"The European community is pressuring Russia. It is trying to coax the national top into ratifying the protocol as soon as possible. But don't forget that the Kyoto protocol terms blatantly discriminate against Russia, so to hurry with ratification is the last thing we should do," emphasised Miss Kashirova. First, it sets a 22% quota for Russian carbonic acid gas ejection, while West European countries may eject 30- to 40-fold more. Vast Russian forests enrich the world with an annual 1.3 million tonnes of oxygen, and consume 11.2 billion tonnes of carbonic acid gas. The protocol makes no account of that, and does not grant Russia whatever preference to the countries that largely owe the air they breathe to its woods, argues Anna Kashirova.
The initiative group points out inequality in quota sales. The prices are within a $4-10 bracket per tonne-as against a forty dollar threshold effective price. Russia stands to lose unless the protocol is amended to make quota trade lucrative.
"I have joined the group to come at a golden means between the stances of the protocol authors and those of practical men," said Yuri Shulgin, executive manager of the Roscommunenergo, a company representing provincial offices of municipal power industry. "My industry is one of those whom the protocol will closely concern if Russia ratifies it. We must see from the start just how it works and what we ought to expect of it." Russia is not to regard the Kyoto protocol solely from the point of its contacts with Europe. Thus, the protocol can have an impact on Russo-US relations, warned Professor Andrei Sidorov of the Moscow State University.
There is no proper dialogue round the issue, and that is the biggest problem the Kyoto protocol presents. Russia has been forced to face a choice-either it accepts the protocol the way it is now, or it stays out. No one would turn an attentive ear to Russian reasoning, and references are made to tentative economic sanctions to intimidate Russia. The matter is posed in an incorrect way we can't put up with, said the professor. He called to pay deserved attention to other countries' practical achievements as they are reducing air pollution with carbonic acid gas. The USA, for one, is implementing several related national programmes.
Many newsmen were rather sceptical about the group debut at today's conference. Set up with a noble goal, to help its country to get out of its Kyoto deadlock, the group is not making a big impression. The news conference was a one-way traffic street. The speakers shrugged off the central principle the group founders had offered-the issue demands an unbiased discussion to weigh all pros and cons. In fact, every conference speaker came out against the protocol ratified.
The matter is not over yet. The group has only made its first appearance. We shall see how things will go on.
