It has been ratified by more than 80 states, including the USA, China, India and most EU countries.

Russia intends to ratify the agreement no earlier than 2019-2020. The relevant documentation is currently being prepared.

The agreement was adopted in December last year at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This treaty will replace the Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997.

Parties to the Paris Climate Agreement commit to:

— adopt national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and revise them in order to cause less harm to the environment every five years;

— achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and thereby keep global warming on the planet within 1.5-2 degrees Celsius relative to the average temperature of the pre-industrial era;

— by 2020, develop national strategies for the transition to “green” technologies and a carbon-free economy;

— allocate $100 billion annually to the Green Climate Fund to help underdeveloped countries. After 2025, this amount should be revised upward “taking into account the needs and priorities of developing countries.”

Why is this Agreement needed?

Modern scientists are concerned about changes in the Earth's global temperature. In 2015, for the first time in history, they recorded an increase in the average temperature of the planet by more than 1 ° C compared to the 19th century. A year earlier, the World Meteorological Organization reported a record high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the past 30 years.

From this, climatologists concluded that it is human activity - the burning of oil, gas and coal - that leads to the greenhouse effect, which causes an increase in average temperature. Experts estimate that to keep temperature increases to 2°C, countries will need to halve global emissions relative to 1990 levels by 2050, and reduce them to zero by the end of the 21st century. If states do not begin to seriously address the problem of environmental protection, by 2100 the temperature on the planet may rise by 3.7-4.8 ° C, which will lead to the melting of glaciers, the formation of typhoons and other serious disruptions to the ecosystem.

How far have you been able to reduce carbon emissions?

According to the international analytical agency PwC, since 2000, Russia has on average reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 3.6% per year, the UK by 3.3%, France by 2.7%, and the USA by 2.3%. The global average reduction in carbon emissions over the past 15 years was 1.3%. However, these efforts are not enough. To prevent irreversible climate change, annual reductions in carbon dioxide emissions must be at least 6.3% until 2100.

June 1st US President Donald Trump announced that . According to the president, withdrawal from the agreement will be carried out in accordance with UN procedures and will take up to four years. The president described his decision as “the fulfillment of a sacred duty to America and its citizens.”

The U.S. withdrawal from the agreement would mean a quarter of the UN's climate program funds going to least developed countries would be cut, and the U.S. itself would be slower to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If the United States withdraws from the agreement, it will be difficult for the global community to achieve its goals, since the United States is the largest source of funding and technology for developing countries in their fight against the effects of climate change.

Why is the US leaving the agreement?

Trump promised to make this decision during his election campaign last year. He has repeatedly stated that the Paris Agreement harms the American economy and reduces jobs. According to Trump, US participation in the treaty threatened the loss of 2.7 million jobs by 2025. According to Trump, the agreement could harm the economic interests of the United States, which he puts first, and would enrich other countries such as India and China.

“This agreement is less about climate and more about giving other countries a financial advantage over the United States,” Trump said. — Other countries applauded when we signed the Paris Agreement. They went crazy with happiness. Because its implementation would put the United States, which we love so much, at an economic disadvantage.”

Trump said he wants a new deal that he says will be fairer to the world's top economy.

What does the Paris Agreement provide?

The Paris Agreement, which replaced the Kyoto Protocol, includes a commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The document also envisages the allocation of $100 billion to developing countries by 2020 to solve environmental problems.

The goal of the agreement is to prevent the average global temperature from rising by 2 degrees by 2100. Scientists believe that a more significant increase in temperature caused by the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere could lead to irreversible consequences for the environment. Each of the parties to the agreement determines their contributions to achieving the declared goal individually.

The agreement was adopted at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015 and 2016. The agreement was signed by more than one hundred and ninety countries. Of these, 147 ratified it. Russia has signed the Paris Agreement, but has not yet ratified it.

How did you react to the US withdrawal from the agreement?

Former owner of the White House Barack Obama believes the administration of his successor Donald Trump is “giving up the future” by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.

“I believe the United States should be at the forefront of this group,” Obama said. “But even in the absence of American leadership, even as this administration joins a small handful of countries in abandoning the future, I am confident that our states, our cities, and our businesses will do more to lead and preserve our commonwealth for future generations.” a planet that is one for all of us.”

The governors of California, Washington and New York, which account for a fifth of the US economy, Jerry Brown, Jay Inslee and Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of a climate union. They promised to prove to the global community that the United States can continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including by limiting the use of coal in the power sector and regulating its emissions cap systems.

Elon Musk- founder of Tesla and SpaceX - left the White House council in protest. He will no longer serve as a consultant to the US administration.

President Trump's rejection of the agreement has caused disappointment among G-7 leaders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a telephone conversation with Trump expressed her regret. French President Emmanuel Macron in a conversation with Trump, he said that the United States and France will continue to cooperate, but not on climate change issues.

