Energy efficiency and energy saving are the key to reducing the human imprint on climate change, a Russian expert said on Monday.
The 15th UN climate change conference, a result of two-year international talks on a binding treaty to cut the global emission of greenhouse gases, opened earlier on Monday in Copenhagen.
Oleg Pruzhnikov, deputy director of the Tariff Regulation, Infrastructural Reform and Energy Efficiency Department at the Economic Development Ministry, said energy efficiency "is about reducing consumption of fuel per unit of output."
He said it could best be achieved by introducing new technology on the one hand, and addressing various organizational and energy-saving issues, on the other.
"Organizational measures primarily involve improvement of the operation of the housing and utilities sector," he said, adding this sector could help save 30% of energy.
Pruzhnikov said new technology was especially important in the power generation sector, in particular in increasing the efficiency of power plants.
He said another area was the production of cement and cement products.
The Copenhagen conference is expected to agree a new international document to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, some elements of which expire in 2012.
The document, if signed, will see Russian natural gas exports drop by 180 billion cubic meters by 2020, said Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency. If the document is not signed, Russia is expected to export up to 240 billion cubic meters of gas in the reported period.
Global gas consumption is forecast to grow 37% by 2020 if the new treaty is signed, and by 65% if it fails.
Many world leaders have pledged on the eve of the summit to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help keeping global warming under control.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia would target a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 instead of 15% cuts projected earlier. U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a 17% emissions cut at the climate summit.
MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti)
