WITWTW8 — Russia

For this weeks entry we take a look at Russia and their role in global climate change. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/04/is-russia-finally-waking-up-to-climate-change-a69517 March 9, 2020

While this article is from last year I find it to be very relevant as it pertains to one of the major global contributors to carbon emissions and what their future looks like in relation to fossil fuel production and use. For far too long the Russian government has been one of the biggest climate deniers. This is likely due to the majority of their economy relies on fossil fuels. Only until this past year has the Russian government admitted that climate change is a major issue that warrants our attention. The past year (2019–2020), was the hottest on record in Russia, melting permafrost, causing flash floods, and releasing massive amounts of methane. These very serious affects caused Russia to finally ratify the Paris agreement October 2019. While Russia has come aboard in admitting climate change is a real threat, most of the world still sees Russia doing little to make real strides towards change. As stated previously, Russia’s economy heavily relies on the exporting of fossil fuels, as well as the burning of fossil fuels to create electricity for its people which makes up 79% of their total greenhouse gas emissions. Russia’s GHG emissions make up 5% of the global total. Another concerning aspect of Russia’s GHG emissions is its recent uptick in coal production, increasing 30% in the in the last 10 years. Russia has put out a “plan” to address climate change, but critics have serious doubts as to how it is being implemented. The plan initially introduced a quota on GHG emission, but within the first year it loosened its restrictions to a 5 year audit of company emissions.

I found this article to be incredibly telling as to where Russia, and much of the world lies on their stance against global climate change. While things like the Paris agreement are a start in the right direction, they can easily be set aside or put on pause. Throughout all I have learned this semester it is very clear to me that the global population needs to be on the same page in our fight against climate change. While the task is incredibly daunting, the major industrial powers of the world need to be setting the example and creating the standard on ways we can better take care of our planet.