The Kremlin said that there is currently no alternative to the Paris climate agreement. According to Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov, “effectiveness in implementing this convention without key stakeholders will be difficult.”

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Keqiang stated that China will fulfill its obligations under the Paris Agreement. China's state news agency Xinhua called the US decision a "global step backward."

Russians may pay for saving developing countries from climate change by rising prices for electricity and heat.

The Paris climate agreement, which aims to curb global temperature rise, came into force on November 4. It implies, in particular, reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Its developers are confident that such measures will prevent global warming on the planet. Our country has signed this agreement, but ratification has been postponed until at least 2020. What risks does the agreement entail? This issue was discussed during hearings in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation (OP). Its experts believe that first it is necessary to develop an appropriate national methodology, since the tools offered by the West do not seem indisputable and cause criticism. In addition, the Paris Agreement may entail the introduction of a carbon tax, and this will lead to an increase in the price of electricity for Russians by 1.5 times.

The Paris Climate Agreement, adopted as part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2015 and signed by many countries in April 2016, effectively replaced the Kyoto Protocol. It is aimed at curbing the rise in temperature on the planet.

Last year, ecologists calculated that, compared to the 19th century, the average temperature on the planet has increased by more than 1oC, and the main increase in this indicator, according to them, began in the 1980s and continues to this day. According to a number of experts, all this was a consequence of the active processing and combustion of hydrocarbons, which leads to the greenhouse effect. To curb rising temperatures, the world's industrialized countries need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

However, whether the Paris climate agreement will be a way out of the situation and whether it will prevent a tragedy of global proportions is a big question. This document in its current form contains many shortcomings. It was these gaps that were discussed during the hearings in the Public Chamber of Russia.

“Many aspects of the agreement are controversial in expert circles. This is also connected with the general attitude towards climate science and warming,” Sergei Grigoriev, chairman of the OP commission for the development of the real sector of the economy, opened the hearing with these words.

Secretary of the OP Alexander Brechalov joined his opinion. “The first point of work in this direction will be a discussion of the results of the analysis of the socio-economic consequences of the implementation of the agreement, that is, putting this idea into practice. Any ill-considered measures can dramatically increase the financial burden on both companies and the population,” he noted.

According to the head of Roshydromet, Alexander Frolov, one of the key problems associated with the ratification of the Paris Agreement is its scientific validity. In addition, for now this agreement is only of a framework nature and lacks modality. Further climate change is inevitable and the reasons for this process have long been clear. “We need a long-term development strategy until 2050,” Frolov noted.

The same thesis was confirmed by Sergei Grigoriev. “The climate has always changed - both in the 17th and 18th centuries. Now the main problem is that there are no national methods. We refer only to foreign ones. The time has come to make efforts to develop a national methodology, because the theses that are put forward as indisputable raise big questions,” he noted, emphasizing that “the degree of politicization and politicking around this topic is unprecedented.”

One of the stumbling blocks of the Paris climate agreement is the introduction of a so-called carbon tax - a fee for emissions. These contributions are planned to be sent to the Green Climate Fund, and then to developing countries for the “adaptation” program to global climate change. Those who seek to limit the import of energy resources, for example, Western European countries, are interested in introducing a “carbon tax.” States whose economies are tied to hydrocarbon production and fuel production, on the contrary, consider this mechanism not ideal. Thus, the budget office of the US Congress noted that the introduction of a “carbon fee” will lead to an increase in prices for many goods. And for Russia in its present form it can lead to the most unpleasant consequences. According to calculations by the Institute for Problems of Natural Monopolies, the damage to the Russian economy threatens to amount to $42 billion or 3–4% of GDP.

“It is not clear from the agreement what we signed. The draft decision turns the agreement into a liquidation document and involves interference in the internal politics of our country with the help of environmental mechanisms. Those who ratified it will supplement it without our participation,” believes Vladimir Pavlenko, a member of the presidium of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems.

Moreover, he believes that the Paris Agreement is a striking example of the application of double standards created to gain the opportunity to interfere in the internal affairs of any state, and primarily Russia. “The double standards of the Paris Agreement make it difficult to prove that our absorbing contribution is an environmental donation. In the European Union, emissions exceed absorption by 4 times, in the USA and China - by 2 times. In Russia, the balance is positive in favor of absorption. Our absorption resource is estimated at 5 billion to 12 billion tons, that is, 10 times more than in this document. So are we sinks or polluters?” - asks Vladimir Pavlenko.

By the way, there is confirmed evidence that many countries that have ratified this document falsify information. For example, India records its emissions under the Brazilian sink resource, while the Americans record them as Canadian emissions. There are also serious suspicions about the West’s intention to use our absorption territories under bilateral agreements with different countries.

