Russia looking to ratify Paris climate agreement as U.S. continues withdrawal

Source: L.A. Times

Russia, the world’s fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter, is inching closer to ratifying the Paris climate accord by the end of the year, placing Moscow in yet another position to fill a void left by a United States withdrawal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top climate advisor, Ruslan Edelgeriev, plans to give the leader a report by the end of the month outlining the pros and cons of ratification, according to the Kremlin website. Putin could then submit ratification legislation to the Russian parliament to be passed in time for the next United Nations climate change convention, scheduled for the end of the year.

Russia is one of 197 countries that have signed the 2016 Paris agreement, which aims to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. A rise of about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit has already occurred. But Russia is among 13 nations that never formally ratified the document, meaning it is not committed to meeting the framework’s protocols for reducing greenhouse gases causing a global temperature rise.

In January, Russia’s largest business group threw its weight behind ratification, providing new impetus to its passage. The powerful Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs said its members supported ratification, citing concerns over economic restrictions and competitiveness, according to the daily Russian newspaper Kommersant, which obtained a copy of the letter sent to several ministries.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-russia-climate-change-20190216-story.html