KYOTO /Japan/ October 3. /TASS/. The Russian business has realized how serious the global warming issue is but at the same time, the ratification of the UN Paris agreement by Russia has become more complicated, Chief Executive Officer of state owned Rusnano nanotechnology company Anatoly Chubais said in an interview with TASS.
He is now taking part in the Science and Technology in Society Forum (STS) in Kyoto, Japan.
"Russia signed the agreement but has not ratified it yet. Politically the situation has advanced significantly but in terms of the current realities in Russia it has got more complicated, because the business has realized that this topic is serious and it is not an abstract discussion," he said.
According to him, the opponents of the ratification emerged when it became clear that "the state regulation of CO2 emissions can lead to some financial responsibility".
"Yes, there are opponents. They had a difficult discussion in the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. The Union adopted the document, I do not agree with and I was the only one who voted against this document," he said.
According to Chubais, the authorities and businessmen will soon start a serious discussion on further actions on that issue.
"The Government has ordered the development of an action plan for the implementation of the signed agreements. The aspects of that plan are now the subject for discussion between the business and the government," Chubais said.
At the same time, Anatoly Chubais said that the ratification of the agreement by Russia would not be such a moment in history as it was with the Kyoto Protocol.
"Because the Kyoto Protocol entered into force thanks to the ratification of Russia," he reminded.
But the fight against global warming is "a noble mission for the mankind" and "Russia should not be away from it," Chubais said.
Paris Agreement
The UN Agreement on climate was reached on December 12, 2015 at the conference in Paris.
On April 23, 2016, at the UN General Assembly in New York, 175 countries signed the document, including Russia, Germany, India, China and the United States. The document provides for the obligations of the parties to prevent the increase of the average temperature on the planet by 2100 by more than two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. The Agreement will enter into force after being ratified by at least 55 countries, which account for at least 55% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions.