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Russia may ratify Paris Climate Agreement by end of 2019

Scientists believe that a more significant rise in global temperatures can lead to irreversible environmental effects

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Moscow may ratify the Paris Climate Agreement by the end of 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev said.

"Russia welcomes the Paris Climate Agreement, which lays a solid legal foundation for long-term climate management," Gordeyev said, as cited by his office. "We are making preparations for the ratification of the document in accordance with national legislative procedures. We plan to complete the work and ratify the Paris Agreement by the end of 2019," he added.

Gordeyev said at a meeting with German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller that Russia’s goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020 compared to the 1990 level. Thus, Russia was supposed to maintain the same level of emissions for 35 years.

Besides, the deputy prime minister pointed out that Russia had launched a national project dubbed Environment, which encompassed a number of federal projects on environment protection and was aimed at pooling the efforts of federal, regional and local authorities to improve the environmental situation in the country.

Muller, in turn, suggested establishing a special inter-agency task force to resolve global challenges, including environment protection, the preservation of biological diversity and the fight against hunger. Gordeyev welcomed the initiative and invited Germany to participate in the 2019 Eastern Economic Forum to continue exchanging experiences and boost cooperation.

The Paris Climate Agreement, signed at the COP 21 UN Climate Change Conference in the French capital on December 12, 2015, sets a goal of keeping global warming below two degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial average by 2100. Scientists believe that a more significant rise in global temperatures can lead to irreversible environmental effects.

In June 2017, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s plans to withdraw from the Agreement, saying the document posed a threat to the US economy.