The denunciation of the Kyoto protocol would have been the right decision for Russia

Monday, August 3, 2020

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The denunciation of the Kyoto protocol would have been the right decision for Russia, believes Russian President's aide Andrei Illarionov, who participated in the UK conference on climate change. "This conference clearly showed that the threat facing Russia is much more serious than we could discern several months ago. Therefore, the immediate denunciation and the abandonment of the Kyoto Treaty would have been the most correct decision for Russia," Mr. Illarionov, who originally opposed the idea of Russia signing the treaty, emphasized during an interview with RIA Novosti. "It is a very dangerous, harmful and destructive document for Russia," the Russian President's aide said, adding that people underestimate the danger of both the Kyoto protocol and actions aimed at its implementation. Mr. Illarionov noted that according to the criteria of assessment of critical levels suggested at the conference, by 2050, Russia must reduce the volume of carbonic acid emissions by 90% compared with 1990 (approximately by 80% compared with the current level). Meanwhile, Mr. Illarionov stressed, Russia's economic potential will have to be reduced by 70% compared to current level. Consequently, "the GDP and personal income levels will drop by 2.5-3 times," Andrei Illarionov warned. The Russian official harshly criticized the organizers of the conference. He revealed that "there were many scientists in the conference hall who disagreed with the conclusions" contained in the draft of the final document prepared by the organizing committee and presented at the final meeting of the conference on Thursday. "Then, instead of opening the discussion of the issue, the organizers simply stood up and left the conference hall without announcing the closure of the meeting," Mr. Illarionov said. He added that many leading scientists and experts who disagree with organizers' point of view were not even invited to participate in the conference. The G8 scientific conference on the climate change was conducted on February 1-3 in the town of Exeter in the south of the United Kingdom.

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