MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. Western countries have been increasingly using the climate agenda to protect their goods in international markets, Alexander Abelin, Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, told reporters.
"Recently, Western countries has been increasingly using the international climate agenda to protect their goods on international markets. For example, the EU plans provide for the introduction of cross-border carbon regulation in the near future as one of the mechanisms for fulfilling its obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement. This poses a threat to the national interests of the Russian Federation, since the EU is one of its largest trading partners. The introduction of similar measures is also being considered by the US authorities, "Abelin said.
Considering these circumstances, it is necessary to take into account climate change as one of the key long-term factors affecting the security of the Russian Federation, he said. The problem of climate change, according to the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council, is one of the priority areas for ensuring national security.
"In the medium term, special attention will be paid to adjustment of the population and the economy to changes in climatic conditions, the transition to the so-called circular economy, the creation of an industry for the utilization of carbon emissions, as well as the effective implementation of their control and monitoring," Abelin added.
Environmental agenda and economy
The Deputy Secretary of the Security Council noted that the need for the participation of all countries of the world in solving environmental problems has led to the fact that in the medium term, the environmental agenda becomes one of the most important in international relations. It also affects the economic and social aspects of sustainable development and, in general, is among the main problems of humanity in the 21st century.
"In order to participate in solving this problem, Russia became one of the full parties to the Paris Climate Agreement in 2019. At the same time, the Security Council pays special attention to ensuring the national interests of Russia in joining and fulfilling the obligations stipulated by the Paris Climate Agreement. They were repeatedly considered at the Council’s meetings, as a result of which the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin gave the necessary instructions to the government <...> and individual departments, "Abelin recalled.
He explained that, in particular, work was initiated to develop a strategy for the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation with a low level of greenhouse gas emissions until 2050. The document provides for a comprehensive solution to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Russia compared to 1990, observing the conditions for sustainable socio-economic development of the country, increasing the competitiveness of Russian companies and their investment activity.