“It is necessary to move to a format of thoughtful study of numbers and threats,” agrees Konstantin Simonov, Director General of the National Energy Security Fund. - It is very important to link the ratification of the agreement to the lifting of sanctions. The world community needs to decide whether we are with it or not. But for this it is necessary to put an end to the trade war.”

Moreover, we must not forget that there is a threat that the Paris climate agreement will result in additional and unexpected costs for ordinary Russians. “We all understand that we live in difficult economic conditions, and any ill-considered decisions can cause a serious blow to the country’s economy,” believes Sergei Grigoriev.

As noted in the report of the Institute for Problems of Natural Monopolies, the introduction of a carbon fee could lead to a significant increase in electricity prices. The construction of replacement generating capacities will require about 3.5 trillion rubles. Under this scenario, the cost of a kilowatt for large commercial consumers will increase by 50–55%, for small commercial consumers - by 28–31%, for the population - by 45–50%, that is, 1.5 times. It is obvious that without working out all the nuances, ratification of the Paris Agreement will be a premature decision. In this regard, the participants in the hearings in the OP indicated their readiness to promote all initiatives and proposals in the future, right up to President Vladimir Putin.

It was adopted on December 12, 2015 following the 21st Conference of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris.

The agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including through:

— keeping global average temperature increases well below 2°C and working to limit temperature increases to 1.5°C, which would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;

— increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and promoting development with low greenhouse gas emissions, in a manner that does not jeopardize food production;

— aligning financial flows towards low-emission and climate-resilient development.

The Paris Agreement specifies that specific measures to combat climate change must be aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and their development and implementation rests entirely with national governments.

The agreement consolidates and formalizes the turn to a new, low-carbon model of economic development based on the gradual abandonment of traditional technologies for the extraction, processing and use of fossil resources (primarily hydrocarbons) in favor of “green” technologies.

By 2020, states must revise their national strategies in the field of CO2 emissions towards reduction.

The commitments of countries participating in the Paris Agreement are planned to be renewed every five years, starting in 2022.

The Paris Agreement, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, does not provide for a quota mechanism. The Paris Agreement does not include sanctions for countries that fail to meet their national contributions. The agreement simply approves the creation of an incentive mechanism that should reward states and economic entities for their successful reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Financial support will be provided to developing countries to implement programs to curb global warming. Combined public and private funding for developing countries is expected to reach $100 billion by 2020.

Today at the TASS press center, representatives of the government, business community and environmental organizations discussed the opportunities and threats that ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement could bring to Russia. The round table “Greenhouse effect for the economy: the first year of the Paris Agreement,” held at the news agency’s office, helped to understand what changes await the country’s energy balance after the document enters into force. Let us recall that the plan for ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement was approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in early November, thereby putting an end to the discussion about whether Russia should undertake obligations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The document assumes that by 2020 a long-term strategy for low-carbon development of the country will be adopted and targets for reducing emissions until 2030 will be determined. However, with the advent of the plan, doubts did not disappear, the main one of which was: why does an oil and gas power need “clean” energy?

01.

Why do you need to negotiate?

Humanity today uses the resources of one and a half planets Earth. The world economy is developing very extensively, and many resources do not have time to recover. We are talking not only about fossil fuels, but also about marine systems, fisheries, forests. If we do not change this economic model, sooner or later we will lose the resources to live.

02.

Can the working group at the UN be trusted?

The scientific body called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change includes more than 10,000 specialists from various countries, including about 700 from Russia. The group's work is based on scientific climate research conducted by UN member countries and annual reports from experts on climate change on the planet. (In Russia, such research is carried out, in particular, by Roshydromet, the Institute of Global Climate and Ecology of Roshydromet and the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the country’s oldest institute on climate problems, the Main Geophysical Observatory named after A.I. Voeikov.)

03.

What happened before the Paris Agreement?

Since 1997, the Kyoto Protocol has been in force, which linked the economy and the environment, allowing countries to trade carbon dioxide emissions quotas and invest in projects to reduce emissions in other countries. The protocol divided countries into two groups: developed ones, with fixed obligations to reduce emissions, and developing ones, without strict obligations. A lot has changed since the 1990s: the Soviet Union collapsed, and the economies of the BRICS and Gulf countries boomed. And while countries that have committed to reducing emissions (including Russia) have done so, globally emissions have continued to rise as the role of other countries has increased. Therefore, there was a need to conclude a new climate agreement.

