Alexander Ishkov, head of the National Environment Protection Policy Department of the Natural Resources Ministry, said that about 20 projects had been initially approved by related agencies, including approval by the Economic Development and Trade Ministry.
Ishkov highlighted a large-scale project of Unified Energy System (UES), Russia's electricity monopoly, aimed at using natural gas as a fuel for power generating units instead of coal and petroleum. He said that energy, gas, and chemical companies had also presented their projects, along with paper mills.
Ishkov said projects to increase forest reproduction were also being developed.
Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, head of the water resources institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Russia had done nothing since the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, taking advantage of its status at 25% below 1990 emission levels, which means it evidently meets its obligations on greenhouse gas emissions stipulated by Kyoto.
Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries that signed onto the treaty committed to an overall 5% reduction from 1990 levels of greenhouse gas emissions by 2008-2012. The EU's overall commitment is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, averaged over 2008-2012, to 8% below the base year level of emissions. The base year level of emissions is calculated using the 1990 CO2, CH4, and N2O emission levels of all member states and the 1990 or 1995 emission levels for fluorinated gases, depending on the member state.
