Russia's Energy Security and Emissions Trends: Synergies and Contradictions

Abstract

The dramatic post-1990 restructuring of the Russian economic and political system led to a collapse of Russia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which, in 2007, were 34 per cent below 1990 levels. A further slump in total GHG emissions is thought to have followed the economic recession of 2008–2009 (see for instance Novikova et al., 2009). As Russia’s commitment under the Kyoto Protocol of limiting emissions to the 1990 level can be achieved without the introduction of targeted measures, very few mitigation policies have been introduced in Russia to date. Climate policy remains a marginal political concern, and there is a history of scepticism within domestic scientific, social and policy discourses (Rowe, 2009). There is also a widespread perception that Russia has already ‘sacrificed’ much to reduce its emissions since 1990 (Tynkkynen, 2010). These factors make it unlikely that Russia will implement any economically disruptive climate policies in the foreseeable future.