Reference:

The Paris Agreement was adopted during the Climate Conference in Paris on December 12, 2015, in addition to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The document regulates measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and should replace the Kyoto Protocol, the obligations under which expire in 2020. The agreement provides for the obligations of the parties to reduce emissions, the amount of which is determined by each country independently. Currently, the document has been ratified by 96 countries. Russia signed the agreement in April 2016, but the political and business communities doubted its ratification due to concerns that the transition to a low-carbon development strategy would negatively affect economic growth.

04.

How is the Paris Agreement different from the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol assumed a “prescriptive” distribution of emissions quotas, but the Paris Agreement works differently. It sets a trend, but does not introduce global regulatory measures in the form of quotas or other restrictions. Each country independently determines the figure by which it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and then a common goal is formed from this data. The Paris Agreement assumes that participating countries will develop domestic carbon regulations, such as a low-carbon strategy or a carbon tax (where each producer pays a certain amount for each ton of fuel burned).

05.

What is the purpose of the Paris Agreement?

The overall goal agreed upon by the countries participating in the agreement is to make every effort to ensure that the global temperature in the world does not rise from the level of the pre-industrial era by more than 2 degrees.

06.

Two degrees – is that difficult?

All national programs presented in the Paris Agreement assume an increase in global temperatures of at least 3 degrees. No one has yet presented a set of measures to guarantee an increase in temperature on the planet by no more than 2 degrees.

07.

Why is warming of 2-3 degrees dangerous?

With global warming of 2 degrees, by the middle of the 21st century, 500 million people will experience water problems. If global temperatures rise by 3 degrees, this figure will reach 3 billion.

08.

Why should Russia participate in the Paris Agreement?

The main problem in Russia today is low energy efficiency: the energy saving potential in Russia is 40%. In other words, our country is losing as much energy as the whole of France consumes.

09.

What disadvantages might the Paris Agreement have?

According to the deputy director of the Institute for Problems of Natural Monopolies, the tax on greenhouse emissions, the introduction of which is envisaged by the Paris Agreement (the so-called carbon tax), will affect generating companies whose thermal power plants operate on coal, as well as the owners of gas and oil stations - both from the collection itself and from rising prices for natural gas. “Consumers will also feel the impact of the Paris Agreement,” said Alexander Grigoriev. – Rising electricity prices will be the next inevitable consequence of the introduction of a carbon levy. IPEM calculations show that if the current volume of generating capacity is maintained, the introduction of an emissions tax will add 0.45–0.58 rubles/kWh to the cost of electricity, which corresponds to a price increase of 19–25% for the population and large industrial consumers, by 11– 14% for small and medium businesses.

“The feasibility of a tax path to a carbon-free future is far from clear,” agrees Fedor Veselov, leading researcher at the Institute of Energy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. – A carbon tax is often considered as a way to increase the competitiveness of low- and non-carbon energy by increasing the cost of electricity from thermal plants. But in conditions of objectively lower domestic Russian gas and coal prices, carbon tax rates will not be lower than $50–70 per ton of CO2. The mechanism for using tax revenues is also a problem. Could they be targeted to support technological restructuring in the electricity industry itself, forming a reverse mechanism for reducing the cost of low- and non-carbon projects, and could they become a way to subsidize other industries or simply increase the budget? The additional tax burden will be translated into the price of the final product, including the price of electricity and heat.”

10.

What is happening in Russia in terms of CO2 emissions?

Russia is today in fifth place in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. China is in first place, the United States is in second, India is in third, and the European Union is in fourth. This data was provided by the International Energy Agency in a report prepared in 2015 on the eve of the Paris Agreement. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Russia managed to reduce emissions, but not due to technological development, but mainly due to the closure of industrial production.
As part of the Paris Agreement, Russia announced a goal to reduce emissions by 25-30% from 1990 levels by 2030.

11.

What needs to be done in Russia to curb harmful emissions?

The first measure is energy efficiency. Today, experts are talking about reviving the energy efficiency program, and many expect more government money to flow into this area.

The second direction is the development of renewable energy.

Third – technology. Analysts talk about the danger of lagging behind in the development of technologies that are in one way or another connected with renewable energy, with the issues of “smart” networks, “smart” cities, and technologies that predict electricity consumption.

12.

What benefits does public discussion of climate-related issues bring?

Understanding the dangers and prospects. Ignorance gives rise to myths, which is why popularization and expert opinions are so important. Peretok received answers to some questions related to greenhouse emissions from Angelina Davydova, director of the Russian-German Bureau of Environmental Information (RNEI), a recognized expert on climate issues. Angelina gave this lecture in October of this year in Irkutsk as part of the “Future Energy” project of the En+ Group company.

Angelina Davydova is director of the Russian-German Bureau of Environmental Information, scientific journalist. Since 2008, she has been an observer at the working group on climate issues at the UN, has been active in educational activities in this area, and has collaborated with the publications Kommersant, Ecology and Law, The St. Petersburg Times, The Village and others.