Recent data show that for the first time in ten years, 2009 saw a decrease in emissions in Russia. In fact, the country emitted 2.16 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2009, 72 million tonnes less than in 2008 and 35 percent less than its 1990 level, Russia’s base-year for its Kyoto protocol target.

Not differently from other countries, the financial recession, which caused in the country an almost 8-percent reduction in GDP in 2009 compared to the previous year, is responsible at least in part for this result. Moreover, this decline in emissions has an important upside: Russia is required by its Kyoto Protocol target to keep emissions at its 1990 levels, accumulating in the form of surplus emission rights the rest. Thus, in 2009 the country added 1.6 billion emission rights to its existing surplus of 1.09 billion that Russia had in the previous year.

Currently Russia has not sold any of the surplus units accumulated under the Kyoto Protocol, and its emission reduction target submitted under the Copenhagen Accord (15–25 per cent emission reduction target by 2020 against 1990 levels) seems within such easy reach not to need any of the surplus allowances for the country itself.

Climate Policy News

• This news is extracted from the Climate Policy News : a CMCC weekly column that summarises the latest news on international climate change agreements, the updates on the carbon market and the energy and technology updates in the realm of climate change. Go to the web page and see all previous issues since March 2007.
• This week: Italy: solar incentives under the spotlight; IEA report: biofuels can play role in transport fuel; Russia: emissions fall after 10 years; the carbon market this week – Download the April 11-23, 2011 Newsletter [pdf 123 kb]