Kyoto-ism is Incompatible with Economic Growth, Clean Environment and Human Rights, Says Top Putin
Advisor
LONDON, England, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Andrei Illarionov, chief advisor to President Vladimir Putin, addressed an
audience at the Adam Smith Institute's Energy Policy Unit in London today (18 May). He answered questions on key
policy areas, ranging from the Kyoto Protocol to the upcoming EU/Russia Summit on 21 May in Moscow, where final details
of Russia's WTO membership are expected to be decided.
Illarionov clarified Russia's position regarding its ratification of the Kyoto Protocol: "Kyoto would
result in an economic holocaust for Russia." He explained:
"Kyoto-ism is another example of totalitarian ideology like Marxism, communism and socialism. Russia has
imported those ideas from Europe and suffered badly in the twentieth century. Kyoto-ism would lead to the creation of
bureaucratic monsters at national and supra-national levels that - through allocation of emissions quotas - would be a
blow against basic human freedoms and human rights, and would decide the fate of nations, companies and people
worldwide."
He went on to describe the science behind Kyoto as "deeply flawed". Viewed over the past 100 years, the
increase in global temperatures may appear significant. However, over a longer period it becomes obvious that global
temperatures vary a great deal - largely as a result of natural phenomena. The current global temperature is lower than
has been observed at other times in the past 1000 years.
Last Friday (14 May) Russia's Academy of Sciences concluded that the Kyoto Protocol "has no scientific
foundation". It also stated that the Protocol does not achieve the goals of the UN's Framework Convention on
Climate Change, and in fact would be economically harmful to Russia and global development generally.
"Nature's real weapon of mass destruction is actually global cooling, not warming. It is ice ages and cold
weather which cause hardships and catastrophes, whereas increases in temperature have historically coincided with
periods of prosperity."
"The Kyoto Protocol is a serious threat to humanity," Illarionov concluded. "Industrialised countries
which have adopted Kyoto's constraints on carbon emissions have had significantly lower economic growth rates than
industrialised countries that have not adopted them. Averaged economic growth in 1997-2003 in 11 non-Kyoto developed
nations, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Israel, Cyprus, and the United States, was
3.1per cent in contrast to 1.7 per cent GDP annual growth in 17 pro-Kyoto countries (EU15, Canada and Japan)."
Illarionov points out that there is a strong link between wealth creation and environmental protection. "Kyoto
harms economic growth, perpetuates poverty, and would undermine everyone's ability to achieve a cleaner, healthier
environment. Therefore, the most important policy for environmental protection is creating the right conditions for
economic growth. Kyoto has the opposite effect and is therefore environmentally harmful."
"Russia will adopt a policy of economic development enabling her to reduce her vulnerability to adversity in
general. It is vital that we solve today's urgent problems and create the means to address future problems,"
he said.
Illarionov did not see Russia's position on Kyoto as a problem in the upcoming World Trade Organisation
negotiations slated for 21 May in Moscow during the EU-Russia summit. "The ratification of Kyoto has never been
part of the WTO negotiations and it is misleading to say that it is. No other country has Kyoto as a condition of WTO
membership, why should Russia?" Adam Smith Institute
For more details please contact: Stephen Weller, Director of Communications, International Policy Network, in
collaboration with Adam Smith Institute's Energy Policy Unit, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7231 2132, GSM: + 44 (0) 77 9534
5249, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7231 8008, Email: Stephen@policynetwork.net
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