Russian Duma Votes to Ratify Climate Protocol

MOSCOW, Russia, October 25, 2004 (ENS) - Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, has approved a bill on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change. The vote on Friday raised hopes around the world that the international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming will enter into force early next year.

Although 126 ratifications of the protocol have already been registered, it cannot take effect until nations accounting for 55 percent of developed countries' carbon dioxide emissions in 1990 ratify. Russia's 17 percent pushes the total over that threshold, according to the Convention’s secretariat.

Speaker of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov (Photo courtesy Duma)

The protocol now requires ratification by the Duma's upper house and signature by President Vladimir Putin. It will be forwarded to the upper house by Wednesday. Once the upper house adopts the bill, it will be sent to President Putin who is expected to sign it within 14 days. The Protocol enters into force 90 days after Russian ratification is received by the United Nations.

The head of the United Nations environment agency Friday welcomed the Duma's decision. But Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said the final goal of a stable climate is still far off.

“The goal of stabilizing the climate and securing the stability of the planet, is, however, a long way off and we must now redouble efforts to deliver the even deeper cuts in emissions needed,” he said.

Though the United States has not ratified the pact, Toepfer said, “We must keep the dialogue open so that this key country can hear, and hopefully be eventually won over, to the sound argument that combating climate change makes both environmental and economic sense.”

The UNEP chief dismissed the ideas that the United States is doing nothing to address climate change, pointing out that at least 20 states are adopting or have adopted strategies to reduce emissions.

“There is also a great deal of interest and activity within American business and industry to develop new, more efficient energy systems and to participate in the new global trading emission trading mechanisms that are being developed as a result of Kyoto,” Toepfer said.

Dutch Environment Minister Pieter Van Geel (Photo courtesy Dutch Presidency of the EU)

On behalf of the environmental ministers of the European Union, Dutch Environment Minister Pieter Van Geel said, “With this, it has become clear that international climate policy is no longer seen as an expense, but as a means of bringing about savings in energy and costs. A country like Russia justifiably sees the economic advantages of Kyoto.”

Russia certainly sees the political advantages for its relationship to Europe. The EU, which has ratified the protocol, has been persuading Russia to ratify for the past year, and recently agreed to support Russia's membership in the World Trade Organization in return.

Van Geel said now there is a more solid basis for emissions trading in the EU, which is to start in 2005.

State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said Friday that Russia may sell quotas on the emission of greenhouse gases for several years after ratification. “If the protocol enters into force, countries whose emission of greenhouse gases exceeds the level of 1990 will be interested in buying extra quotas,” Gryzlov said.

While the U.S. government was silent on the Duma's vote, countries that already have ratified the treaty, all welcomed the Russian move.

French President Jacques Chirac told President Putin in a phone call Sunday that the Duma's decision to ratify the protocol was a major contribution to the development of multiparty international cooperation and was highly appreciated in Europe and the whole world, according to the Russian president's press spokesman Alexei Gromov.

Japanese Environment Minister Yuriko Koike welcomed "this major step towards Russian ratification."

"Japan believes that the Kyoto Protocol is an extremely important step in addressing climate change. For that reason, Japan is reinforcing its domestic policies and measures in order to ensure achievement of its Kyoto reductions target," said Koike.

New Zealand Energy Minister Pete Hodgson sees welcome business opportunities. (Photo courtesy Government of New Zealand)

In New Zealand, Energy Minister Pete Hodgson who serves as convenor of the Ministerial Group on Climate Change, said, "Uncertainty for New Zealand business has now evaporated. They can be sure that energy efficiency investments will now generate a greater return. They can also be sure that the significant business opportunities that the Kyoto Protocol brings will now come to pass. In particular, New Zealand businesses will have opportunities that are unavailable to companies from non-ratifying nations."

New Zealand's neighbor, Australia, is a non-ratifying nation, having chosen to joint the United States in its position that the protocol is took expensive and would be bad for the economy. The newly re-elected government of Prime Minister John Howard maintained Sunday that Australia is better off without the Kyoto Protocol, over the objections of the country's top environmental groups.

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) warned big polluters that their continued lobbying of the Australian government to oppose the protocol risks jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

"It is imperative that big polluters reverse their destructive opposition to the Kyoto Protocol and encourage Australia to join the world community in this much needed effort to protect the planet and our kids from climate change," said ACF Executive Director Don Henry.

"Our economy continues to suffer from water shortages, droughts and bushfires and we now risk missing out on an international emissions trading regime said to be worth between US$10 billion and US$1 trillion by 2010," Henry said.

Greenhouse gases form a blanket around the Earth, trapping the Sun's heat closer to the planet. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

Friends of the Earth International said the international community should keep up pressure on the U.S. and Australia to ratify the protocol. "If they want to be responsible members of the world community they must wake up to the threat of climate change, sign up to Kyoto, and take urgent action to cut their emissions,” said spokesperson Catherine Pearce.

“The Kyoto Protocol is only the first step. Much bigger cuts in carbon dioxide emissions than Kyoto demands are needed," Pearce warned. "If we fail to meet the challenge the devastating impacts will be felt by millions of people for generations to come.”

In the United States, Jeff Fiedler, policy specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate Center, said, ""The Russian government's decision to adopt the Kyoto Protocol leaves the United States alone as the largest and most important industrialized nation to not adopt the treaty. Russian ratification means a new market and a new economy has been given the green light, but the U.S. is not following the signal."

"The U.S. must get its own house in order by putting in place a national mandatory limit on global warming emissions, and eventually rejoining the international community in addressing this global problem. The current voluntary approaches simply are not working to control the power plant and vehicle emissions that cause global warming," said Fiedler.

"American businesses are falling behind our competitors, as they are shielded from the inevitable need to plan for investment in cleaner and more efficient technologies, and are missing out on opportunities in the new multi-billion dollar a year emissions reductions markets," he said.