Putin Increases Russia’s Emission Targets Despite Climate Concerns

On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin issued a decree permitting Russia to raise its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 20% by the year 2035 in comparison to levels recorded in 2021.

As the fourth-largest carbon dioxide emitter globally, Russia’s objective is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. However, climate activists argue that the nation’s current ambitions are significantly inadequate for addressing the challenges posed by global warming.

According to the new decree, the government is mandated to reduce emissions to 65-67% of the levels seen in 1990 by 2035, taking into consideration the carbon absorption capacity of the country’s expansive forests.

This goal equates to around two billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is below the peak of 3.1 billion tons recorded in 1990 but approximately 22% higher than the 1.7 billion tons reported by Russia in 2021, as per United Nations data.

During previous climate conferences, Russia has resisted pressures to transition away from fossil fuels. Its economy continues to depend heavily on oil and gas exports, and it has often established emission reduction targets that advocates label as vague or lacking ambition.

Experts have also criticized the decision to use 1990 as the reference year, pointing out that Russia’s emissions significantly decreased in the 1990s due to the decline of industrial production after the Soviet Union’s collapse.

Russia is a participant in the Paris Agreement, which seeks to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The head of Russia’s state meteorological service has indicated that the country is warming at a rate 2.5 times that of the global average. UN climate experts have cautioned that there is a 50% chance the 1.5 C threshold could be exceeded in the early 2030s.