POSITION of Russian Non-Governmental Organizations on Complying with the UNFCCC Paris Agreement
Position
of Russian Non-governmental Organizations
on Complying with the UN FCCC Paris Agreement
Moscow, December 9, 2017
The “Climate and Energy: Solutions for the Future” all-Russia Conference
Russian environmental organizations emphasize that all countries are unified in the acknowledgement of the climate change problem and ways for its solution outlined in the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015.
In the end of 2018, at the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), environmentally sound rules for acceptance of the Paris Agreement should be adopted.
Our requirements in regards of the international regulations are as follows:
- International projects should be “transparent” and stimulate using RESs and other advanced technologies but prohibit environmentally mismanaged solutions (NPSs, major dam HPSs, coal-based projects, exploitation of marine bunker fuel in the Arctic).
- Emission accounting should be complete, “transparent,” and sum up all physically present flows of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere or their adsorption by land ecosystems
- The entire work on the development and implementation of the Agreement regulations, including financial issues, should be unrestricted and open for public participation.
Be believe that global control over the solar radiation and other large-scale projects presuming direct human impact on the climate (geo-engineering) cannot be accepted as climate solutions.
In 2017, at the UN FCCC Conference of the Parties (СОР-23), numerous organizations, cities, provinces, and companies showed their successes in the high-technology low-carbon development. This was a constructive demonstration of the achievability of the Paris Agreement’s goal: to keep the temperature growth at the level below 2ºC by the end of the 21st century and strive for the 1.5º goal. Such initiatives should be supported at all levels.
The present national goals of countries on the greenhouse gas emissions for the period till 2030 do not follow the “2оC way.” To limit the global warming with two degrees, these goals should be strengthened by 20-30%. Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) had been developed three years ago, and many changes took place since that time. In particular, RESs became cheaper, global emissions got stabilized, and coal energy exit broke out. These conditions should be taken into account and used for reconsideration of the goals for the Stimulating Dialogue 2018 coordinated within the frame of COP 23. The Dialogue 2018 should exceed the scope of the official countries’ presentations, attract all interested parties, and engage all sources of information.
For Russia, the high-technology and competitive development of the economy automatically presumes reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Our country needs active actions for adaptation to the inevitable climate change.
Decarbonization of the economy, i.e., replacement of fossil fuels with diversified renewable energy sources, measures for energy efficiency enhancement, and release of the “clean energy” at the account of this resource is the way to the future and a guarantee for competitive development of the national economy; this is the money right under foot.
Not only the development of the “green” image of particular companies but “greening” of the entire economy and spheres of Russia’s life should be the trend for the development of the country.
We make a call for Russia in 2018 to:
- Ratify the Paris Agreement
- Adopt amendments to the Law “On Environmental Protection” providing for the legal basis for obligatory accounting on and monitoring of the greenhouse gas emissions at the level of enterprises
- Develop the Federal Law “On Carbon Control” (to be adopted in 2019) and start practical activities on stimulating enhancement of energy efficiency, RESs development, and implementation of new technologies based on carbon control
- Harmonize and strengthen the already existing variant of the goal for the greenhouse gas emissions by 2030: to adopt the goal of 2,500 mln tons of CO2 equivalent per year for accumulated emissions in the sectors of the Russian economy without including forests
- Adopt a separate goal for forests. Prohibition of commercial deforestation in the most valuable and low-disturbed forest areas and development of sustainable forest management in already exploited areas are seen as exceptionally important measures.
- Develop the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan; foresee allocation of funds for its implementation at the federal and regional levels; put a priority on the adaptation of forest and water management and management of natural resources, including that on the basis of interests and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples
- Include climatic actions in the efficiency indexes of evaluation of the RF Subjects’ top officials’ activities on creating favorable conditions for entrepreneurial activities (for this, corresponding amendments should be included in the Order of the RF Government №534-r of 15.03.2013)
- Motivate regions to cooperate with the Roshydromet Climate Center in order to assess outcomes of the climate change and development of adaptation recommendations, both through national regulating and participation of public organizations
- Provide for the transparency and efficiency of formation and using funds for the support of vulnerable sectors and compensatory damages, including the non-life insurance schemes
- Develop and adopt a regulatory and methodical base for formation and realization of RF Subjects and municipalities’ climatic plans including both the low-carbon development and adaptation.
Energy efficiency and renewables are the priorities of Russia’s low-carbon development; this requires strengthening of the state support and elaboration of a RESs roadmap for the RF Subjects. The long-term strategy of low-carbon development for the period till 2050 should be based on it (its existence is obligatory by the Paris Agreement). The strategy should foresee the soonest exit of the coal from the power generation sector and incessant reduction of other fossil fuels use.
The strategy should not include any increase of the quota of NPSs and major dam HPSs in the country’s energy balance. It should correspond to the global transfer to the non-carbon power production by the middle of the 21st century. We emphasize that the major water power engineering and nuclear power engineering cannot be considered as environmentally safe solutions for the reduction of human impact on the climate system of the Earth!
We stand for reorientation of subsiding fossil fuels in favor of RESs and energy efficiency (under condition of support provided to the most vulnerable groups of population and creation of “green” jobs).
The Position was adopted at the “Climate and Energy: Solutions for the Future” all-Russia Conference (city of Korolev, Moscow Region, December 8-9, 2017), in which 62 representatives of 38 non-governmental non-commercial organizations from eight RF Federal Districts took part.
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