Few months ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Conference, the Russian government has adopted a climate doctrine, outlining the country’s response to climate change. The document, which was composed without public consultation, is now awaiting the approval of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Bellona.org reports.
The doctrine, which was presented to government in mid February and then adopted in March, will be the fundamental text specifying climate change and its influence on economic and territorial planning in Russia, and will contain a complex of measures aimed at adapting to climate change, the Bellona Foundation says.
Russia might be among the countries worst affected by climate change, head of the Russian Federal Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring Service Aleksandr Bedritsky admits.
As BarentsObserver previously reported, a recent report from the Hydrometeorological and Environmental Monitoring Service reads that climate change will have significant negative consequences for the Russian population as well as the country’s social and economic activities. Russia must now increase energy saving and turn more towards alternative energy sources, the report concludes.
Several forecasts have outlined gloomy climate perspectives for the Russian North. In a report from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, more than 25 percent of all housing in the region, as well as airports, underground hydrocarbon deposits and infrastructure is in danger of destruction because of the changing climate, news site Vzglyad.ru reports.
