MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. Russia, along with Brazil, will benefit from climate change on the Earth and its arable land may grow by 40 mln hectares, Special Representative of the Russian President on Digital and Technological Development Dmitry Peskov said at the Eurasian Economic Forum on Wednesday.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, crop lands in Russia for 2023 are expected to encompass 85 mln hectares, considering new regions.
"If we take a look at the map, a major civilizational challenge faces us. This is because there are only two countries globally that will benefit in the long term from climate change - Brazil and the Russian Federation. This is excluding small problems with permafrost soil," the envoy said. "We are talking about [an increase] of more than 40 million hectares <…> of cropland for Russia. This is a very serious challenge for us," Peskov said.
The expert community has different opinions as regards the source of climate change on the planet, the official said. The West blames human activity for the phenomenon, while representatives of the Russian academic community lean towards "geotectonic changes" as the underlying cause, he noted.
"The average annual temperature near the Earth's surface is growing quickly [in any case]. East Siberia is the center of such growth. It will warm up several times faster than any point on the Earth in the years to come," the special representative added.