Russia has ratified the Paris climate agreement, marking a shift in rhetoric for the world`s fourth-largest greenhouse gas polluter, although its promised targets are so low that it can still increase emissions. Although the government has not been officially called “ratification,” it said in a statement that the decree meant the adoption of the agreement by Russia and “Russia`s approval of the obligations arising from the Paris agreement.” A government source told AFP that the document was “the final step in the process of Russia`s adoption of the Paris Agreement.” The agreement, signed by 196 countries, aims to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing CO2 emissions and limiting global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius. On Monday, the Russian prime minister formally backed the Paris climate agreement and ordered that Russian laws be adapted to his obligations, according to a decree published on the government`s website. On 19 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country`s government had taken the decision to accede to the agreement and had made very serious commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 75% of 1990 levels over the next few years and to reach 70% by 2030. These serious commitments require a substantial reconstruction of the entire Russian economy. The document signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev states that Russia formally adopts the 2015 Paris Agreement and that it “now has the financial means… Developing countries for prevention and adaptation to climate change. The Russian government will introduce legislation by September to ratify the Paris climate agreement, but President Vladimir Putin has warned of the dangers of “absolutist” renewable energy. This is reported by climate Home News, EURACTIV`s media partner. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ratified Russia`s participation in the treaty after signing a law “to accept the Paris Agreement of 12 December 2015, signed on behalf of the Russian Federation in New York on 22 April 2016,” according to the statement published on the government`s website. But this is nothing more than a sleight of hand, as Russian industry is still operating much more slowly today than it was before the collapse of the Soviet command economy. In 2017, Russia`s emissions were 32% lower than in 1990.
This will effectively allow it to pollute more while meeting the current goals of the Paris Agreement. In January, Russia`s trade union of industrialists and business leaders scaled back its opposition to the climate agreement, fearing sanctions against Russian companies. As part of the Paris Agreement, which allowed countries to set their own targets, Russia pledged to reduce emissions by 25-30% from 1990 levels by 2030. The Paris Agreement is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed in 2015, which deals with the reduction, adaptation and financing of greenhouse gas emissions. Russia`s ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2019 was followed in early 2020 by the publication of its draft long-term climate strategy. This strategy includes emissions forecasts for 2050 that, even in the most ambitious scenario, predict a level of greenhouse gas emissions at about the current level. It is more than likely that Russia will achieve both its current goal of the Paris Agreement and its proposed new 2030 target under current policy. In a budget discussion with Putin on Monday, Medvedev said funding for environmental programs would increase, but did not mention the Paris agreement. At the end of 2018, the installed electricity generation capacity for renewable energy was about 54 GW, or 20% of the country`s total electricity generation capacity, with hydropower accounting for by far the largest share of installed renewable energy capacity (52 GW).