Kyoto Protocol nears taking effect as Russia moves to ratify it
Moscow, 29 August: Russia's parliament will soon move towards ratifying the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on curbing global warming, a move that would clear the way for the international treaty to come into force, a Russian official indicated Thursday [28 August]. Deputy Minister of Natural Bioresources Irina Osokina, now visiting Sweden for a conference, told reporters the issue is not whether Russia will ratify it but when. The official said the country's top two leaders have agreed to start deliberations on it in the federal assembly as early as next month. For the pact to enter into force, 55 countries or more, accounting for 55 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions by industrial nations, must ratify it. Major emitters of greenhouse gases such as Japan and the European Union have already ratified the pact. Russia's ratification will clear the threshold. According to Osokina, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov have approved holding deliberations on the ratification at the State Duma, the lower chamber of the federal assembly, as early as next month. Approval by the Federation Council, the upper house, is also necessary for ratification but it appears almost certain since Putin's ruling party holds a majority of seats in both chambers. Osokina also hinted that the ratification may not occur until next year, since it remains unknown how long it will take the legislature to debate the matter. The deputy minister said documents for parliamentary deliberations will be prepared by late September when an international conference on climate change hosted by Russia begins. Analysts believe Putin made the final decision in light of strong pressure by the EU, among others. With Russia's approval, the protocol adopted in Kyoto in 1997 would enter into force after 90 days. It requires industrialized countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by an average of 5.2 per cent between 2008 and 2012.
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