures, the Healthcare Ministry must do the same as regards the spread of contagious and parasitical diseases. Rosleskhoz (Federal Forestry Agency) must do the same regarding forests and peat-bogs.
Meanwhile, the Regional Development Ministry must do the same regarding infrastructure due to the northward shift of the age-old permafrost zone's southern frontier, and the Agriculture Ministry must do the same regarding the harvest yield. Finally, Rosgidromet (Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring) must do the same for precipitation and the level of the world's oceans.
These "immediate measures" must be extended to 2011-2020. They must be taken in the transport industry to ensure the growth of hybrid cars and alternative gas and hydrogen fuels. They must also cover energy effectiveness and be equivalent to the 2010 relevant law, and also address model designs for energy passive buildings in 2012.
The plan provides for the elaboration and introduction of economic instruments for limiting hothouse emissions in industry. Most probably, this applies to the organisation of domestic trade in hothouse emission quotas.
The Economy Ministry will be responsible for this task.
The hothouse carbon dioxide emission market is a universal and relatively simple way of capitalising on energy effectiveness and energy saving and encouraging renewable energy sources.
International experience shows that the ratio of gains and expenses in reducing emissions through the market is almost 40 to one.
Anton Galenovich from Ecocom Climate Protection said that practice shows that other ways of limiting carbon monoxide emissions are ineffective. The Transport Ministry was instructed to draft measures on limiting carbon dioxide in civil aviation up to 2015 and on ships up to 2020. However, both industries will soon start buying European emission permits. Incidentally, the government's resolution does not envisage the funding and personnel support of the plan, but environmental experts and business people are glad that it has emerged.
"The fact that it has Putin's signature allows people who want to do something in the regions to do this without obstacles," Kokorin said. "I received many complaints to the effect that the president signed the climate doctrine but the prime minister does not believe in it. This is why directors banned climate lessons, for one. This document will be the main response to sceptics."
Alexei Shapovalov
