The road to decarbonization. How Russia Can Achieve Stellar Neutrality | Russia and Russians: A View from Europe | DW
The 26th UN conference on climate change continues in Glasgow, Scotland. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended it only online, which earned him a reproach from his American counterpart Joe Biden. The owner of the White House accused Moscow that, in his opinion, it is not actively fighting climate change.
Meanwhile, the Russian government approved Socio-economic development strategy with low greenhouse gas emissions. Its goal is to achieve stellar neutrality by 2060. Experts, in turn, draw attention to the fact that one government subsidizes the oil and gas industry, and the other – the development of “green” technologies. Nevertheless, the country has every chance to fulfill its promise.
Subsidies to oil and gas to the detriment of renewable energy
“The disappointment stems from the fact that Russia and China did not actually appear with any commitments to combat climate change,” US President Biden told reporters following a two-day climate summit in Glasgow. Prior to that, some environmental organizations and even UN Secretary General António Guterres wrote skeptically about the G20 member countries about their efforts to combat climate change. “I am leaving Rome with unjustified hopes. But at least they are not completely buried,” Guterres wrote on Twitter.
Greenpeace Vladimir Chuprov. All countries are approximately equally slow. to say that they have embarked on the path of growth no more than on the planet. Ed…) 1.5 degrees “.
Russian “green” hydrogen can be supplied to the world market
On the one hand, successful projects in a “carbon-free future” appear in the country. Chuprov cited as an example the Penzhinskaya tidal station in the Sea of Okhotsk, the project of which is currently under development. In theory, it needs about 6 tons of “green hydrogen” per year to supply the Japanese, Korean and Chinese markets.
“There is a subsidization (of renewable energy. – Ed…), the industry will receive 1.5-2 trillion rubles by 2035, Chuprov notes. “But this is much less than what the oil and gas industry gets.”
Nuclear power plants – not an option?
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Russia is proposing other nuclear power plants. Experts say that nuclear energy cannot be assessed unambiguously. “On the one hand, this is pure energy, it is close to the internal point of view, it seems dangerous,” notes Alexander Lebedev, senior lecturer at the Higher School of Business at the Higher School of Economics.
In his opinion, Russia will invest more in relevant technologies if politicians agree that nuclear energy can be “clean”. If such a consensus cannot be reached, the investments are likely to remain at the same level, but they will definitely not be reduced to zero, Lebedev said.
Vladimir Chuprov from Greenpeace objects in absentia. It includes transport, heating of the heating economy. “According to Chuprov, the existing ones will be replaced, and not create additional capacities. As a result, this will not be enough for sufficient heat production.
Is Russia showing a realistic approach?
The emphasis on absorbing the capacity of forests looks convincing in Russia’s low-carbon development strategy, says Alexei Kokorin, director of the Climate and Energy Program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Russia). He emphasizes that this capacity of forests can be increased by 2-2.5 times: “Scientists and experts believe that these are simple technical measures, it’s just costly. (Greenhouse gases. – Ed…) forests “.
Russia to achieve space neutrality by 2060
Kokorin calls Russia’s plans to change neutrality by 2060 realistic. “All developed countries and countries of Appendix No. 1 are planning to reach the space neutral point by 2050,” the expert recalled. “It is very good that Russia did not try to pass off wishful thinking.” Kokorin cites India (carbon neutrality by 2070) and Vietnam (by 2050) as countries that will probably not cope with their declared goals of decarbonizing the economy.
Kokorin’s colleague at Greenpeace, Vladimir Chuprov, suggests that Russia’s current hesitation in developing low-carbon technologies over a decade could cause turbulence. The electrification of transport, the introduction of energy-saving technologies and alternative ways to insulate houses in consumer countries, Russian fuel consumption can be achieved by 2030, Chuprov warned.
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