Putin and the planet
Has Russia鈥檚 leader changed his tune? The man who once joked about climate change now says Russia is taking action.
Russia is the world鈥檚 fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses. Any talk of changing that needs to focus on President Vladimir Putin. Under his leadership, Russia has become a fossil fuel powerhouse. Since he took office in 2000, Russian oil production has risen by 70%. Today, the state is dependent on its revenues. Four in every ten dollars Moscow spends comes from fossil fuels. So the idea that Russia needs to shift away from fossil fuels to prevent the worst effects of climate change strikes at the very heart of Mr Putin鈥檚 power.
But Russia is already suffering more than most from the effects of climate change. Arctic temperatures are rising faster than the global average, forests the size of countries are going up in smoke. Two thirds of the country鈥檚 permafrost - permanently frozen ground - has roads, homes, schools, oil and pipelines and even nuclear reactors are built on it. And the permafrost is starting to melt.
Putin鈥檚 latest national security document for the first time mentions climate change as a risk. But can he do what is necessary to prevent things from getting worse?
Contributors -
Angelina Davydova - Environmental Journalist
Chris Miller - Director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute鈥檚 Eurasia Program
Vladimir Chuprov - Director of the Energy Program, Greenpeace Russia
Presenters: Neal Razzell and Kate Lamble
Reporter - Olga Dobrovidova
Producer: Jordan Dunbar
Last on
Broadcasts
- Mon 18 Oct 2021 01:32GMT成人快手 World Service
- Mon 18 Oct 2021 08:06GMT成人快手 World Service
- Mon 18 Oct 2021 12:32GMT成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
- Mon 18 Oct 2021 19:06GMT成人快手 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
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