The activities presented in the following text took place ahead of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine starting on 24 February 2022.
Russia has set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 30% below 1990 levels by 2030 – a target the country has already achieved due to the fall of emissions as a result of the economic downturn in the 1990s. Its long-term climate strategy includes a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2060, and an 80% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050, both including removals.
The country is a leading global producer of fossil fuels and the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. A significant part of its territory is covered by the Arctic, which is warming up much faster than the rest of the world – making the country particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Russia is also home to one of the world’s largest forest areas. The role that forests play in climate change and the impact of the latter on forests were therefore among the main topics of SPIPA’s intervention in Russia. The recurring and increasing forest fires experienced throughout the country only confirmed the validity of this approach.
SPIPA-supported research work on the state of Russian forests was undertaken by the European Forest Institute with the support of the Russian partners. It left a substantial knowledge legacy, which became the basis for further awareness-raising activities in the form of online events and training. These were complemented by operational training sessions and capacity building for remote radar sensing, based on Copernicus data, thus helping enhance the overall forest-monitoring capacity in Russia.
A further example of successful engagement at a technical level was a dialogue platform on energy- and resource-efficient buildings. This resulted in an exchange of experiences and lessons learnt between Russian and EU counterparts, and saw a steadily growing interest and participation by Russian practitioners.
The first high-level EU-Russia Climate Conference, held jointly at the end of 2020, brought together policymakers, energy companies, experts, representatives of leading think tanks, non-profit organisations and the media from both the EU and Russia to discuss challenges and opportunities connected to climate change, resilience and decarbonisation. The conference provided a platform for an open discussion and productive dialogue between the main stakeholders, helping identify areas of mutual interest on climate-related subjects.
Lastly, SPIPA helped facilitate exchanges among EU and Russian researchers on the impacts of climate change and decarbonisation, with particular emphasis on the Russian economy.
Energy
Long-term Strategies