Embargo: 10am, Monday 8 September
2003
RUSSIANS FACE STORM OF PROTEST OVER
CLIMATE TREATY RATIFICATION
Photo Opportunity
where:
Outside the
Russian Consulate, 5 Kensington Palace
Gardens, London W8
when:
10am, Monday 8
September 2003
Campaigners wearing swim-suits, Wellington
boots and carrying umbrellas (symbolising
unpredictable weather) and holding huge
weather symbols will call on President Putin
to stop changing our climate.
Russian Embassies throughout Europe are
being targeted by Friends of the Earth
campaigners on Monday (8 September) over the
Russian Government's failure to ratify the
Kyoto climate treaty, the only international
treaty to cut pollution causing climate
change. The environmental campaign group is
accusing the Russian Government of stalling
on the crucial climate treaty and using it as
a bargaining chip as part of its efforts to
join the World Trade Organisation. The latest
WTO ministerial talks open later this week in
Cancun, Mexico.
Embassies in the UK, Germany, Netherlands,
Italy, Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark will
all be targeted by the protest which takes
place on the eve of the opening of the Duma
[1] - the Russian Parliament.
Evidence of man-made climate change is
clear. Top climate scientists say there is no
other explanation for recent weather
patterns. In June this year, the World
Meteorological Organisation announced record
levels of extreme weather events such as
tornadoes, floods and droughts around the
globe. Since then a heat wave has gripped
Europe, leading to an estimated 20,000
deaths. The United Nations' Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change predicts that freak
weather events are likely to become more
frequent if global temperatures rise by up to
six degrees, as forecast.
The Kyoto Protocol is the essential first
step towards international action to tackle
climate change. The Kyoto Protocol commits
developed nations to an average cut of 5% in
emissions of the greenhouse gases that are
causing climate change. So far 113 countries
have ratified it. But since US President
George Bush said that America, the world's
biggest polluter, wouldn?t ratify the
protocol, it can only enter into force and
become legally binding if ratified by Russia.
Russia's failure to ratify is delaying its
implementation and preventing negotiation on
a second, bigger round of emissions cuts [2].
Campaigners are calling on President Putin to
show world leadership, and ensure that Russia
ratifies the Kyoto Protocol immediately
Friends of the Earth International?s
Climate Campaigner Kate Hampton said:
"Despite the promises, President Putin has
failed to show leadership on tackling
climate change. Other nations, particularly
the EU, must put pressure on Russia to
ratify Kyoto now. But ratification must not
be linked to Russian membership of the WTO.
We have already lost two years of climate
negotiations since governments agreed on
global climate rules in 2001. And this
summer's heatwave shows more than ever that
global warming is a mass killer."
Further information for editors
[1] On September 9 the Russian parliament,
the Duma, reopens after its summer
recess.
[2] The Kyoto formula for entry into force
is that 55 countries and countries
representing 55% of industrialised country
carbon dioxide emissions must ratify the
treaty (carbon dioxide is the principal
greenhouse gas causing climate change). 113
countries, including countries representing
44.2% of industrialised country emissions,
have ratified so far, so entry into force now
depends on Russia (source www.unfccc.int).
Russia?s role became crucial when the Bush
administration pulled out of Kyoto in 2001.
The US represents 25% of world emissions but
36% of the emissions of industrialised
countries. Russia represents 17% of
industrialised emissions and is the only
country that holds the key to the Kyoto
formula.
At the Johannesburg World Summit, heads of
government urged all countries that had not
yet done so to ratify the Kyoto Protocol as
soon as possible. President Putin and other
prominent members of the Russian government
declared that Russia intends to do so.
However, a ratification instrument was not
presented by the executive branch to the Duma
in its last session. Preparation of the
ratification instrument has been mired in
departmental in-fighting within the Russian
government, which has also been using the
delay as an economic and political bargaining
chip.
Most recently, the Russian Prime Minister
sought to link Kyoto ratification with
Russia?s accession to the World Trade
Organisation (WTO). The energy sector has
been a focal point of negotiations in
Russia's talks with WTO members, especially
the EU and the US. The EU is arguing that
Russian domestic energy prices are
subsidised, with domestic gas prices standing
at one sixth of the world gas price . The EU
says Russia is providing an unfair advantage
to its industry and therefore subsidising
exports. Russia contends that low domestic
gas prices are a function of Russia?s
comparative advantage in energy, arising from
abundant oil and gas reserves. The EU wants
the Russian government to break up Gazprom,
meeting stiff opposition from Russia which
has argued that the Russian energy giant is
benefiting from a natural monopoly .
Meanwhile, securing access to Russian gas
will be important to the EU in achieving its
Kyoto targets because gas releases less
carbon dioxide per unit of output that coal
and oil. However, there is a fear that,
without higher domestic energy pricing in
Russia, the EU may increasingly rely on
imports of energy-intensive goods from
Russia, undermining emissions reductions at
home. This brings to the fore more than ever
the need for consistent climate and energy
policy across the globe, starting with entry
into force of Kyoto.
Although Russian membership is not
officially on the agenda at Cancun, momentum
is building in the run up to the next round
of Russian WTO membership negotiations at the
end of September. This is around the same
time as the Russian world climate conference,
when some observers expect Russia to announce
the date for ratification.
Russia stands to accrue considerable
economic, political and environmental
benefits from becoming a Kyoto Party. One
potential benefit will be greater access to
financial and technical assistance in making
the transition to a more efficient, more
competitive clean energy future. This could
be achieved through targeted use of the Kyoto
Protocol's project-based Joint Implementation
mechanism, although sales of Russian 'hot
air' on the international emissions trading
market could undermine the environmental
integrity of the Protocol by limiting the
need for emissions reductions in the EU, but
especially in Canada and Japan which are
further off target.
The delay in Russian ratification has
already prevented the 9th Conference of the
Parties - scheduled for early December in
Milan - from becoming the 1st Meeting of the
Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. This means
that a second crucial year of negotiations
has been lost since the Marrakech Accords
were finalised in 2001. Further delay in
Russian ratification could well undermine
progress in the implementation of climate
policy outside Russia by relieving pressure
for compliance with Kyoto targets. Discussion
on further reductions needed to prevent
dangerous climate change in accordance with
the ultimate objective of the 1992 Framework
Convention on Climate Change - to which
Russia is already a Party - is also being
prevented by the delay.
Contact:
Neil Verlander
Press Office
Friends of the Earth
020 7566 1649 or 01223 309 308(t)
07712 843 209 (m)
07654 663 764(p)
www.foe.co.uk
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