The Government of Russia has been instructed to make sure that the volume of greenhouse gas emissions is reduced to not more than 75% of 1990 baseline emissions. The directive approves an action plan to ensure the required volume of greenhouse emissions up to 2020, and it also stipulates project implementation forms and records and their regular submission. These decisions aim to reduce the carbon intensity levels of the Russian economy.
This draft directive on approving an action plan to achieve the required volume of greenhouse emissions up to 2020 was submitted by the Ministry of Economic Development in execution of Clause 2 of Presidential Executive Order No 752 On the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emission Volumes of 30 September 2013.
This Executive Order instructs the Government to ensure the reduction of the volume of greenhouse gas emissions to not more than 75% of 1990 baseline emissions. Moreover, the Government shall approve an action plan to achieve the required volume of greenhouse gas emissions, and this action plan shall contain specific parametres for reducing greenhouse gas emission volumes within specific economic sectors.
Article 4 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change lists economic sectors which should limit, reduce or stop anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, including energy, transport, industry, agriculture, the timber sector and waste disposal.
The directive approves an action plan to achieve the required volume of greenhouse emissions up to 2020, hereinafter referred to as Plan, as well as project implementation forms and records to be submitted regularly.
The Plan stipulates the following key items:
· Efforts to record greenhouse gas emission volumes at major enterprises (2014-2015);
· The creation of instruments of state support for project and design activity and the implementation of projects to reduce greenhouse gas emission volumes (2014-2018);
· The compilation of scenarios for the long-term economic regulation of greenhouse gas emission volumes and the possible approval of additional measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions (2016 and subsequent years).
The Plan stipulates measures to draft regulatory documents in the area of carbon regulation, assessments and forecasts of greenhouse gas emission volumes, including an assessment of the potential for the reduction of greenhouse gas emission volumes in specific economic sectors, the creation of a system of measures to ensure state regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that require the provision of state subsidies.
The approved decisions aim to reduce the carbon intensity levels of the Russian economy. The implementation of the action plan will make it possible to confirm the consistency of the Russian political line regarding the end goal of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, specifically, the prevention of disastrous consequences of anthropogenic climate change. This will also make it possible to substantiate possible levels of reduced greenhouse gas emission volumes during the formulation of the Russian stance at negotiations to draft a new climate agreement for a period after 2020 and to create favourable conditions for the transition of national economic sectors to low-carbon (energy-efficient) development options up to 2020 and until 2030.
