“The question of either ratifying the protocol or not was raised because a whole number of countries exercise pressure on Russia now trying to make it ratify the protocol,” Mr. Illarionov reported. He said, three questions had to be answered first – about the quality of the protocol, the outcomes of its possible ratification, and its scientific background.

Illarionov also stressed that the Kyoto protocol was not a universal instrument, as more than half of all countries around the world have taken no obligation to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. The economies of countries that have ratified the protocol grow at a slower pace, as the Kyoto protocol sets substantial restrictions on economic growth, he added.

Another interesting fact it that there was a meeting arranged by the Green Party near the State Duma today while the latter was discussing the ratification of the Kyoto protocol. Participants of the meeting sent a letter to lawmakers to support the approval of this international agreement.

It is worth mentioning that the Kyoto protocol was signed in 1997 at an international summit under the UN aegis. The countries that signed it (they number 121 with Russia among them) made an obligation to drop emissions of hydrocarbons and other noxious gases into the atmosphere by 5.2 percent on average by 2012 against 1990. There is no way this protocol can be enforced, unless it is ratified by countries that account for at least 55 percent of all gas emissions worldwide. The USA, which accounts for 24 percent of that, withdrew from the protocol in 2001, saying that it is absolutely impossible for it to meet this demand without shutting down all domestic manufacturing industries. But in reality, the USA does follow this requirement based on even stricter limitations.